Thursday 3 November 2011

Occupy

Yesterday I went to Bristol and visited the Occupy protest taking place on College Green. There is a small and hopefully growing camp of people that, rightly IMO, want a better world. I support their efforts. This isn't a grotty group of soap dodgers or scroungers and stereotypes like these are growing increasingly tiresome. I even met my old GP who has long been active in working for change. This post is to affirm my support for their efforts. This movement is for everyone because the failing system affects everyone.
I'm not entirely sure what I can do to actively help the movement (signing on and camping out isn't going to be possible). I'd like to think there's something we can all do that is practical, but I fear that really radical change is only going to come from radical action. That isn't a euphemism for violence: we can achieve our aims peacefully, as indeed we should. However I think we need concerted, nationwide (if not planet wide) civil disobedience. By that I mean downing tools, striking, resisting, and not participating in the fraud that is capitalism. We have colluded in our own downfall for too long.
However I think change is needed beyond the City and the financial sector. This is an opportunity to build a better society for all. Not just about reforming capitalism but changing it if not removing it altogether. We must consider the environmental impact (unlike reactionaries like Eric Pickles) of our actions as well as providing a progressive, compassionate and creative culture for future generations. Capitalism, it seems to me, is predicated on the idea of scarce resources and archaic notions of land ownership. These have to be challenged and changed.

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