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What you want to say… Open Thread, 9th August, 2012 August 9, 2012

Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.
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As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.

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1. James - August 9, 2012

Long shot – recently (in the last year) an English Marxist (at Oxbridge) died. In one of his obituaries (thing it was the London Independent) it said that he was heavily influenced in his early life by Miriam Daly. I had thought it was Andrew Gamble, but this may not be the case – can’t refind the obituary. Any body know the academic?

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Ed - August 9, 2012

In the intro to a book of Peter Gowan’s essays that was issued by Verso last year, Tariq Ali said that he (Gowan) had been influenced by Daly, who was one of his college lecturers.

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James - August 9, 2012

thanks a million! You’re right – it was Peter Gowan. Excellent – had been wracking my brains for the last few days.

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NollaigO - August 12, 2012

@James: A couple of minor corrections. Peter died in June 2009. I attended his funeral. He was not an Oxbridge graduate. He went to Southampton University. As he records in an NLR interview shortly before his death:
At Southampton I specialized in Irish economic history, 1780–1820, taught by Miriam Daly. There was very little secondary literature, so we worked on primary materials. Miriam got us thinking about different methods of interpretation, comparing classical economists’ approaches with those of Marxists…
Elsewhere in that edition, Tariq Ali mentioned that “..[Miriam Daly] was shot dead by Loyalists in 1980, with the collusion of British Intelligence, according to some. Gowan wrote a moving obituary of her in Socialist Challenge.”
http://newleftreview.org/II/59

This interview is available behind a “paywall” or by using a bit of initiative!
An obituary to Peter Gowan more easily accessible is here:
http://www.marxsite.com/Peter_Gowan.html

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2. elbanditodiablo - August 9, 2012

A new post went up on Irish Anarchist History today. It contains an interview the Freemans Journal carried with Kropotkin in 1887 and the comments link Ernie O’Malley and Sean Lemass! http://bit.ly/O5S7FD

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Ed - August 9, 2012

Jaysis, didn’t see that one coming. In Sergio Leone’s film about the Mexican revolution, ‘Duck, you sucker!’ (AKA A Fistful of Dynamite), the IRA veteran played by James Coburn is reading a book by Bakunin at one point. But I don’t think Leone was particularly concerned about historical accuracy (he has the Irish revolution happening before the Mexican one for one thing).

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3. CMK - August 9, 2012

‘The Phoenix’ is getting increasingly unreadable. Way too many pieces based on company accounts for various non-entities. While it always had its share of non news about the business dealings and mishaps of the gombeen class, its political gossip, occasional analysis and poking into some of the less travelled paths in Ireland made it worth buying. But this week’s edition was woeful and not worth 2.85.

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Blissett - August 10, 2012

I’d have to agree (generally, havent picked up yesterdays). Also, very SF centric view of world, and I say that as a Shinner.

Incidentally, can anyone actually remember a time when the funnies in it were actually funny?

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CMK - August 11, 2012

I’ve never founf them funny, but that’s probably me. ‘The Diary of a Northsoide Taoiseach’ was mildly amusing when Bertie was working feverishly to wreck the economy. What is funny about the ‘Phoenix’, ahem, ‘funnies’ is that a lot of them seem to be taken from ‘Private Eye’ where the funnies do actually live up to their description.

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doctorfive - August 11, 2012

Worth the entry if they knock a rise out of Harris tomorrow imo

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4. RosencrantzisDead - August 10, 2012

I opened my email inbox this morning to discover yet another unsolicited email from the Freeman-on-the-land/Tir Na Saor/Common Law Society/Freedom Bus/Sovereign Independent (and they say the left suffers from complicated organisational structures).

These people are seemingly going from strength to strength in their promotion of what is complete and utter legal nonsense. Several people have approached me about this stuff, and all appear to have been taken in by it.

Some may recall that during the early stages of the Anti-Household Charge campaign, an email and facebook post did the rounds claiming that the government could not make you pay the charge if you did not expressly agree to pay it. This was because the charge was statute law which required express consent of each of the governed in order for it to require compliance. I paraphrase here to avoid the mumbo-jumbo that this argument was ensconced in.

For the avoidance of doubt, the above argument is total bollocks for a variety of reasons. For the sake of brevity, I shall not go through the counter-arguments here.

The issue is not necessarily with the “philosophy” (I use this term very, very loosely) behind it: that voluntary association should be the organising principle of society is a respectable philosophical and political tradition. The problem with the Freeman view is its sheer shiftlessness of it. They promote the idea that one can escape obligations by relying on a few legal phrases -taken out of context- and some tinfoil hat theories about securitisation and social welfare. Add a healthy dash of New Age-y bullshit and you have a movement. And they are charging people to tell them this junk! Nunc pro tunc, debt without honour, and what have you.

This becomes particularly galling when you think that every convert to the Freeman view is one might have otherwise joined a protest or a campaign and put in the hard graft the political change requires.

Makes my blood boil.

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CMK - August 10, 2012

Mine too. Unfortunately, there are people in the CAHWT who are swayed by Freeman nonsense.

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RosencrantzisDead - August 10, 2012

Organisers or just activists/participants?

I know the Defend Our Homes League, who have otherwise been doing good work, have a few among their number. Prime example is the viral video about the guy “using the Constitution” to turn away a bailiff. Nonsense and ignores the actual work of the protestors involved.

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CMK - August 10, 2012

Just a couple of activists I’ve encountered who seem oblivious to how the legal system actually work and think the Freemen possess a magic wand that can overturn centuries of legal practice. Having said that the vast majority of people, I think, see through the Freemen. Those that don’t, however, seem content and indeed happy, to parade their ignorance. That youtube clip you refer to has a lot to answer for.

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Ivorthorne - August 11, 2012

Are these the guys who go round giving the Sherrif and the Bar association notice that there is no provision in the constitution for their office?

RosencrantzisDead - August 11, 2012

Yes; that is the same group.

5. Michael Carley - August 11, 2012
6. doctorfive - August 11, 2012

RedC were polling voting preference during the week though I haven’t seen the SBP or any of the Sundays mention it yet.

Still over five weeks before the Dáil returns

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WorldbyStorm - August 11, 2012

Nothing on the RTÉ website so far. Wonder who it was on behalf of.

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doctorfive - August 11, 2012

No poll from the SBP this month according to Cliff Taylor.

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WorldbyStorm - August 11, 2012

Intriguing. Who does that leave?

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7. doctorfive - August 11, 2012

That leaves just the Indo or the Sun doesn’t it?

Unless someone else is checking the lay of the land ahead of December.

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8. ejh - August 12, 2012

Latest Spain

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9. Mark P - August 14, 2012

Roseanne Barr has announced she’s running for American President as a socialist.

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ejh - August 14, 2012

Hope that goes better than the final series did.

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