Back Citystrolls
(First edition)
Contents:
CENTRES O HOWP PREES CALLE
Cognitive dissonance?
Supermercats: SUPER-GYTE
Mair information
Did ye ken we wer aw on the Midgie Motor
Weil, ye ken nou!
Mebbe we’r no up ti wir oxters in it yit, but it’s lyke we’l shuin be paidlin. Dubya disnae even hae L plates an the dum wee puggie on his shouther sess nae evil, but – nae dout – hears the Midgie-Men comin for him.Shouthers … hou lang can we, in the weil-aff kintraes, staun on the shouthers o wir brithers an sisters in the Third Warld? Oor feet mebbe weet … but THAY’R DROUNIN! Thon’s Big Eissue Nummer Wan!
We micht no ken hou faur we ir frae the Midden, as the motor hurls us alang, but the sichts an smells comin frae aw airts ir faur frae comfy or cantie. The pouerfu steuch o Yle hes been wi us for a whyle, wheichin frae oot o the Middle East, cairryin a heavy wecht o dule an doom. Haurdlie twa year syne, ye widnae hae thocht onie eidyit could hae made thon bruckle situation onie waur. Oor Pilot, the White Houss Commander-in-Chief (for the nou) hes proved us wrang.
On tap o the Iraq guddle an gutter, Him an the blin, sowel-less bandits that pauchled him inti the Presidential job, hae wyced the warld’s maist pouerfu economy awa frae onie agreement ti caw cannie wi the warld’s finite resources an ti hae mynd ti pollution’s effect on the climate.Greedy an Gutsie is Guid! The Morn wul hae ti tak tent o itsel! … says thay.
AIDS … wul it gang awa? Stervin weans on yae side o the warld an ower-fou-fed tumshies boakin thair excess on the tither side. The price o twa pints can save the sicht o a wumman sae she can gairden an growe food ti feed her twa bairns. But can we get the siller ti the clinic?
Ir we aye leivin wi the aff-come o Chernobyll an Agent Orange an hou monie lan-mines aye wait ti waste some paer wean in war-mankit pairts o the warld?
An whit dae ye say aboot thaim that plenish oor Food in the West – producers, exporters, importers, supermercats? For Profit an for ti mak Share-hauders happy, thay’re weil reddie ti peyzin us, swinnle us, sair maltreat animals, spyle toun centres an redd oot maist o oor sma shop keepers.Ay! Sae we’r in the deil’s erse o a midden. An aw the fankles on cancers layed oot abuin (an the monie, monie mair we could bring forrit – an wul anither day) we ken, wul no gang awa.
Did Rabbie get it richt? Wul Sense an Warth ower aw the yirth, beat the gree? Is it comin yit, for aw that?
Weil, the Bardie’s gien us a Sang for it, lyke lang afore, the legend says, Wallace telt his troops at Fawkirk:
“A hae brocht ye ti the ring, nou show us ye can daunce.” And, ither words in Scotland cannie be lang sleepin: HAUD ON! ... WE’R NO HAEIN THAT! .... THAT’L NO DAE! ... NAE WEY!Pit thaim ti the tweisters, joukirs an ill-trickit louns rinnin us frae the Midgie-Cabin. Mak guid yuis
o the Cowp wi aw thair lees, jinks, pauchles an media-keich.MYND, WE DINNAE KEN THE DESTINATION, BUT WE CAN AW HELP TI MAK THE HURL MAIR UPLIFTIN.
CENTRES O HOWP PREES CALLER
On the first o Mey, Prentwarks Social Centre in Glesca opened it doors tae the public. Social centres, hes explodit athort the face o the UK in recent years. They tak on different forms an comprise properties on oniekin kind, fae squattit chaumers o the ilk o a but-n-ben til biggins the size o smaw warehooses. In some cases they belang the participants, in ithers the space is rentit o squattit. Whit the space is uised for differs atween centre tae centre, but it can be maistly jalouzed at thir’s initiatives fae fowk interestit in betterin their lives an the lives o ithers.
A social centre is a space whar fowk can be creative an foregaither, baith socially an aince errant the purposes o social chynge. They offer resoorces for fowk tae organize an hae meetins, come thegither an dae creative things, in a space that isna governed efter the logic o siller. Some centres plenishes fuid an drinks, an ither things that maks spendin time inby mair worthwhile. But aw centres is tryin tae fill a gap that exists atween fowk’s need for a free space an the mismarra atween fowk’s wants an the logic o siller
Prentwarks in Glesca hes free tae an coffee an is weel boden wi a thrave blads an journals an comfy setees an chairs. It’s an informal space whar fowk can access socially uissfu information in the hert o Glesca. The centre is rin wi reglar open meetins, an decisions is taen in a direckly democratic wey, bi awbody that tends thaim. The centre wes stertit up bi a group cried the Glesca Autonomous Projeck, wi the ettle o bringin thegither fowk swinkin tae mak the warld better for thersels an ithers an giein fowk a space tae find oot mair aboot autonomous social campaigns an new weys o organizin. Ensamples o hou this is workin in practice in Glesca is baith the mental haelth uisers group, a curn o fowk wi experiences o mental haelth issues, that’s come thegither for tae talk aboot their experiences an come up wi solutions tae the taiglements brocht aboot bi mental illness, an this wittinsblad, that’s ettlin tae ding doun some o the donnert norries fowk hes regairdin the Scots leid an the reenge o uisses it’s traditionally been penned intil, no raxin ayont the couthie nor the sauf.
Monie fowk comes intil a free space the maik o this wi certain norries that aw the behavious an laits that the seestem we aw bide in na-says us fae daein is acceptable, an certes there hes been problems in the eild wi centres, wi fowk abuisin spaces, but pairt o whit democracy means an the implications it hes for participants is that fowk maun abide bi the decisions that’s taen collectively bi awbody concerned. Social centres is tryin tae cast an ee intil the futur, an plenish caller solutions tae social ills, that’s muivin awa fae egoism an the nihilism o despair. They’re aboot howp an chynge no aboot plenishin a palliative or the politics o despair.
Whitwey no tak a trip til yer ain local, or get involved in a group in yer ain area that’s tryin tae set ane up. Evenou the’r centres in Glesca an Embra, an groups tyauvin tae set centres up in Aiberdeen an Perth. E’en gin the’r no a group for tae set a centre up, whitwey no stert ane up yersel? The tae hirple tae muivin forrit isna sae muckle the difficulty we face on the grund but the difficulties we experience in wir ain herts, harns an sowels, but thir’s whar we’ll can find the key til the futur.
Radical Spaces in Scotland:-
Autonomous Centre o Embra
17 West Montgomery Place
Embra
EH7 5HA
Open: Tuesdays 1-4pm, & Sundays 2-5pm
Tel.: 0131 557 6242
www.autonomous.org.ukPrentwarks Social Centre
58 Albion Street
Glesca
G1 1LH
Open: 7 days, 12 – 9pm
Tel.: 0141 552 4551
www.glasgow-autonomy.orgWordpouer, Embra’s radical beukshop
43 West Nicholson Street,
Embra
EH8 4DB
Open: Mon-Fri 10am – 6pm,
Sat 10:30am – 6pm
Tel.: 0131 662 9112
www.word-power.co.uk
Cognitive dissonance?
The Situationist Internaitional wes a curn o leftist intellectuals an airtists that existit fae the fifties onwart, breirdit ooten the twinin o the Lettrist Internaitional – that the mair political affcome o’t come thegither wi ither fowk tae form the SI. In its time the SI makkit some far-gaun analyses o the modren conditions o Capital (The Society o the Spectacle), it ootpit propones anent the formation o hierarchical sinderins in aw societies nou an in the eild (Basic Banalities), while continuously plenishin a ruthless an gallus critique o aw groups an individuals that hes wrocht for social chynge. A’d airgie houanever that the SI cowpit, an wes eventually ortit haein failed in aw its objects, for a puckle raisons conectit til whit A trew comes ooten a dale cognitive dissonance inwi the curn.
In The Society o the Spectacle, a quair that maun stand hie-die-peers wi onie the best warks o the twentiet century, an easy the SI’s magnum opus, Debord (ane o the group’s key theorists an authors) furthsets monie threips (the hale it hes tae be said is suithfu) includin: “the misfoondit consaits o the individualist forms o anarchism hes aye been ludicrous”. This threip o Debord’s micht coud be applied til the SI, alangst wi the norrie fund awgaits in the SI’s ouevre that specialization is a “shithole”
Idividualism, or egoism, o the Stirnerite ‘streynd o anarchism’, is lamentably common in a wheen situationist tracts. Debord micht weel descrive the consaits o individualist anarchism as “ludicrous”, but Vaneigem in his The Revolution o Ilkaday Livin rejecks onie kinna hirple tae a body’s “subjective wants” as airt an pairt wi conter-revolution. The norrie o “sacrifice” an hou that this forms the dook that the nail o hierarchy is stelt up on is weel expoondit on in ither warks efter Vaneigem, houanever whit this demand o Vaneigem’s in The Revolution o Ilkaday Livin approximates til in rael tairms is the heid threip o indivualist anarchism – that there soud be nae conter tae the view o ane bies the monie. Liberalism as Vaneigem gies, propones that an individual soud hae freedom an that this freedom soudna owergang onie ither body’s. The gralloch til the line o thocht arrisin fae the complete mismarra o the type of organization that’s meint tae potentiate this happy tift o things bein capitalism. The difference fae this line o thocht an Vaneigem’s isna muckle. Baith see freedom for awbody in the complete freedom o atomized single bodies, naither concedes hou far this complete freedom for ane becomes the complete freedom o the few – hierarchy. Vaneigem asserts that “tacticts will become a science o pleesur”. It’s kenspeckle he hesna seen whit the airmy’s o states dis til insurgents, nor e’en whit committin aw o a body’s time tae a projeck adae wi liberation in onie field, an aw the scomfishin detail that this fends, dis til a body. In the Mexican Sooth-East whar an insurrection hes been gaun on for ower a decade, monie fowk is tired o hivin tae swink for freedom an is quate happy tae jink ilkday meetins an rulin their ain lives for a hantle govrenment siller. It micht coud be argied that the Zapatistas (the rebels) hesna makkit ‘revolution’ joco eneuch (Guid Saves!), but thon’s a gey difficult thing tae dae efter trade embargos on guids an graith cleckit in Zapatista autonomous zones, massacres, paramilitary attacks, pysonin o craps an watter wi a modren furm o agent orange forenent a growthie swall o checkpynts, undeemous militarization an a seilie daud o institutional govrenment racism. Debord is richt, this line o thocht is “ludicrous”.
The ither airt whar the SI micht coud be deekit as wandochty wes ower the issue o specialisms. Consitherin the SI wes setten up as a curn o specialists in revolution (“A group sic as the Situationist Internaitional hes an axial ettle; the ettle o tyauvin awplace as an axis that’s cawed roond in the first place wi the smeddum of popular resistance, but that forders this intital virr and furthsets it” The Revolution o Ilkaday Livin) Vaneigem’s threip, concernin the cleckin o in ae sense o a society the maik o whit wes breirdit in Jack London’s The Iron Heel, at “the bringin tae perfection o a process wad be a cybernetic society makkit up o specialists rankit hierarchically efter their skillieness wi consumin and garrin ithers consume the pokes o pousty nott for the function o a massive, muckle social computer whar they wad be at aince progrem and prentoot[,]” (The Revolution o Ilkaday Livin) seems tae betray a miskennin, or a kinch atween the theory an the praxis. Sicna misimplentation maks for a gey sair faut. In the SI’s ain words a aefauld revolutionary organisation radically criticises aw ideology as the separate pouer o ideas an as ideas o separate pouer. In ither words organisations that misses tae implement the fuhl affcome o their critique o hierarchical pouer on the grund disna sae muckle challenge the current seestem as juist affirm it, airtin dissent alang lines that winna can ding doun the current order. An whil the SI miskennin is a sicht mair subtle nor the ideologies o Marxist-Leninism, an ither dirten mismarras atweesh theory an praxis, it bides a miskennin.
Thir miskennin taen thegither A doot it can be seen at the’r a dale cognitive dissonance in the theory an praxis o the SI. A jonick glisk o their endeavours wad coud deek the merit o whit the SI achieved (an their achievements sae far as analysin the current seestem gangs is thrugaun an wechty tae be shuir), an syne onie radical vizzy o whit constitutes the conditions o modren capital micht richtly be regairdit as shilpit athout that it maks uiss o the resairch undertaen bi the SI, but the task o radicals in the futur is tae gae ayont the lanimers o 20t century miskennins.
topSupermercats: SUPER-GYTE
Eatin is makkin us aw MAD – fleein, reid-wuid gyte! Westrin Ceivilisation ocht ti be committit – mebbe ti some Mappamundal Midgie Motor – till sic tyme as Guid Sense lowses aff oor Food Mercatin Chains.
WE’r demandin chaep food – an the chain, rinnin frae producer thro distrubutor ti retailer, wellies in, tramps ower shouglie regulations an swinnles us an yin anither ti gie us it – at onie cost. At onie cost ti oor finite Resources, oor fragile Environment an the human welfare o Immigrant an Third Warld warkers employed in nearhaun serfdom. An Food Animal welfare an aw, whaur baests naiturs hae been tweistit, sae as ti threaten oor ainsels wi BSE, “fit and mooth” an Avian Flu.
WE lyke oor food ti luik fresh an cutesy aw paircelt up in shiny plastic. We pit taste an nutritional vailie ahint that an yaise precious Yle ti mak the plastics, as weil’s pesticides. Pesticides an mair pesticides ti fend the sonsie face o oor food an syne peyzin us. An frae the burnin o Yle we pollute the skies, for instance, ti tak dinky wee veggies growen here an plastic manufactured here twa thousan miles ti Africa an back – nou aw prettily packaged – for supermercat shelfs. Wad ye believe it? Yon’s chaeper, pairtly thro air fuel peyin nae tax.
WE lyke oor wee favourites ti be aye in season, aye thare for us. An whan oor ain “auld” seasons comes roun, the’r nae rinnin doun o stock on the shelfs – supermercat supply chains hes aipples, tomatoes, tatties an siccan ither veg cairtit frae faur an wide. An year roun demand, fast taks the guidness oot o syle, wir grund is ower exploited ti gie thrie hairsts, insteid o wan or twa. As weil as this, scarce watter is divertit ti help brak in fresh syle.WE’r awfie fond o “convenience” food.
Yae producer awned, it taks twintie tymes the chlorine funt in the average swimmin pool ti synd oot oor nice reddie-ti-eat Salad. An thon blawn oot, squiggy packagin – cryed “pillow packaging”? Thon’s a chemical process that seems ti tak awa nutrient vailie, but maks siccar the leafs byde braw faur langer.WE want ti stey ignorant o the wey oor food gets ti supermercat shelfs. Monie weans an no a haundfu growen-ups ken nocht o ferm baests an care even less. The paer wee bauchled monster at feeds meillions – the broiler chicken – awns its existance ti maist eydent, scientifically controlled wark. Nou it stauns on oor shelfs – wi patent pain an deifficulty – pumped fou an braw o up ti 50% watter, cleverly hauden in its bodie bi the yuis o cou’s an pig’s protein. An whil the pair baest is livin the paer baest is shieldit frae monie herms wi sindrie antibiotics – tho the herm at the lang an last micht be ti us, threatenin consumers ain immunity seistems.
WE ir fair taen wi – an strangely southered ti – oor braw, bricht new temples: the Super an Hyper mercats. They’r awfie convenient, ir thay no? Ay, but the Gargantua sair want the sherp ee kept on their ploys an proceedures. Elsewhaur, we hae made mention o some o the herm, supermercats dae ti the communities they’r plantit in. On tap o thon, we micht mention the takkin awa o jobs; ower-chairgin on monie items ti pey for their “loss leaders”; tho smert operators for ordnar, they’r short on witterin their customers aboot their products; an the squeezin thay pit on ti fermers an distributors, at whyles earns retaliation, that in the hinner en herms the consumer. Folk ir waukenin up ti hou unchancie thay perform in their communities, but whyle we mak complaints an mebbe, enlist the help o food staundart authorities an the lyke, the supermercats juist wax stranger an michtier, airmed wi maist the best lawyers. Thay frichten 90 odd per cent o politeicians as weil.
We wad think things wul get waur, afore the opposeition ti the near free haund thay hae in the Mercat place gets richt mobilised.FOR MAIR DETAIL ON A LOT O THE PYNTS BROCHT UP ABUIN SEE “NOT ON THE LABEL” BY FELICITY LAWRENCE (penguin 2004)
Mair information
For mair information on ocht brocht up bi onie the airticles abuin contack: The Midgie Motor Editorial Commattee, Prentwarks Social Centre, 58 Albion Street, Glesca, G1 1LH.
The Midgie Motor
The Midgie Motor is a democratically rin journal an wittinsblad o a progressive naitur in the Scots leid. Contributions til the journal is open tae awbody an the final say o whit’s includit an layoot is decidit bi an open, public editorial commattee, that’s rin direckly democratically.
The Midgie Motor is ettlin in its structur tae win at solutions tae the problems o modren society wi participatory democracy an a policy that’s inclusivist in naitur.
The Midgie Motor jinks aw involvement wi political pairties an religious groups an exists for tae forder the uiss o the Scots athort a braid reenge o issues.
The Midgie Motor is anti-copyricht. Awthing that’s screivit in this journal is free tae distreebute or uise for oniekin kind uiss, as lang’s thir uisses disna breird a profit for oniebody else.
Literatur Neuk
Here twa quotes fae Dauvit Lindsay’s Ane Satyre of The Thrie Estaitis that forms, in a sense, thematic owerwords til the famous play, that we howp at the Midgie Motor Editorial Commattee soud form a braw hansel til the first edeetion an mak a cutty exposition o the journal’s credo:-
“Ane consuetude against the common weill sould be na law” -- pauper
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“Ane peggeral theif that steils ane cow/Is hangit, bot he that steils ane bow/With als meikill geir as he may turs,/That theif is hangit be the purs.” – Johne the Common-weill
www.glasgow-autonomy.org
