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ANARCHISM
Sy Murai - ANARCHISM
Very good programme. I wonder now whether Melvyn will see fit to redress the disinformation and smearing tactics by calling for an alteration to the Chambers Dictionary definition of "anarchy"? i.e. having written the foreword to this book and having aired a few of the enlightened views surrounding anarchism a counter to this negative entry would be apposite - perhaps mentioning how anarchists define themselves and their own philosophy?
J. Leonard - Anarchism
At the very end of the program there was mention of 'ecological politics'. I would have been interested to hear more on this, and of the various 'green' protest movements such as Earth First! - how and why their philosophies are linked to anarchism.
Ann Gavriel - Anarchism
Anarcho-syndicalism survives in a pure form it is true only as an ideal 'system' of government. This is not because it is self contradictory in terms of the meaning or analysis of 'government'. It is because the form of government coherent within the anarchistic framework is not identifiable with 'State'. State power is seen in anarchism as the true enemy of equitable government - which is defined as lawful representation 'of the people by the people'. State 'democracy' itself is in these terms incoherent since a 'leader' elected to State power is not a representative of a true community, nor is he or she able to stand for anything other than the 'needs' or values of 'the nation' or state, or union of countries (as in UK). Hence nationhood is anathema to anarcho-syndicalist ideals of government in the interests of the people, or the community. For the purpose of analysing ethical implementation in practice of concepts of government and democracy, anarchism remains a useful measure. In most societies it is unrealisable - for anarcho-syndicalist communities to function democratically, the maximum representable number of individual people or 'people units' (those who agree on ultimate value and belief, such as in principle man and wife, extended family units in cultures where such survive, etc) is one hundred and fifty plus or minus twenty at any one time - where 'representable' means 'governable' by their own laws. That's why it is impracticable - and why 'true democracy' is unrealisable in practice. The concepts of 'democracy' and 'nationhood' are at odds rather as 'quantum physics' and 'common sense reality' are at odds - different variables & values at different scales/sizes of 'reality'.... it is size that has to rule, and to be ruled, in the final analysis! Reference/add to Reading list: George Woodcock (1962) Anarchism Penguin Books ISBN 01402.06221
Robert Clarke...Anarchism.
Well done Braggy,good show but not one mention of situationism or the punk movement...catch up dude.Anarchism s warers will flow above ground again.Love,peace +anarchy.(Crass)
Binnie Yeates - Anarchism
This was a very useful programme for me, as I'm trying to do some research on the political situation in England in the early 20th century. But you can imagine my disappointment not to have heard any mention of Rudolph Rocker and the strong Anarchist movement in the East End of London at that time.
Robert Nield - speed of light
The speed of light is defined - not measured. Moreover, although information can travel faster than the speed of light in vacuum - for example, the excitation of electrons in atoms is instantaneous - no material particle can exceed light-speed.
Kenneth Munn ANARCHISM
Anarchism can only ever be an unattainable ideal. Wherever two or more people meet to share an ideal, there happens a government, formal or informal, in which the conduct of the majority of the participants is controlled or "guided" by the minority.
Gareth
Thanx for the regular delivery of Newsletter. I notice that you have said nothing about the contiguity of anarchism and Primitivism, which is the last word about the subject. Anti-consumerism is the watch word for the far left today with their WTO demonstrations whenever the WTO meets. Nobility and anarchy are obvious bedfellows in the days of exploration of the Mid and far West of the USA, so it is not surprising to hear somebody from the West coast to be saying something like that. If there was nobody for 300 miles and you lived on the land, you were noble and anarchic!
Martyn - Anarchism
Once again I find myself wishing that In Our time was a longer programme! It might have given time for an exploration of anarchism as a social theory. Anarchists have a distinctive and practical approach to social organisation which can be seen in architecture, education, urban planning, housing, transport, the organisation of work, and the open source movement. Based on mutual aid, direct action and non-hierarchical forms of organisation,anarchism can be seen in action now in the worker's occupations of the factories in Argentina, the emerging social revolution in Mexico, and the communal allotments and food co-ops in South Africa, and even in the self-organised mutal aid university the U3A!
naqash siddique,13: anarchism
Anarchism.An inspirational movement that extended to influenceing political figures and philosohers.It was indeed an idea that would have pleased many relegions and was a philosophy that was inevitably hopeing to reach equality.I would think it failed because there must be someone to guide a society or a group of people. People should still be able to decide how they are run but there should still be a line of individuals running the community.I think the problem with haveing no authority and haveing what one might call a 'society where the inabitants are the rules' is that not everyone may have the intellegence of knowing where to start and knowing what to do. There are also,inevitably,those who may try and take advantage of this(those who might be called villians) and try and mould there peers ways of thinking to suit there own wantings.Nevertheless this was a very interesting section to address.
Jason Alexander - Anarchism
Interesting programme but why did it end without mentioning the growth in anarchist ideas in the late 70's, early 80's, spearheaded by groups like CRASS.
Justin - Speed of Light
The Sagnac effect: when you have a light emitter in motion and you have a receptor moving with it, i.e. is at a fixed distance from it, if the receptor is in front of the emitter it will take the light longer to reach it than if it is trailing the emitter. The receptor, when in front of the emitter, moves some distance away from the original point of emission; there is a longer absolute distance for the light to travel than when the receptor is moving towards it as the trailing component. This might imply that the speed of light is constant relative to something (an ether?), but *not*, as Einstein would insist, relative to a receptor.
Serge Forward - Anarchism
Interesting programme. However, it should be noted that there is a lively and growing international anarchist movement today, that goes far beyond the circled 'A' daubed on walls or as an 'underground' or influential presence. In this country alone (where anarchism is relatively weak), you have the existence of the Anarchist Federation (anarcho-communist), the Solidarity Federation (anarcho-syndicalist); and the IWW mentioned in the programme, though not specifically 'anarchist' is currently experiencing growth in the British Isles. There's also an annual Anarchist Bookfair in which thousands of people participate. So, anarchism is much more than an interesting set of radical ideas, or a historic episode... it's here and now, and we exist!
Anarchism - Christopher Draper, Llandudno (8.12.20
As a lifelong anarchist I would like to thank Melvyn for providing a rare opportunity for our ideas to get an airing. Elsewhere the BBC's political coverage seldom extends beyond the "Punch and Judy" antics of self-serving parliamentary careerists. The programme provided a stimulating and balanced introduction to anarchist ideas but unfortunately rather faded out at the end without really engaging with current ideas and politics. Mike's point is spot on and I think the programme would have benefitted enormously from the inclusion of a contributor with a more active knowledge of current anarchist ideas and their political expression (say Colin Ward). Personally I find anarchism motivates and informs all areas of my life and recognise similar vital links between anarchism and many areas of current political activism around Britain and the wider world (from feminism and anti-globalisation to the "Campaign for Real Ale"). The best examples of anarchist politics are often practiced by people who don't call themselves anarchists but who have simply responded to a perceived unfairness by organising cooperative, non-hierarchical ways of fighting back or creating an alternative. We are in authoritarian times but if you look hard you can see the shoots of anarchist ideas and practice emerging into the light in all sorts of unexpected places...
léo burton....altruism and anarchism
A common attribute of altruism and anarchism is that they can only occour in a social structure where the individual is paramount. In pre-civilization societies the individual human or couple (e.g.Adam and Eve) could not survive; humanity evolved as a gregarious species. An environmental element or behaviour pattern could be adopted only if it contributed to the survival of the group. It was as impossible for an individual to behave for the well-being of another individual, as for the right hand to behave for the well-being of the left. In some circumstances, usually by influence or invasion of territory by a foreign culture, one sector might behave for its own particular benefit. When this has happened, there is a subject community which is usually shattered into disparate individuality (e.g the irish, the breton, the pre-columbian "indians")but which may survive fairly intact as such for centuries. But the "order" remains alien, and the subject people refuse to accept it as their "own" order. The rejection of this order is described as anarchy Typically anarchists strive to establish a community, usually socialist in behaviour, where there is no need for altruism or charity, and where the order is devised for the survival of the community not for the enrichment of a particular sector.
Andrew Haylett - Anarchism
Melvyn Bragg attributed to St Paul the words "there is no authority but God" while associating Christianity with anarchism. Wrong. Romans 13:1, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for *there is no authority except that which God has established*. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted..." Quite the opposite of anarchy, really - it's important to quote accurately!
P.R.Kahil:ANARCHIM.
Why have you left out Naom Chomsky's view of anarchism?Threre is a BBC television interview of N.Chomsky on this subject in the mid seventies.Sorry not to be more precise.I would go out of my way(and even further) to get a script of that programme.Thank you for your very interesting programmes.P.R.K.
Neil Foxlee: Anarchism
Unless I missed it, there seemed to be no reference to Max Stirner, the most radical of anarchists (whom Marx spent a good deal of "The German Ideology" trying to refute). A distinction between individualist and collectivist anarchism would also have been useful: anarchism can take left- and right-wing forms. PS The St Paul quotation Robert Parr was thinking of is: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." (Romans 13:1). This is quite different from saying there is no authority but God, and hardly a sentiment that an anarchist would endorse.
AdamB - Anarchism
Overall a good program, though I thought it didnt do much to stress the practical nature of Anarchism and how its still a force within 21st politics. Reverting Anarchism to tieing it to the current ecology movement is nothing but short sighted. I was also massively irratted by the speakers calling the Spanish Revolution a 'social experiment.' It most certainly wasnt.
Mike - Anarchism
The start of the programme made the idea of an anarchist society sound very attractive compared to market or state socialist alternatives! I realise the programme is limited to the knowledge of the academics, but I would have liked to have heard more about influences on more contemporary anarchist thought. Feminism, in particular though anarcha-feminism, has had a profound influence on the present day British anarchist movement. Sadly, the influence of anarchism on green politics was not elaborated on. Still, it's good to hear anarchism talked about in a positive light at a time when the news is full of stories of environmental disaster and of nation states descending into 'anarchy'.
Palden Jenkins, Anarchism
I found the programme on anarchism interesting. I've been working in Palestine, where a form of non-ideological anarchism exists - they have been living relatively 'free' of effective government for a long time. The Israelis tend to target their government and public services, which has led to a kind of order-creating family, community and clan jurisdiction, in the relative absence of strong civil institutions. In Palestine, something cannot happen unless there is a definite consensus for it. Thus, until recently, rocket-firing renegades haven't been fully reined in because there is an element in Palestinian consensus which doesn't wish to rein them in - there is a clear consensus for peace, but it is not perceived that stopping the resistance will be mirrored by the other side. The current cease-fire in Gaza will break if Gazans feel they are making no progress - regardless of government policy. And half the population is under 25 and restless. The power of Hamas is that they practice a certain responsivity to social consensus, guided by Muslim mores. Thus, they will not recognise the state of Israel until there is a solid consensus for it - and consensus doesn't mean majorities but *everyone*. Muslim tradition has strong behavioural norms, and pressures to behave decently are strong and communally enforced, a matter of collective survival, with strong local and family sanctions for stepping out of line. This has its excesses (such as the killing of 'Israeli collaborators') but it is remarkable to see its positive sides - such as the capacity to take in a whole family when its house has been forcibly demolished or when its males are carted off to prison. This is real 'care in the community'! Or the collective action which quickly happens when something goes amiss. When I started going out there I was surprised at the safety I felt in West Bank streets - this was noticeable for foreign women. Individuals are guarded by a consensus guaranteeing personal safety - Palestine has negligible crime rates. Reading station on a Friday night, after arriving back at Heathrow, is far more dangerous (drunks)! Though Israeli drivers and some Israeli checkpoint experiences come in a close second! I work with the Hope Flowers School in Bethlehem, which receives no state funding and minimal regulation. Education standards are very high, not only because Palestinians see education as a way out of hardship, but also because teachers can really *educate* (the material rewards are a pittance) and school administrators can really innovate, improvise and deliver results (with slim resources). I wouldn't elevate Palestine to idealised levels - they live in tense and difficult circumstances, and there are major glitches and corruptions in the system. But I worry for them and their future: as Martin Bell aptly wrote, "Peace and freedom can be defined as the peace that makes traffic jams possible and the freedom to be stuck in them". Yes indeed. Something will one day be lost by Palestinians, even though peace and freedom are sincerely yearned after. With peace will come rules and enforcement officers, and more of the creeping degeneracies we see here in the West.
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