I heard Globalise Resistance is just a front for the SWP - is this true - does anyone know?

They certainly seem to have the same organisation and tactics with their placards and papers and petitions.

Why does their website resist.org.uk not include any information about their organisation?

Yeah i got the impression that Globalise Resistance was the SWP as well.

The Brighton Collective are mobilising to Genoa too. We're hiring a bus and will be organising various events - from public meetings to free parties to raise the profile of the whole issue and to get people to go to Genoa.

We expect the bus will cost £75 with a negotiable reduction for non/low waged.

The Brighton Collective is NOT a front for the SWP.

One thing I heard that was said at the globalise resistance meeting in London was something along the following lines of :

"It's great that we've finally managed to get all these groups working together" - the groups I know of who were involved being swp, socialist alliance, wdm and drop the debt although there probably were others.

The mission statement of Globalise Resistance is being worked on, hence it not being on the website, it would therefore be wrong for me to post it all here yet, but in an attempt to ally peoples concerns of the organisation, I would like to quote a couple of pieces from the provisional suggested platform (written by the way by someone who describes themselves as an anarchist)

'Globalise Resistance is a UK-based activist network group, which strives to build and maintain voluntary communication and co-ordinated action among grassroots activists and organisations, with a goal of unity in diversity among the anti-globalisation, environmental, anti-privatisation and human rights movements...GR seeks to establish dialogue and harmonisation among diverse groups with different agendas, with full respect to differences, and to create both short term coalitions around specific protests and campaigns and more long term coalitions and forums for understanding and debate.'

GR involves people from many political and campaigning organisations, and many from none, and does not subscribe to any distinct ideology....decision making is set on a model of direct participatory democracy, involving free and genuine deliberation and consensus-building. Decisions are made at regular city-wide forums.'

As most of the people who have made comments to my article seem to have never been to a GR meeting I would suggest you come along and see for yourself. Each forum meeting breaks down into organising groups for Genoa each meeting is open so come along!

Personally, I would appeal to people that times are indeed changing, I understand people have suspicions of political organisations sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly, but we do have a common enemy and we have to find ways to build trust and achieve a unity in the diversity of our actions so, and build coalitions.

Direct democracy can only really be strong, diverse and rich if it involves as many people as possible, that means working together with people you may not agree 100% with but that's life!

So come along and get involved. Lets get as many people to Genoa to kick the butt of the G8 and deepen and extend the anti-capitalist movement in Europe.

peace and solidarity,

noel

All well and good, but there are those who will work together for change and others who will try use it as a platform to push their party political beliefs.

Many people are wary of the SWP and the way they use different campaigns for their own ends - recent globalise reistance conferences have really been recruiting grounds for them. You just have to loook at the way the SWP are pushing globalise resistance in their newspaper and on their website to see what's going on.

Yes more platforms and co-operation is needed but people need to be aware of the SWP involvement and their goal of taking over top level messages of campaigns / movements and co-option - that's all.

>there are those who will work together for change and others >who will try use it as a platform to push their party political beliefs

I'm a Marxist I'll work with anyone to pursue progressive change in society, I also have the right to argue my beliefs about politics, nobody can be forced to join a political party. What do I want? A socialist society free of exploitation, where people are able to directly control their own lives, democratically together. Pretty much the same as Anarchists, I know I'll disagree with them about the role of the state, but to be honest that is something that will only be worked out in the process of struggle to change society.
And it seems to me that if you have confidence in your political ideas and if your analysis of events is correct then more people will agree with you than whoever else you disagree with, otherwise it seems that you begin to fall into a position which doesn't believe in democratic processes...

Do you really think that thousands of people coming together to talk about how we can change society is merely just a ruse to get them into the SWP???! I helped organise the GR conference in London, at which the majority where not members of the SWP, at which there were meetings where no one from the SWP was represented on the platform -such as the Kevin Danaher meetings on Seattle, the conference had stalls from different campaign groups, and in places like Glasgow they were the biggest political events for 20 years, which in turn impacted on the faslane and GAP protests they've just had.

There are now groups springing up everywhere, last week we had meetings in primary schools run by the students!

GR of course has SWP members involved in it, but it is an independent organisation, which involves people for instance, that were involved in organising Melbourne S11, people who were imprisoned in Prague after S26 and many others who are not and may not ever want to join the SWP...all I reiterate is to come along and see for yourself, and get involved.

in solidarity,

noel