I agree. I think the forum would be a good idea. This would provide a great opportunity for a variety of different people to air their views on the subjects behind the protests and other subjects that affect them.

Social forums could prove to be an essential tool in building on the present and future movements.

I don’t know how you go about organising such an event. Presumably we need to hire a venue and publicise it as well as we can.

Article about the World Forum Movement, and European Social Forum.

 http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/wsf/worldforum.htm

At Mayday people were handing out leaflets for an event called "Marxism 2003" wgich is probably a step in your direction... i lost the leaflet but its worth finding out about if u can.

First thing we need to do is contact likely suporters. We need public figures: Artists, politicians, intellectuals, journalists, writers, comedians etc. People who have money and public support that can give legitimacy to the idea...

Plus lots of willing volunteers...

I for one volunteer my services - I have a web-server and can set up mailing lists, website, discussion boards etc.

I have only just got the thing on-line and it is a little bare at the moment but this is just the kind of project I am looking at supporting / help organise!

Check it out:

 http://samizdat.zapto.org

Anyone who is interested in helping me out on this should contact me on:

ourangadan AT hushmail DOT com (mangled address to deter spam-spiders - I reccomend it ;)

I am trying to hold down a day-job so I can't do any of this shit full time, but I'll give it every waking hour I can (since I killed my TV I have got sooo much more productive!)...

Anyone up for it?

I need - website content, contact addresses, artwork, hardware / bandwidth donations (my measly 10GB drive and basic NTL 128Kbps upload broadband may prove limiting if this thing takes off) and anything else that people may want to add.

Peace people,
Dan

The Marxist forums are crap (SWP recruitment fairs)I am down with the social forum idea though - could i suggest that we try not to make it entirely London-centric. I suggest a series of 'local' social forums that then feedback into a 'national' forum in Birmingham or Cardiff (or anywhere that's not London....)

First the WSF (global) then the ESF and talk of an ASF (continental versions). Surely the next step is national level? Try to get enough support with a large national event, then send people out to do the similar thing in their county, city, town, street, house, living room...

In that order ;)

This is really an idea that needs to be developed.

I like the idea of having it somewhere non-London. Symbolic of bypassing the existing power structures.

What about Manchester? Friendly, lively city. Excellent rail links to London (3 hours on the west-coast mainline on those new fast trains). If you look at a map it is probably more central geographically than Birmingham...

Hmmm....

There was a UK forum set up over a year ago - - probably still going but alot of people lost interest as it was highjacked by the usual trot groups that wnted to use it for their own means - misunderstanding that a forum is a coming together not a new campaign

After that in London many individuals and groups started working on a London social forum for transport - to see if that would work - i think they are still planning an exhibition and launch soon - i will try and find details

Everyone thinks this is a good idea...

Is no-one willing to do something about it?

We need a gathering of the progressive left wing - the anarchists and the trots and the unions and the global justicas...

Lets make it happen...

Anyone willing?

OK I will start this. I will need some help, but I will start. Will anyone help?

Public figures, celebrities to add 'legitimacy'. This is EXACTLY the OPPOSITE of what is needed. It is this logic that allows the mainstream media and politicial hegemony to survive in the first place and allow business to carry on as usual. It achieves nothing except installing the same the same leaders. Hired suits?? Bollox. The workers do not need middle class figureheads /leaders. Have you learnt NOTHING.

I'm not thinking out of the box enough.

It would of course become a platform for inflated egos if we got any politicians etc involved.

Something more along the lines of a series of workshops, where people can share skills and ideas for sustainable living and alternatives to our death-dealing consumer culture.

Partying must play a part too of course ;)

We must fight to keep it as non-hierarchical as possible.

Is anyone interested in helping to get this ball rolling?

Hi, thanks for your responses.

I think its essential to take the anti-globalisation, anti-capitalist, global justice movements forward and needs to be made.

I'm glad to hear some of you are willing to help to do this.

First of all i suggest we set up a temporary site with a msg board to discuss the issue further.

If any of you are good at webdesign stuff please set up a free website or something if you can.

Try www.mysitespace.com for freewebspace.

Its pathetic all this 'trot' labelling and arguing of the SWP, i've heard many times that the right wing and other idiots go on indymedia's and constantly spam and stuff, listen i'm no SWP member but i don't really care if they turn up or not, they're all share many common things with us and together we're all at least against this system, what we need is as much people and unity as possible.

That is what Social forums are all about, bringing together many varying different groups, so to all the anti-SWP people out there if you don't like them then you don't like them.

We can learn many lessons from the previous setbacks of some Social Forums and make a more progressive united UK Social Forum.

I agree with the one who said about celebrities and stuff, thats exactly the consumerist crap lifestyle i'm against so you won't see me ringing ms dynamite up any time soon.

it should be a movement by us for us.WE really need to take this into the UK, all over Europe its changed the popular culture a lot, being from italy myself and being in the UK for 2 years now i've seen how from the Genoa event so many thousands more people in italy have got into this stuff.

the same could happen here.

Anyway, looking forward to hearing more from 'you lot' as you say here in UK.

ciao.

P.S. anymore info on the old social forum?

I am currently downloading the "active" software package that runs the message boards on lots of Indymedia sites. I will give myself a crash course in setting this stuff up and hopefully we will have a functioning message board on my site by the end of the weekend:

 http://samizdat.zapto.org

Watch this space - I will post an alert on Indymedia UK as soon as it is working.

Anyone who is interested in helping with this can mail me at:

ourangadan AT hushmail DOT com

Peace people
Dan