Hi mate, just watched your G8 newsreel which was exactly what i was after, am more than a little puzzled by one thing though. You clearly seem to be interested in the direct action and libertarian side of things, so why are there loads of quotes and interviews with Guy Taylor of Globalise Resistance and a link to GR on your site (the only link to an organisation i saw)?

GR are beyond a joke really, a quickly knocked up SWP front that they made for the anticapitalist movement (like ANL for the antifascist movement, and STW for the antiwar movement). As an SWP front in a generally anarchic and ecologist milieu GR got even less support than usual. I disagree with the SWP being an anarchist anyway, but if GR had had some significance in the movement i could see why other people would have referenced them - but really they haven't. By Gleneagles 2005 the SWP were just marching as the SWP. I'm amazed GR still even exist as a separate entity.

I'm really not having a go at you at all, maybe you have seen a different side than i have. Maybe Guy Taylor is a proper groovy guy, i've known some very pleasant Trots in my time. But on a political level his opinion, over that of an actually existing organisation, is totally worthless. If you want a quote from the SWP, just get one.

hiya, to be fair a few people have asked this so I thought I might as well answer it!

The whole point of Rostock for me was that everyone worked together in a very real sense - socialists, anarchists, autonomists, you name it - and that's why it was so successful. It struck me that if socialists and anarchists in this country realised that they agree on 90 percent and worked together we might actually get somewhere - as Rostock demonstrated.

So I put the quote from Guy Taylor (who is a decent man, as anyone who knows him will testify) on the back because, quite honestly, he came closest to expressing that view - and also the fact that it's a view that goes completely against the current SWP line (check the recent article on the anticapitalist movement in their International Socialist Journal) and I wanted to do my little bit to argue against that line - in a friendly fashion.

I don't care what group people are in - I work with anyone doing constructive, progressive and inspiring things. But I do know that sectarianism has held us all back for too long now. The most inspiring people I've come across in the past year of doing Reel News have been ordinary people who don't call themselves anything, but have been drawn into struggle through their own circumstances. And what's great is that they don't have that baggage that a lot of us established lefties have.

As for the link to Globalise Resistance: to be honest I haven't had time to do the links page yet; the people who did the website put those couple up as an example of how it would look, and they took those from the "for more info on the G8" bit that I put up as a news item on the home page (again, the german website, dissent and GR all had useful information, hence those three). What it SHOULD have is links to every group that you see links to on the videos over the months, so it should have links to socialist groups, anarchist groups, trade unions, campaign groups, independent media, bands, etc., etc., etc...I myself am not a member of anything (apart from the NUJ of course) and haven't been for 5 years now - but would love to see events where people from all those backgrounds are getting together, chatting, having a laugh and then agreeing to work together - as started to happen at the last Reel News nite.

Fair enough?

Cheers for the prompt reply.

Yes that's fair enough. I think a lot of people felt/feel that GR was a bit out of the SWP's normal clutches and there were a mixed bunch initially involved - perhaps what i was more surprised by was that GR were being plugged when they are actually a defunct group/initiative.

On sectarianism... I totally get where you are coming from, and i think you did a good job of covering all opinions - as did the seriously impressive "G8 TV" site (fuck me they were good!) I think you'd be mistaken to think that groups like anarchist and leninists have and can work together on anything other than a one-off event or issue though, as they disagree on so many things. Coming together for the G8 is pretty easy really, and i agree that as wide a possible group should do that - so long as they agree on aobjectives and tactics.

But you have to understand that in the UK Trots - like the SP, SWP and whoever else - have also been opposed to the activity that made the summit movement significant: Direct Action. They caught up later, but you can quite clearly see on the streets of any demo the SWP hearding people away from confrontation or any action other than joining their fronts or listening to the speakers. The original sectarianism in the UK in the direct action movement of the 90's onwards was not out of pointless theoretical objections but cos the SWP et al would actively fuck up our events. Or worse, go on the news and appoint themselves leaders of the anticapitalist movement! (GR did this, mayday 01 or 02).

I'd be happy to help you with a list of sites to link to - from the more anarchist side of things there's:

Groups
www.afed.org.uk
www.wsm.ie
www.solfed.org.uk
www.londonclasswar.org

News
www.libcom.org
www.anarkismo.net
www.infoshop.org
www.indymedia.org.uk (duh!)
www.wombles.org.uk

Eco:
 http://www.eco-action.org/
www.climatecamp.org
www.risingtide.org
www.planestupid.com

...cos we had a loom at your other Reel Video's and GR are in EVERY ONE for NO DISCERNABLE REASON.

They are the only group that get consistent coverage and talking heads in your video's.

I'm gonna dash but i'll come back on this. Its totally bizarre - they even turn up in a thing about No Borders!