Oscar Deutsch Entertains No More: the Completion of ‘Clone-Town’ Doncaster

With the destruction of Doncaster’s ODEON (a name derived from the motto, “Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation”, ) the process of turning Doncaster into just another ‘clone town‘ is pretty much complete. All traces of originality, independence and community have been pushed to the margins (Copley Road). We may have a Starbucks (and umpteen other overpriced caffeine outlets), but we haven’t had an independent bookshop for over 20 years and creative suppliers (art shops, photographic suppliers, etc.) have slowly dwindled away.

The local press has covered the loss of the Odeon in their usual half-arsed, lighthearted way, ignoring the fact that the people of Doncaster have been robbed of yet another potential community resource (’space’ is one of the most important assets a community can possess after ‘people’).

The developer, Lazarus Properties, is building a £10 million leisure complex on the site which includes a casino, gym, shops and offices (though they reassuringly intend to keep the frieze on the front of the building – which kinda sums up consumer capitalism – all facade and no soul!). If the plan sounds familiar it’s because a similar project has just been completed opposite St George’s Minster only there the ‘casino’ is a ‘hotel’. The fact that the slick-pricks at Lazarus show very little intuition and absolutely no imagination tells us a lot about their true motivations. Take a look at Dweeb’s Urban Exploration photographs from 28 Days Later and tell us you couldn’t have come up with a better development plan for one of Doncaster’s iconic buildings…

N.B. These photos are best viewed at the original site.

Rise of the Bureautwats

'The Bureaucrat' by Kato Otak

A friend of ours has just informed us that it’s ‘Summons Time’ at Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC). Apparently this is the time of year that the DMBC bosses turn to the County/Magistrates Court Goon Squad to pull in the ‘wonga’.

Local governments pre-book courtroom space so that they can use the legal system to bludgeon the poorer sections of society; they’re not alone in this, the poorer you are the more you can expect to pay (as a percentage of income) for everything. And when the vampires have bled you dry and you find it impossible to make end’s meet then the rich will punish you with financial penalties! Nobody should be surprised by this, everything is geared to ensure that money is directed to the richer sections of society (both locally and on a global scale – international government is just bureaucracy writ large). But we should be angered by it, especially when the system is being used to make up the short-fall created by bureaucrats in the first place. Council Tax was a compromise created to split the Anti-Poll Tax Campaign – sadly it worked and we handed power back to the bureaucrats.

The simple truth is that if we were to get rid* of the bureaucrats, politicians, bankers and bosses tomorrow then NOTHING – in material terms at least – would change; humans would still create everything they need and/or desire, it’s what humans do. Governments exist solely to control the currency; they serve no other purpose! – other than maybe to keep us in a state of fear so we become distracted from what is really going on. Take a close look at government and you will realise that they don’t even ‘govern’, they simply control currency and take a cut of the profits (shared, of course, with banks and corporations). It’s time for something new. It’s time for anarchy and peace!

We’d like to summarise the case for anarchy by using a few Edward Abbey one liners…

“Society is like a stew. If you don’t stir it up every once in a while then a layer of scum floats to the top.

Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others.

Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.

Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization, based on five thousand years of experience, that we cannot entrust the management of our lives to kings, priests, politicians, generals, and county commissioners.

Grown men do not need leaders.

Love implies anger. The man who is angered by nothing cares about nothing.”

and last, but not least…

“Taxation: how the sheep are shorn!”

COUNCIL TAX: ‘CAN’T PAY, WON’T PAY!’

*Just a note to say that we want to get rid of the position of ‘bureaucrat’ (or ‘politician’, ‘banker’, etc.), rather than attack any particular person who happens to be doing the job. The abuse of the poor is systematic and it is the entire system which needs to go, not the people who work for it.

PUB REVOLUTION MOVEMENT – new website & GMB support

Since we first mentioned them – here & here – the Pub Revolution Movement has gone from strength to strength. They’re now supported by the GMB so when the strike starts they will have added legal protection. They have also set up a new website for UK Pubco Tenants and Leaseholders. This will make the campaign more secure and protect the PRM from the wrath of the Pubcos.

Dreaming of Better Days…

Inspired by a new book by Margeret Killjoy, a friend of the Brigade is calling for submissions for a new blog.

The book in question, ‘Mythmakers & Lawbrakers: anarchist writers on fiction‘, is a collection of “interviews with a wide variety of anarchist fiction writers–some of whom who are tangentially involved in anarchism, or fiction, or both, but all of whom have really fascinating takes on the subject.” The authors include underground luminaries like Alan Moore, Derrick Jenson, Starhawk and Ursula K. Le Guin (among many others) and it makes interesting reading for anarchists, writers and sci-fi fans alike.

Worlds Undreamt intends to explore the relationship between political ideals and creativity, storytelling and myth. It will examine – and celebrate… – Utopias, Dystopias, visionaries, prophets, outsiders, freaks, geeks and all those who dare to imagine new worlds. Writers, philosophers, artists, musicians and daydreamers are all invited to offer contributions. For if we are to break free of this world we must first be able to envision new ones; as Oscar Wilde noted in his 1891 essay, ‘The Soul of Man Under Socialism‘…

“A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at, for it leaves out the one country at which Humanity is always landing. And when Humanity lands there, it looks out, and seeing a better country, sets sail. Progress is the realisation of Utopias.”

A Big ‘Ayup’ to the Yorkshire Anarchist Group

The Barnsdale Brigade are proud to be involved with a new venture for Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Anarchist Group.

Hailing from Doncaster we know how difficult it can be for anarchists from Yorkshire’s smaller cities and towns (not to mention villages). As the YAG say on their blog site…

The Yorkshire Anarchist Group (YAG) was created partly to bring together divergent groups and individuals who are scattered throughout Yorkshire’s ridings in the hope that we can work more efficiently by presenting a united front, but also to provide an umbrella for people and groups in the smaller towns that make up a significant proportion of our region’s demographic profile. All too often important struggles and campaigns go unsupported because attention is focused on a few key cities. This is not intended as a criticism of the people who are doing some amazing things in those cities, but we could have a few more ’successes’ under our belts if we sometimes lend a hand to our less fortunate neighbours – a kind of ‘mutual aid’ for activists.

YAG is not seen as an alternative to the strategies and initiatives that currently exist in Yorkshire, rather it is an attempt to bring together diverse (and dispersed…) talents and resources to strengthen and expand upon what already exists.

A county-wide support network  could make a real difference in Yorkshire and we strongly recommend that any Yorkshire based individuals or groups who enjoy our blog - and even those who don’t enjoy it, but read it anyway… – show their support and join the YAG. After all, there’s nowt like a good uprising

 

Think Global, Read Local: the logic of ‘Dodgem Logic’

Cult comic book writer and anarchist, Alan Moore,  is behind the launch of “the 21st century’s first underground magazine” from his home town of Northampton. Issue 1 of ‘Dodgem Logic‘ is due out this month and will combine underground art, politics and entertainment. Better still it will include eight ‘local’ pages which can be customised to suit different regions, cities, towns or villages – a strategy which should be adapted by papers like Freedom, Black Flag or Class War.

Alan’s incredibly talented daughter, Leah, and the equally as talented Mr John Reppion (creators of the ‘Wild Girl’ mini series) say on their blog…

Drawing upon an overlooked and energetic pool of local talent as well as numerous friends and co-conspirators from comic books, the arts or entertainment, Dodgem Logic sets out to provide a splash of subterranean exotica in a bleached-out cultural and social landscape. Published every other month by counter-culture veterans KNOCKABOUT, Dodgem Logic is a forty page full-colour spectacle that, in addition, has an eight-page local section in each issue, thus inviting other areas to publish regional editions by providing their own inserts.

As cheap and beautiful as a heartbreaking teenage prostitute, Dodgem Logic has a cover price of £2.50, with its content similarly tailored to the fiscal toilet-bowl that we are currently engaged in sliding down. Regular columnists provide delicious, inexpensive recipes, wide-ranging medical advice, simple instructions for creating stylish clothing and accessories from next to nothing, guides to growing your own dinner by becoming a guerrilla gardener, and, in the first of Dave (The Self-Sufficient-ish Bible) Hamilton’s environmental columns, a bold experiment in living with no money. The same approach to helping readers deal with socio-economic meltdown and a blitz of repossessions is there in upcoming features on the present-day resurgence of the squatters’ movement, or in our communiqués from the Steampunk/ Post-Civilisation gang on how to start rebuilding culture and society before those things have broken down completely and our children are reduced to battering each other to a bloody pulp with their now-useless X-Boxes in a dispute over the last tub of pot noodles.

Not only seeking to give practical advice on getting through a rough stretch, Dodgem Logic is also committed to alleviating the attendant sense of anguish and despair by brightening the world with the astonishing cartoon-work of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’s sublime Kevin O’Neill or that of underground legend Savage Pencil; the musings of Father Ted, The IT Crowd and Black Book’s own Graham Linehan or of the nation’s sweetheart, the implacably positive Josie Long; even a delirious commemoration of the lunar landing’s anniversary by the masterful Steve Aylett. In addition to a variously-hosted women’s column launched by Lost Girls co-creator and erstwhile underground cartoon artist Melinda Gebbie, Mr. Moore will himself be contributing a lead feature on the history of underground subversive publishing from its origins in the thirteenth century, along with various illustrations and words of advice. All these and many other sterling features, including a free CD of magnificent home-grown Northampton music over fifty years, will be contained in the historic premiere issue, sporting an hallucinatory  front cover by digital artist Tamara Rogers and debuting this November. Wake up and smell the fairground ozone! No ramming!

They also point out that Northampton is a typical English town with its fair share of problems, but also its share of homegrown talent.

Northampton [is] a community that is right at the geographical, political and economic heart of the country; one which has half its high street boarded up and is at present dying on its arse, just like everywhere else.

Let’s hope that Dodgem Logic gives Northampton and every other town the creative kick up the arse we all need to make things better for ourselves

Donny’s Darkest Hour – A Call for an Annual “Rainsborough Day”

We like being from Doncaster, it has hidden regions, resources, traditions and habitats which make it the perfect place for ‘outsiders’ to thrive; those who know Donny’s secrets can fully understand why Barnsdale* was home and sanctuary to the original Robin Hood. But the town also has it’s darker secrets.

Modern Doncaster is a relatively poor and is still trying to claw it’s way back from the shock of the Miner’s Strike and subsequent pit closures. But during the English Civil Wars it was a reasonably wealthy region with many Royalist sympathisers. In October 1648, Col. Thomas Rainsborough of the New Model Army was stationed at Doncaster on his way to break a siege at Pontefract Castle. (Pontefract Castle had originally been seized from the Royalists; the Royalists tried to take the castle back, but were fought off by the Parliamentarians; then the Royalists gained entry to the castle – and took it back – by disguising themselves as furniture delivery men!) While Rainsborough was staying at an inn in Doncaster’s Market Place, four Royalists broke into his quarters and tried to kidnap him; in the subsequent scuffle Rainsborough was murdered. But there is good reason to believe that Rainsborough was actually the victim of a conspiracy.

Thomas Rainsborough was the highest ranking Leveller in the New Model Army and, as such, was a very influential figure. The Levellers sought complete social and economic equality; a universal levelling of privilege and wealth. As Rainsborough himself said during the Putney Debates of 1647…

If it be a property, it is a property by a law; neither do I think that there is very little property in this thing by the law of the land, because I think that the law of the land in that thing is the most tyrannous law under heaven, and I would fain know what we have fought for, and this is the old law of England, and that which enslaves the people of England, that they should be bound by laws in which they have no voice at all. The thing that I am unsatisfied in is how it comes about that there is such a property in some freeborn Englishmen, and not in others.

Sir, I see that it is impossible to have liberty but all property must be taken away. If it be laid down for a rule, and if you will say it, it must be so. But I would fain know what the soldier hath fought for all this while? He hath fought to enslave himself, to give power to men of riches, men of estates, to make him a perpetual slave. We do find in all presses that go forth none must be pressed that are freehold-men. When these Gentlemen fall out among themselves they shall press the poor scrubs to come and kill each other for them…

Among other things the Levellers called for an end to Parliamentary and Judicial corruption; toleration of religious differences; the translation of law into the common tongue; and an elected judiciary - all of which remain all too relevant today! The Levellers were fighting to empower the people; and neither the Crown nor Cromwell wanted that. It was Cromwell who sent Rainsborough to Doncaster (away from the mutinous Leveller ranks in Oxford and London) and many Leveller’s at the time believed that it was Cromwell who arranged the lethal ‘kidnap’ attempt. Rainsborough’s funeral was attended by 20,000 mourners wearing sea-green ribbons (the colour of The Levellers) and bunches of rosemary for remembrance in their hats.

Our own favourite Rainsborough quote is…

I shall blow up your buildings a little more and be less open with you than I was before. I wish we all truly wanted to change this cesspool we live in. [sic] And, sir, to say because a man pleads that every man hath a voice by right of nature, that therefore it destroys by the same argument all property [sic]. That there’s a property, the Law of God says it; else why hath God made that law, Thou shalt not steal? I am a poor man, therefore I must be oppressed: if I have no interest in the kingdom, I must suffer by all their laws be they right or wrong. Nay thus: a gentleman lives in a country and hath three or four lordships, as some men have (God knows how they got them); and when a Parliament is called he must be a Parliament-man; and it may be he sees some poor men, they live near this man, he can crush them – I have known an invasion to make sure he hath turned the poor men out of doors; and I would fain know whether the potency of rich men do not this, and so keep them under the greatest and your sister too tyranny that was ever thought of in the world. And therefore I think that to that it is fully answered: God hath set down that thing as to propriety with this law of his, Thou shalt not steal. And for my part I am against any such thought, and, as for yourselves, I wish you would not make the world believe that we are NOT for anarchy BECAUSE WE ARE. NOW LET THE WORLD REST IN PEACE AND ANARCHY!

We have been trying for some time to have a plaque erected on the site of Rainsborough’s murder (which is now a bloody Primark of all things!) in the hope of creating an annual ‘Rainsborough Day’ memorial event on or near October 30th each year. Anyone who can offer any help/advice can contact us on verymerrymen[at]gmail.com

*It was Barnsdale Forest, not Sherwood Forest that was the original home of Robin Hood in the earliest ballads; Barnsdale Forest stretched from Wakefield to Sheffield and covered most of what we now call South Yorkshire. The story also suffered from ‘gentrification’ over the years, the original Robin was a yeoman who rallied against the church, the aristocracy and the state – Barnsdale’s Robin was an anarchist!

The ‘Pub Revolution Movement’ Needs YOU!!! – NOW!!!

Yesterday the Pub Revolution Movement Facebook page witnessed some pretty harrowing events. Clare from Liverpool posted the following comments…

10:05  Can anybody help us please? The baliff is in downstairs and we don’t know what to do

People on the site began to try and help, calling for anyone in Liverpool to give Clare a hand. As somebody rightfully observed…

11:06  What’s the world coming to. We’ve got a 15 year old girl and her mother scared whitless while there “partners” are rubbing there hands and laughing all the way to the bank.

But things got worse and Clare reported…

11:16  its too late now, we asked him to leave but he refused so we called the police. The police said they couldn’t do anything so hetold my mum to pay all that she owes up front.She couldn’t because she doesn’t have the money so she told me… to go and pack my things and my brother and sisters things so we can go to our nans. He wouldn’t let us leave and has given us until saturday to get out

Anyone who’s been through an eviction will know how helpless you can feel, especially if you’re 15!  Today Maggie from PRM sent out the following message…

“Morning everybody!  In the light of Clare’s experience yesterday we need everyone to recruit more people.  The depths to which these pubcos will go never ceases to amaze me.  Make it your goal to recruit one more person today, for Clare and her Mum as well as yourselves.  Also welcome to all newcomers.  If you have not already done so could you forward me the following details: area, pub, pubco, weekly rent and weekly tied products spend please.  This will enable us to have accurate figures.  please send to westandtogether2@btinternet.com.  If anyone has any local media contacts then could we urge you to use them.  The publicity is increasing daily but we need everyone’s help.  Here’s to the final countdown.”

We would add that anyone with experience of evictions should keep an eye on the message board in case something like this happens near them.  Join the PRM group and/or the PRM supporters group today!

Defenders of the Earth… Centre

We’re usually more ‘class’ than ‘climate’, but we remember Doncaster Earth Centre before it became corrupted by outside funding. A lot of people from Denaby’s ex-mining community were involved with the site and it had a real DIY vibe to it. As soon as the money started rolling in it was business as usual for Doncaster’s grant monsters and dodgy council types.; Doncaster is an EU ‘assisted’ region that has received a lot of funding over the years, but the usual suspects have made sure that Doncaster residents do not benefit from the millions injected into the region. The closure of the Earth Centre was just one more kick in the teeth for Doncaster residents.

A group of people are meeting at the Earth Centre every Fri at 1pm with the intention of brining it back into the hands of local people. More information about the group and the Earth Centre in general can be found here or email thereismore2lifefolks [at] yahoo.co.uk

See you Friday

ATTENTION STEAMPUNKS! (and other beautifully alternative miscreants)

Roll up, roll up,

For the first time in over a century the marvelously malicious, devastatingly delectable, catastrophically creative tale of “HARTMANN THE ANARCHIST” is back in print.

Originally published in 1892 by public schoolboy, E. Douglass Fawcett,  it tells the tale of Rudolph Hartmann; an anarchist who uses a dirigible named ‘The Attila’ to rain “pitiless death and destruction from the skies on Parliament, St Pauls and the City [of London]“. This is a classic piece of Victorian Sci-Fi which is 100 years ahead of its time. Not only does it predict the Steampunk’s passion for airships it provides a stinging critique of the institutions that are causing immense suffering in today’s Britain.

Hartmann’s victims are the sly politicians and greedy bankers who caused the current economic crisis; Fawcett may have been a schoolboy, but he proves himself to be politically astute for his tender years. As Ian Bone say’s in his introduction “His analysis of the reasons to bomb the City of London show his prescient awareness of the evils of globalisation years before anyone else.” Hartmann’s ‘propaganda by the deed’ may be a little extreme (to say the least), but we ‘moderns’ can easily sympathise with his motivations. If Jules Verne were alive to witness today’s global recession he would have written this book.

The original edition was illustrated by Fred T. Jane who once abducted a politician for a ‘publicity stunt’ and would go on to found the infamous Jane’s Information Group who publish Jane’s Defence. The modern version is equally well illustrated, this time by Stanley Donwood who is responsible for some of Radiohead’s best album cover artwork.

‘Hartmann’ is an authentic example of what was once called a ‘ripping yarn’, but it also puts the ‘punk’ back into Steampunk. What’s more it is a real bargain, you can order your copy from Tangent Books for the ridiculous sum of £5 – including postage!

Vistit www.tangentbooks.co.uk for more great reads.