Hello and a happy Mayday to all of you. 1st May has for centuries been a day of pranks and mischief making and for over 100 years it has also been international workers’ day. A time for working class people everywhere to show solidarity with each other and the dispossessed and downtrodden in general.
Another important anniversary is the first birthday of this blog. One year ago today it announced itself to the world with the following statement:
“Animal rights needs libertarian ideas more than ever before. In the past 10 years the movement in Britain has suffered unparalleled repression. This country is not unique in this either – as animal liberation has spread across the world, so in its wake has followed a state and corporate backlash. Anarchism – with its critique of power, hierarchy and capitalism – can help us understand how repression works and how we can work to resist it.”
Since then there have been a further 82 posts published on a wide range of subjects pertaining to animal liberation, anarchism and class struggle. I want to say thanks to all of you who’ve taken the time to read them and the few who’ve commented as well.
On that subject, you may have noticed that previous comments are no longer available and new ones can’t be made. An email from the web host has been received explaining there is a problem with the WordPress software which they’re trying to rectify. I don’t know how long it will take and I do apologise if any you you want to make a contribution but can’t.
All the blog entries are also posted on Facebook via my personal account. There is no Red Black Green Facebook page (I have one about police spies in animal rights called ARspycatcher and figured trying to operate two groups there, this blog and email was just too much). But I do now have a twitter page in the name of Red Black Green. It can be found here: @redblack_green
In that first blog entry I also remarked on the general election, then just over a year away. Now it’s less than one week to the day we’re expected to march obediently into those polling stations for our five yearly dose of democracy.
I said: “As elections loom nearer, politicians start crawling out of the woodwork to make promises on which they won’t deliver. We’ve seen this with the impending European elections but it will be even worse next year. UKIP, Tory, Labour, Lib Dems, Greens, any of them – let this be a forum to dissect and discredit their mendacious policies.”
I hope this blog has lived up to the promise I made. There has certainly been much more about the election the closer to it we’ve got. Most of that has been on Labour and some about the Green Party. I haven’t bothered with the rest since I doubt anyone here would ever consider voting for them.
The supporters of both parties are at loggerheads with each on Facebook right now. Each of them is claiming only they will protect animals, especially badgers and foxes. I’m not taking sides but as I criticise one lot, the other likes it and assumes I’ve joined them, then vice versa. It’s rather ridiculous to see them squabbling amongst themselves, good people though many of them are.
That’s what the ruling class likes of course. They want us falling out with each other instead of focusing on the real enemy – them! I will do my best to ensure that this blog continues to take the struggle to the real enemy for the sake of ourselves, animals and the planet.
If you want to contact me by email you can do so here: redblackgreen@riseup.net