95 lines
3.8 KiB
Plaintext
95 lines
3.8 KiB
Plaintext
2 articles
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**************** George Woodcock ****************
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from WS 45
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GEORGE WOODCOCK, author of two well known and widely
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available books on anarchism - Anarchism and The
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Anarchist Reader - has died, aged 82. Born in
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Winnipeg, Canada on May 8th, 1912 his life spanned
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some of the highest and lowest moments of the
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movement he came to chronicle. He first became
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active in Anarchist politics in the 1930s when his
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family returned to England from Canada to escape
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poverty. For a long period he was editor of the
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anti-war paper, War Commentary and the anarchist
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newspaper, Freedom.
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His political involvement in the years leading up
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the Second World War coincided with the great
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achievements of the Spanish anarchist movement in
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1936-37. Woodcock, like most of his contemporaries -
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George Orwell and Herbert Read among others - sought
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to raise awareness of the revolution in Spain and of
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what was being achieved by the Spanish working class
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against great odds. He was a firm believer in the
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working class's ability to reorganise society along
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fundamentally democratic and egalitarian lines. The
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defeat of the Spanish anarchist movement came,
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accordingly, as a bitter blow.
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Even so, Woodcock's own support for anarchism and
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the anarchist idea continued. While his
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contribution to other areas grew on his return to
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Canada, most notably creative writing, he remained,
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nonetheless, committed to encouraging a better
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understanding of what anarchism stood for and its
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continuing relevance to movements for social change.
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For a long period his two best known books were the
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only comprehensive guides widely available about
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anarchism in the English language, and for this
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reason alone he will be remembered.
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Anarchism, which was first published in 1962, has
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been criticised, rightly, for it's emphasis on
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anarchism as a movement of the past. Reflecting on
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the period in which he had lived, Woodcock saw the
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passing of anarchism as a mass working class force
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as an irreversible feature of modern political life.
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His later contributions impressed anarchism's
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relevance on areas such as ecology and feminism.
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The Anarchist Reader, in contrast, is a book which
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will stand the test of time. Emphasising the theory
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and practice of anarchism, it draws on an array of
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people associated with anarchism over the years,
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giving a comprehensive and accessible introduction
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to the breadth and relevance of anarchist ideas.
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Noting the revival of interest in anarchism since
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the 1960s, Woodcock wrote in his introduction
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"Anarchism, in summary, is a phoenix in an awakening
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desert, an idea that has revived for the only reason
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ideas revive - that they respond to some need felt
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deeply by people". George Woodcock died on January
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28th, 1995 aged eighty two.
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Kevin Doyle
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***************** Dr. Maire O'Shea *******************
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DR.MAIRE O'SHEA, republican and socialist, died on
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March 6th, aged 75. Despite our political
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differences, Maire happily worked with anarchists
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on several campaigns of common interest such as
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abortion rights and 'Trade Unionists & Unemployed
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Against the Programme'. Living in England for many
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years, she was an eminent psychiatrist with the
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Midlands Health Authority where she was a pioneer
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of patient-centred psychotherapy instead of ECT and
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drug treatments. She was also an active member of
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her trade union, MSF.
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A brave woman, she campaigned in Birmingham for the
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release of the Birmingham Six. In 1985 the English
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police charged her, under the Prevention of
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Terrorism Act, with conspiracy to cause explosions.
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Gaining support from her union and from the Irish
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and left wing communities, the police case
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collapsed in court and she was acquitted.
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Generous to the last, she directed that after a
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wake in her house that her body be donated to
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medical research at UCD.
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