87 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
87 lines
3.4 KiB
Plaintext
Editorial
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"How are you going to construct something new, if you do the
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same old things?" - Major Moises (EZLN) To the Democratic
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National Convention, October 1994
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All across the globe, working class people are rediscovering the
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relevance of anarchist ideas to their everyday lives and
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struggles. From the uprising in the Chiapas, to the anti-roads
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campaign in Glasgow, more and more people are seeing the need for
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direct action, decentralised organisations and solidarity from
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the bottom up.
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The first issue of Scottish Anarchist helped to put analysis and
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facts behind the anger against the system. This issue continues
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that tradition with an analysis of the globalisation of
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capitalism, the other side of DNA testing and how the use of
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networks and the internet by activists is causing social elites
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great worry. In addition, we have reports on struggles across
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Scotland as well as the concluding parts of our articles on the
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history of anarchism in Glasgow and Spain.
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It is only by reclaiming our history, the history of social
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struggle and working class revolt, can we place any analysis of
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current events into context and, more importantly, remind us that
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a better society is possible.
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Tom Paine once wrote, "a long habit of not thinking a thing
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wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right".
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Today those words take on a meaning which Paine could never have
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imagined.
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Its hard to believe sometimes that capitalism has not been the
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only social system on this planet. Its presence is so widespread.
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It gets into every space of our lives. The market economy has
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become the market society. Human feelings are being replaced by
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market jargon, corrupting our most hallowed ethical and spiritual
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expressions and relationships. Community is being replaced by
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commodity. The social breakdown this implies can be seen all
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around us - poverty, crime, alienation, unhappiness.
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However, the seeds of hope still exist. Regardless of what the
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system tries to do, we are still human beings, with innate
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emotions, feelings of empathy and solidarity and, most
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importantly, the ability to think, to learn and the will to
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rebel.
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No one can do it for us. All magazines like Scottish Anarchist
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can do is prompt thinking and encourage rebellion. The SFA does
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not want followers, we are not leaders. We want everyone to
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become a leader. We realise our activities are only really
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effective when we join in union with our equals. Isolated
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individuals cannot make history. But a union is only as effective
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as the individuals that comprise it. A "union" of sheep can
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bleat, but a union of individuals can discuss, enrich each other
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by our diversity and change the world!
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A cooperative commonwealth can only be made up of thinking,
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acting, feeling individuals. Community can only be created when
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we reclaim our individuality and end the self-sacrifice of our
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beings which is required for capitalism to exist.
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The future is in your hands.
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Iain MacSaorsa
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"It is only those who do nothing who make no mistakes"
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Peter Kropotkin
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We would like to thank all those who sent in articles and
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apologise to all whose work did not appear this issue. Again, we
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welcome articles, letters, graphics, whatever, from any source.
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Send letters to, or ask for more information about the SFA from:
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Scottish Anarchist
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c/o GAG
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PO Box 1008
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Glasgow
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G42 8AA
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Hotline - Solidarity Centre, Glasgow : 0141 226 5066
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