:: Monday, February 14, 2011 ::

A is for Alienation

Nice blog from the Socialist Cephalopod on the Hetherington occupation.


"Something that in my opinion is absolutely crucial to the success of what we’ve done so far is the non-commercial nature of the operation. When you come in the door of the Free Hetherington you realise straight away that this is different from the other student unions and surrounding West End pubs. When you come here, no one is making a profit out of you. One of the clearest illustrations I’ve ever seen of the alienating effects of introducing money into human relationships is what happens when you remove it. Being a non commercial space fosters relationships based on respect and solidarity; people wash up their own plates, ask how they can contribute and offer to organise events. People don’t come here as consumers, but as participants."


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:: Monday, February 07, 2011 ::

Collate, Collaborate, Struggle

Welcome to the Free Hetherington

The revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia are, I would argue, revitalising the struggle in this country against cuts. From council workers opposing redundancies to families speaking out against the closure of vital services (I include libraries in this category of course) the Tories are in for a year of resistance. There is a great article on the Newsnight blog from Paul Mason analysing the situation. He pinpoints a new breed of activist who have don't necessarily owe allegiance to traditional parties or movements. Anonymous is part of this with their libertarian cyber war in defence of Wikileaks and against scientology. Another part is the movement of poor urban youth on the streets of London, Paris and Cairo.

Glasgow University currently has an ongoing occupation of the Hetherington buildings, an unused former Postgraduate club, part of a wave of similar occupations around the country. The occupation is well organised, with cleaning, cooking and security. If you fancy a free meal, then they raid the supermarkets skips every night and turn it into delicious fare. Drop by and meet the new generation of struggle.



Study, Discuss, Share, Collate, Collaborate

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:: Friday, February 04, 2011 ::

The Arab Revolution


Cool poster, inspiring events.


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Restless and Native

Good lord, I haven't updated this blog for ages. Never mind, go read the great new film blog from Embra City, Namby Pamby Pish, the name a reference to the great movie Restless Natives of course.


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