Archives: Blog entry

As seems usual these days, I have been a bit too busy to write a proper blog – heaven knows there is plenty to comment on! To be fair, this has been due to getting my new edition of Kropotkin’s Words of a Rebel finished. The translation of Kropotkin’s words have been sent to the publisher (PM Press) – both the actual book plus supplementary material (see below) – and I have finished the first draft of the Glossary and its Bibliographical sketch. Just the bulk of the Introduction to do…

An Anarchist FAQ (AFAQ) is now at version 15.3. This release is a revision of the appendix on refuting the various Leninist arguments which seek to explain the failure of the Russian Revolution in terms of "objective factors":

Sorry for the reference to the Sex Pistols, but I could not resist! And, again, sorry for the infrequent blogging – I’m nearing the end of translating Kropotkin’s Words of a Rebel for PM Press and working on revising what is left to revise of An Anarchist FAQ (progress is being made!). I also need to write the fourth instalment of Precursors of Syndicalism as well as a few reviews for Anarcho-Syndicalist Review, more on that shortly.

The presence of uniformed cops marching as a bloc on Dublin Pride meant that for the first time Pride Alternative was organised. Many participants may not have been aware that just across the street 3 van loads of riot police were lurking down a laneway, presumably there so that if there was any attempt to block the cop bloc they would have charged in. Thats so, so far from the roots of Pride in the riots that followed police raids on the Stonewall Inn.

Around a thousand people took part in the second Dublin Transgender Pride Parade last Saturday, July 6. This is almost double the number that marched last year. Upon assembling at Parnell Square the colourful procession made it’s way down O’ Connell Street, through Eden Quay, Customs House Quay and Lombard Street, before arriving at it’s destination of Merrion Square. It was watched by crowds of onlookers who offered encouragement and support in the form of cheering and applause.[video]

First, a few new postings. First was a review of a book on Kropotkin, written a while ago and published in Anarchist Studies. I seem to have become a Kropotkin expert… Second, a write up of my recent Edinburgh talk on Anarchism, Syndicalism and Workers Councils (plus a pdf of the slides). I have other talks to write up and they are on my list of things to do. Third was a review of a interesting book on libertarian movements before and during the First World War. Fourth, another installment of Precursors of Syndicalism, on anarchist-communism (using Kropotkin as its exemplar). I also did a mini-release of An Anarchist FAQ, to mark the anniversary of the Spannish Revolution.

An Anarchist FAQ (AFAQ) is now at version 15.2. The main part of this release is a slight revision of the appendix on refuting the various Leninist accounts of the Spanish Anarchist movement and key episodes in its history. The changes are mostly improving various references, indicating page numbers where possible of works previously referenced by URLs. However, a few new passages have been added here and there in anticipation of its full revision later.

Donald Trump’s visit to Ireland is defined, as you might expect, by cynicism. He seems to be here mostly in order to promote his hotel in Doonbeg. This is the hotel that rather famously, despite him being a major climate change denier, perhaps the leading climate change denier, that he has applied for planning permission to build a seawall to protect the hotel against rising sea levels!

As usual, apologies for lack of blogging. As usual I have been somewhat busy. As well as the usual, namely working for a living and family live, I have various projects on the go. I did make a list of everything I was or wanted to work on, which came to over 20 items (and that is excluding sub-items).