"Cut it up" Campaign
Anarchists and War
Fighting Fascism
Supporting Prisoners
Vote Nobody

"CUT IT UP" CAMPAIGN

You don’t need to work for the Financial Times to realise that credit card debt is getting well out of hand. Ten years ago hardly anyone had one. Now there are 91 million credit and debit cards in the UK. Two fifths of our shopping is now put on the plastic. The net result is a large portion of the population with massive credit card debt. Given the extortionate interest rates charged this is seriously bad news for us and the source of gleeful hand rubbing for the high street bankers (what’s that rhyming slang for I wonder?) who are pocketing it.

We see it like this. Credit cards have been introduced not to make our lives easier, but to extract money from us. Credit card debt acts like a mini mortgage - got to keep our noses to the grindstone so as not to miss any payments. We lived without them for years, and can start doing so again. To help you on your way to liberating yourself from plastic purgatory we have our "Cut it up" campaign. The first step in taking part is as easy as you make it. Get your credit card and take a pair of scissors to it. This may seem hard at first, but believe me, the feeling of relief when its done is immense. Worried about the debt you’ve accrued? The most important thing is not to panic. There’s plenty of free advice you can get out there, and things really might not be as bad as you think. For starters, did you know the following?

* Credit Card debt is classified as "non-priority" debt. You can’t be imprisoned for not paying non-priority debts and you are unlikely to lose your home or your essential goods.

* It is an offence under The Administration of Justice Act 1970 (amongst others) for someone in debt to be harassed by their creditor such as a credit card company or an agent acting on their behalf.

* Debts of under £5000 can only be heard at the small claims court. So even if you do get taken to court you can’t be stung with solicitors costs if you lose.

* Debt collectors are not the same as bailiffs. Debt collectors cannot take any action against you, apart from asking you to pay any money owed.

* Regardless of what they say, YOU DON’T HAVE TO LET BAILIFFS IN. They are not allowed to force their way into your home unless you have let them in on a previous visit, hence the importance of never, ever letting them in.

We don’t claim to be legal experts. We certainly don’t claim to offer "impartial" advice either - we despise bailiffs, bankers and other creditors as much as anyone and support fair means or foul to get the better of them! Some decent, free, practical advice is available from The National debtline on 0808 808 4000. Their website is www.nationaldebtline.co.uk. Alternatively, you could visit the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Why not let debt collectors know what you think of them? Thames Water's Collection Agency are based in Woking: Credit Consultants International, St Andrews House, West Street, Woking, GU21 1EB. Tel: 01483 778800 Fax: 01483 778811

ANARCHISTS AND WAR

Anarchists are often portrayed as violent thugs who believe in nothing apart from smashing windows. Yet the truth is that no anarchist has ever started a war; no anarchist has ever cluster bombed a market; no anarchist has ever invaded another country. This kind of thing has always been the reserve of governments and the democrats.

Anarchists are opposed to war because we see war as an essential tool of governments and big business. It’s no coincidence that this war began at a time of recession in the United States. Nor is it a coincidence that a good number of Bush’s government were under investigation for corruption. Nor is it a coincidence that the USA is handing out contracts for the rebuilding of Iraq pretty much exclusively to American firms, including Dick Cheney’s old company. Dick Cheney? Name ring a bell? Of course, the US Vice President! Coincidence? You decide.

This war isn’t just about oil. It’s about power, money, fooling the public and securing new markets. What’s different about this war is that the governments don’t even bother to hide their true motives any more. They waffle on about liberating Iraq from its dictator, but you don’t have to scratch too deep to find out the truth. In the past, if we’d said this, we’d be dismissed as conspiracy theorists. This time, however, it’s all in the newspapers. Not on the front pages, admittedly, but buried somewhere inside. Now, why might that be?

Anarchists look at these facts and see confirmation of our belief that we’d be a lot better off without governments. We don’t agree that we need people to tell us what to do. We believe that we are perfectly capable of organising amongst ourselves and sorting out our own lives. We’re pretty sure that if we managed to get this kind of society, there’d be an end to wars. In the current conflict, anarchists don’t support the government, nor do we support "Our Boys". We support the Iraqi and Kurdish working classes in their bid to liberate themselves from their bosses.

We know that the working class has no nationality. It can be found in every country and it’s always the first to die in war and the first to suffer in peacetime. We disagree with those people who call for regime change when they mean one regime replaces the other. We call for an end to regimes. Let the people rule their own lives without the parasites who feed on them and claim that they’ve got the best interests of the people at heart. Anarchists have always understood that the best interests of the people are never met by killing them.

For a long time, anarchists have been laughed at by both the right and the left. We’re often dismissed by political groups from all sides who have their own designs on how the world should be. We say that the world should be as the people living in it want it to be. This will mean different things to different people. As a result, we look forward to a world full of different worlds. Unlike most other political ideologies, anarchism sees difference as a good thing.

Despite governments and would-be governments being so quick to dismiss us, we take some comfort in seeing how more and more ordinary people are realising the effectiveness of our preferred strategies. When people decide to take on the government rather than letting the government take them on; when they engage in direct action instead of leaving the job to others; when they organise themselves instead of waiting to be organised, they are putting into practice tactics that anarchists have always advocated: solidarity, self help and direct action. It is a promising sign and we note how uncomfortable it makes governments and those political groups who have always put the Party before the People. The anarchist slogan remains as relevant now as ever.

NO GODS, NO MASTERS, NO WAR!

(taken from www.af-north.org)

FIGHTING FASCISM

Fascism is a viciously authoritarian type of capitalism, usually extremely racist, sexist and homophobic.

Fascists in Britain are using three main strategies to try and increase their influence:

1.Controlling the streets: The traditional fascist way of coming to power is by first physically controlling the streets. They try and show their strength through public marches and demonstrations, and by attacking the public events groups they oppose (blacks, gays, left-wingers, anarchists etc.). To counter this strategy they must be opposed physically. The only organised group currently doing this in Britain is the No Platform Anti-Fascist Network: http://noplatform.antifa.net

2. Infiltration: Fascists are also trying to make their obnoxious views more acceptable by infiltrating other movements, particularly the environmental movement. They have made little progress in this except on the crackpot fringes. But this is no reason to be complacent and they must be exposed for what they are whenever discovered.

3.  Local activism: Fascists are beginning to gain ground in some areas through working in local community politics. Particularly in 'white flight' areas they have been able to utilise racism to gain support. As the mainstream parties have abandoned the white working class, and the left continue to preach 'Vote Labour' the fascists can appear a radical alternative. To counter this we need to organise where we live and fight against the real enemy: the ruling class.

SUPPORTING PRISONERS

ADOPT A PRISONER

If you're active in a group or campaign why not choose one or two prisoners to consistently support. Pass cards round meetings, send useful stuff, knock up a flyposter and get their case some publicity if they could use it, get in touch with the prisoner's support group if there is one. Of course you can take this on as an individual, too.

WRITING TO PRISONERS/SENDING THINGS

Prison is isolation, so contact with the outside world, letting a prisoner know s/he is not forgotten, helps break this down. Sometimes just a friendly card can boost their morale. Writing for the first time to a complete stranger can be awkward. A card with some well wishes, a bit about who you are and asking what you can do to help is often enough. Don't expect prisoners to write back. Sometimes, the number of letters they can receive/write is restricted, or they just might not be very good a writing back. To help, include a couple of stamps or, if writing abroad, International Reply Coupons (IRC's) that you can get from any post office. Write on clean paper and don't re-use envelopes. Remember a return address, also on the envelope. Ask what the prisoner can have sent to them, as this varies from prison to prison. Books and pamphlets usually have to be sent from a recognised distributor/bookshop/publisher (ask at a friendly bookshop), tapes, videos, writing pads, zines, toiletries and postal orders are some ofthe things you might be able to send. Food just gets eaten by screws.

Remember that all letters are opened and looked through so don't write stuff that could endanger anyone, this doesn't mean you should be over paranoid and write one meaningless comment on the weather after the other. Be prepared to share a bit of your life to brighten up someone's on the inside.

PROTEST LETTERS

Petitioning Tony Blair asking him to stop being a capitalist bastard might well be futile. But writing letters to relevant places requesting something realistic such as an appeal, transfer, vegan food etc on behalf of a prisoner can help improve their chances. Prisoners who seem to be 'in the public eye' do tend to be treated better.

OTHER SUPPORT

There is so much more than can be done, up to you and your imagination and your contact with a prisoner, such as: publicity for the case, visits, financial support, pickets of prisons etc.

CLASS STRUGGLE PRISONERS

There is also an incomplete list of anarchists, black liberation activists, anti-fascists, and others we feel an affinity with who have ended up in prison and deserve our full support.

For more information contact: ABC Brighton (anarchist prisoner support), c/o 6 Tilbury Place, Brighton BN2 2GY, or email them at brightonabc@email.com or check out their website: http://www.brightonabc.org.uk and the Anarchist Federation prisoners support page at: http://www.afed.org.uk.

VOTE NOBODY

So here we are again - its local election time. Its time to be oh so grateful to the powers that be for letting us choose exactly which group of them are going to be running the show at the local council. No doubt they'll be shutting up libraries, running down hospitals, starving our grandparents, destroying our environment, doing nothing about crime, and generally making the enjoyment of life more fucking difficult every day.

Does anyone still seriously believe that councillers are going to change things for the better? Does anyone still seriously believe that they are going to do anything other than what the politicians, the police, the judges, the prison governors, the company directors, the stinking rich want them to? Well? So why vote?

Only one thing shifts power from the ruling elite to working class people, and this is direct action. When we take matters into our own hands and act together as a class, like the direct action of the firefighters who have been on strike demanding a 40% pay-rise or the direct action of the Glaswegians who fought to keep their local swimming pool open and the Hackney parents who took over a nursery which the local council wanted to close down.

So let's get together at work and spread the word that we don't have to accept the day-to-day grind, the ever worsening pay and conditions. Let's get together where we live, and let the council know that no more cuts will be tolerated, and the police that no more patrols are wanted. When we begin to organise ourselves and act together we soon realise the power that we have in our own hands. When we act not to appeal to those in authority, but to impose our power on them we soon realise our revolutionary potential as a class.

Life's too short to give councillers another chance.

Lets start making real change now.

DON'T VOTE - TAKE ACTION!