Categories: uncategorized
Date: 08 January 2012 16:49:48
This is one of those pieces which will probably win me no friends and which I have thought about posting...but I think it is right to do so. I am posting as somebody who only had a short involvement with Occupy Newcastle but has been able to view a series of web based discussions.
This article in yesterdays Chronicle gives a version of how the Occupy Newcastle site finally left the Monument. From what I gather this was not quite the whole story and I know the protesters feel misrepresented within the Chronicle's piece. Looking at the picture which accompanys the piece I can see that many of the faces there are people I recognise from my time with the camp towards the beginning of their occupation. Whilst there had been a coming and going of people over time it is evidence that a hardcore of people remained...men and women of conviction.
The problem I think which occurred in Newcastle was that they tried to keep the physical presence of the occupation at the monument going on longer than was probably fully sustainable. The number of people actively involved over the time of the camp was somewhere around 50 or 60 looking at the size of the FB group which those of us who had been active had access to and allowing for a small number not being on FB, but the core was generally somewhere between 6 and 25 (larger at the beginning). This was obviously much smaller than London and they did not have the level of technical or financial support which Occupy LSX had. In practical terms this meant that the occupation for the most part was focusing on sustaining itself rather than effectively growing much of the time, from my perspective. There were spurts of activity but these were limited because there is only so much the same group of people can be doing, particularly on little sleep and with other responsibilities. The Occupy Newcastle site gives clear evidence of the way the spark never really grew into the fire needed if you look around it; at the blog and so forth.
Some of the people there such as E and RR gave over and beyond of what could have been reasonably expected of them in terms of trying to not only keep the whole thing going but grow it. However, in the end the clearance came. If there had been more people available on the ground then the clearance would have taken a different form, possibly involving legal action. As it was there is a sad ending to the actual occupation with the camp being cleared and sent to be burnt by the council. Apparently there were still some parts of the library there aswell as some personal belongings.
This clearance was the final nail in a story which contains as much sadness as it does hope (and I think there are bucketfuls of both). The camp did struggle both physically and intellectually with in their relationship with the homeless. Tents of genuine occupiers were deficated in and damaged by homeless people and sometimes, for their own safety the police were alerted, but at the same time there was a feeling of wanting to help those who the system had failed most badly and not be like much of the rest of society in their attitude.
Large sums of money did go missing over the course of the occupation and disillusionment set in as people found they could not always trust people they hoped to. In some ways the Newcastle Occupation was marked by hopeless idealism at times, although I believe such idealism is needed in some ways if anything is to change in our society. It was one of the reasons some people fell away from the movement.
There were left wing political splits which at times became apparent (the whole Life of Brian splitters senario) and whilst there was a no alcohol rule which was mostly kept by the protesters I know on a couple of occassions this broke down - again leaving some members of the group disillusioned.
Then there were, as I say, the issues of a prolonged campaign of this nature which needed people on the ground on a daily basis. There were regular attempts to get rotas going, but these were only of limited success. Most of the time it all came down to the dedicated core - a number of which had jobs or studies which limited the ways in which they could be involved. I know for myself my involvement effectively ended when I got the increased supply hours I have been doing over the last couple of months.
I know the view is that the Occupy Newcastle is not over but only the camp. The question is there though, "how much was Occupy Newcastle the camp and how much the wider spirit and networks being built?" Well, I think something will continue from this but I am not sure how it will build. My own feeling is that the clearing of the monument marks the formal end of something which would have been better to formally end in a blaze of glory somewhat earlier. I think, realistically, the occupiers will in time find themselves putting their energies back into other left wing or environmentally based social movements - many of those in the core were connected in some ways with these anyway. I suspect as the anti-cuts movement grows and groups such as Coalition of Resistance with their backing from the organised left rise back up in coming months they will join them. They will surely be courted by the socialist movements as people who have shown commitment to a cause and have I think something to teach a worn out left in this country.
So the final question is, "was it worth it?"
I have to say yes. I stood there giving out leaflets to people in Newcastle city centre - engaging with ordinary people who are at a point when they want some kind of change in society to occur. I became aware that if no alternative comes to fill the void the far right are likely to....there were a number of conversations I had which had to correct misconceptions about minority ethnic groups and immigration. The truth is alot of ordinary, good, working class and lower middle class people have had enough and are looking for people to blame. They have lost faith in the traditional political system and want / need a way to express their frustration. Occupy allowed alot of people to feel vicariously something was being done to support people like them.
The movement also allowed alot of younger people to come together and say we not only want change but we are willing to do something to try and achieve it. Whilst at times this did turn into an old fashioned middle class talking shop there were lots of occassions I saw young people without an intellectual background engaging with the protest...even if only for a short time before they got bored and went off to do something else. The most committed that I saw were actually not the "nice" middle class youngsters but those who had their qualifications from the university of life - these were people who were looking at what they had lying around at home, in their gardens or wherever, that they could bring down and use creatively.
It was also worth it because through its very presence it meant the issues had to be engaged with to some extent by traditional politicians. When it was clear that they were remaining after a couple of weeks people with power did start going to find out what they wanted and what they were doing there. Local councillors, the media and clergy amongst others visited the camp and engaged with the people there - trying to work out why they were disillusioned enough to actually be doing something.
Additionally, what they were doing was positive. We had seen earlier last year in many other cities what happens when frustration boils over into anger and is not channelled creatively....Occupy was an alternative to the riots. It was/ is a movement which says we are going to start a discussion about what is wrong and how change should / can occur.
I think it is problematic that the conversation between occupiers and those who supported them but could not occupy because of other commitments did not grow, by early/ mid November into something concrete in terms of achieveable aswell as idealistic goals to be achieved. To me this was the biggest problem with the movement....it started a conversation and then did not do anything with it.
I have said before that as a Christian I was uneasy at times with the focus, because I am looking for overlapping changes in society but ones which differ because they come from the perspective of wanting a change which reflects the spirit of God's law. In many ways this made me much more reformist than revolutionary in terms of the discussions being held. I don't think using language which dehumanises others - however deplorable their actions - can ever be justified and this was one area where I differed with some at the camp.
In terms of where we do go now I think that the question needs to be asked not only in Newcastle but in other spaces too beyond the occupations. I would love to see activists coming together in spaces including Solas, Greenbelt and Wildgoose to discuss a way forward and a set of goals to be put forward in general, political and faith based spaces and discussions. I want a true movement to grow. I think in terms of progressive Christianity we already have the seeds of this - but I think there needs to be a more concerted effort to get more of a momentum going which is unified and clear.
As regular readers will know whilst reading Tim Gee's book I became fascinated by the idea of Counterpower but want to know what Christian counterpower looks like if we look at it biblically and how it can be developed to bring about true change. I think this type of discussion at the festivals mentioned above and other appropriate spaces would be useful. The discussion needs to be amongst "ordinary activists" not just "the Christian elite" though. There needs to be discussion between groups more than has been the case and quite how this is done I am not sure....but I do know that this type of movement does not need incorporation into the existing....it will have been most useful if it dialogues with the existing but allows new leaders to grow out of it who are mentored by others on one hand but also give new perspectives and ideas to existing groups on the other.
I know this post has been way too long, but thanks for bearing with me.....I know for reasons discussed elsewhere (time and my own possible incorporation into a system that silences or certainly restrains) the passion I feel on this is becoming and may well further become restrained. I needed to let my thoughts out on this in a constructive way and scream my contribution out into cyberspace one more time.