Reflections and experiences being on The Left.

 
   
   
a mix of serious and fun informal  statements about the left as  a movement.    
   
•It's always awkward to encounter fans of Lenin, Che, Castro, Chavez, Mao etc.    
•Often I find myself protesting or hanging out with people I have major disagreements with-liberals, greens, Leninists, parliamentary socialists etc.    
•When I get to hang out with anarchists it feels so refreshing.    
•I the talk of 'Left unity' or of escaping the left/right paradigm.    
 
 
Give up Activism An article from Do or Die Issue 9- Criticism of risks and dangers in activism e.g. "Historically, those movements that have come the closest to de-stabilising or removing or going beyond capitalism have not at all taken the form of activism. Activism is essentially a political form and a method of operating suited to liberal reformism that is being pushed beyond its own limits and used for revolutionary purposes. The activist role in itself must be problematic for those who desire social revolution". I don't think the points raised in this can be ignored. Just not sure what to do about them either -always good to be self critical however.
 
 
•There's a fair mount of unspoken tension on the left.    
•I couldn't hang out with right wingers. 'apolitical' folk at best. I've hung out with a UKipper and I couldn't leave fast enough. In the interests of staying out of jail, it's best I'm not forced to spend time with fascists.    
•Some leftists act like celebrities and develop cults of personality pretty much turning up to things for photo ops  e.g. The SWP .    
•I've stayed  in the cold giving out leaflets in the street freezing my ass off because I believe in wht I'm doing. Not for the goodness of my image or to be trendy.    
•Most leftists I know are pro-Scottish Independence. It's increasingly awkward as I reject both sides now.    
•I despise UNITE and UNISON (The TUC too) even though their  members in the rank and file level are cool. The TUC are sell outs.    
•The next person to try to sell me the socialist worker gets it shoved up their arse.    
•Occupy changed my life and many others. Once you've done it you can never go back to how things were before. You view space differently. You see any empty spaces as potential camps, you see squat spaces, skipping places and hiding places.    
•I know I'm biased but the Left have more fun. We have some of the best socials nd parties.    
•What is it with leftists buying wine. Not having  a got just making an observation.    
•We argued once about which version of The Internationale we preferred.    
•a Maoist once told me he'd shoot me if it came to it.    
•Trotskyists like to appropriate anarchist things.Liberals do too.    
•Everyone who is not a Leninist has that awkward Leninist friend. You always nurse a suspicion they'd shoot you if it came to it. Some remove any doubt.    
•I despise the SWP.  The SWP, a Leninist party infamous for it's rape apologism and hierarchy is disgusting, growing like a parasite upon any grassroots campaign and hijacking it. Yet among the Scottish Left they are prominent lingering and not going away-  like a bad smell. In fairness, I know of a number of members who are passionate well intentioned people despite my disagreements with them.    
•It's sad that on some demos I've ended up chanting with the SWP because they've been the most militant folk there.    
 
Least the SWP believe in revolution( even if their concept is more like a coup) , are critical of the Labour party and skeptical of Scottish Independence which is more than I can say for some 'socialists'.  
 
•The SSP is small ineffective and quite a joke. They talk revolutionary but in practice re super reformist.    
•If I ever hear of attempts to make the Labour party socialist again it'll be too soon.    
•I think Owen Jones is a pretentious bastard  and quite posh.    
•I like Billy Bragg musically but politically he's terrible.    
•I know too many lifestyle anarchists.    
•parliamentary socialist always assumes no one could possibly think otherwise.    
   
more to be added.....