Should I stand?
I just read this excellent article on libertarian anarchism. It argues that the best way to fight the system is through direct action and by withholding your vote. But the local election are coming up and I'm about to stand for the Green Party. I'll probably go ahead with it until I've read up on various anarchist theories. Plus it's so damn good for your self-esteem, getting hundreds of people voting for you. Plus it gets me more googles, fighting off all those other Mark Claessens that're around. See, I can't possibly be a libertarian anarchist, I'm just not self-centred enough...
posted by Platypus Bill @ 10:09 pm
7 Comments:
Yep, the risk of direct action by not voting, is that you empower others to get elected regardless of the number of votes. You can't get elected (real direct action) if you don't stand, just as you cannot win the lottery if you do not play - someone else prepared to spend a pound has much more chance of winning.
The thing is the most self-centred do tend to stand - even though they are perhaps not the best candidate, they become the candidate by default. One of the finer example of how negative not voting can be. If no one from Labour voted - Conservatives would win by default by busing their people to the polling station. That is life - That is reality.
I still don't know howthis blog thing works - or how long they take to go from posted comment to comments on blog - but here goes anyway. STAND and like you say at least you'll be stopping other Mark's standing or even getting elected. That is anarchic, though it may not necessarily be pro-ductive or could even be counter-productive if you take away votes from someone who could have defeated the conservative candidate. Unless deep down you are an anarchic-capitalist or as in the case of TB a labour-capitalist or as in the case of libdems liberal-capitalist. Is there anyone who is not whatever capitalist? I guess that is why anarchists tend to be anti-capitalism and anti-globalisation, but still use the internet and mobile phones The very products of capitalism & globalisation, just as much as cheap(er) air travel.
JUMP, JUMP
STAND, STAND. OR STAND ON ONE LEG FIRST & THEN THE OTHER. I THINK THEY CALL THAT A JIG an Irish or Scottish Jig - or somethin you do when you are qeueuing for a urinal on a cold night before or after chuckin out time when you've had too much lager. See, I tolf you Guinness was better for you
Heyho! Here are two things that won't get me to stand, on however many legs: the lottery (even though I like the idea of taxing the stupid) or Guinness (it's not vegan, see, I'm a veganarchist).
I don't think it's fair to call anarcho-capitalists capitalists, I agree that it's a very unfortunate choice of name - they just think that a free market will work once it is not directed by an authoritarian government
Hey, you didn't tell me you'd written this :-)
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