Afri Launch: 'The Price of our Souls- Gas, Shell and Ireland' September 4, Derry

by Ciaron Report on event - Catholic Worker/Ploughshares Sat Sep 06, 2008 11:33

Managed to hitch a lift up to this event. Very kind of Afri to offer another lift, the last time they offered we were detained by Special Branch under Section 26 (36?, whatever!) of the Offences against the State Act on the way to the St. Bridges Festival in Kildare (the SB boyz thought we were heading to Shannon cos we talk a right turn in Dublin, go figure?)

Robbie McVeigh of local anti-Raytheon group F.E.IC. gave a good introduction after an opening song and Mike delivered a wonderful speech about the Rossport campaign, also an update on the face off happening their presently and his book. About 20 folks from various backgrounds (environmentalists, WSM, Unionist, republican, punk,student, pensioner etc) gathered and the quality of discussion that followed was high.

As a contribution to the Rossport campaign - I'm buying 5 of these books at a time and will carry one with me, so if you want to buy one and see me...it's 10 bucks!
It's a good book. My dad just read. He's 80 and left Ireland in '49 and he liked it. Great present for anyone you know fromMayo anywhere and/or want to change the world!

by Mayo Man Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:51

Thanx G and must get my hands on a copy of that book Ciaron, sounds great.

by Ciaron - Catholic Worker/ Ploughshares Tue Sep 09, 2008 08:44

Well I sold my 5 books in 3 days
-one to a WSM head did the deal in Stephens Green shopping mall ( a revolutionary act in itself given the privatisation of the market place, security guard didn't seem impressed!)
-one to a Colombian
-two to older Irish folks
-one to a guy from work.

Going to Afri today to get another 5, so if you see me in the street
(big hair, small country, hard to miss)
and you want a copy of post-Mohawk Mick's excellent book.
It's 10 bucks
otherwise you can pick one up form Afri's office in Phibsborough
and I assume Connoly Books

by sookbeller Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:53

Have you read the book Ciaron? He doesn't exactly advocate protests at the site, so I'm wondering why you think it is such a good analysis.

by Ciaron - Catholic Worker/Ploughshares Wed Sep 10, 2008 06:12

Yeah I read it and posted it off to my dad who read it. So it's a while since I read it but it was a good read for someone, like me, who Rossport isn't a central organsing priority. I'm sticking with the war (rememebr the war?) and Irish complicity in it
-primarily Shannon Airport facilitatimg troop movement
-Shannon Airport refueling CIA kidnap/tortutre flights
-1,000+ Irish mercanieries in Iraq (Phoenix 'zine)
-Raytheon/Derry
-the latest recent recession rush of 26 county lads rushing to join the British Army to be cannon fodder in Afghanistan

So I avoid campaign surfing but that doesn't mean I can't (with limited resources) reach out to other NVDA campaigns.
In the case of Rossport I do my best to support NVDA and direct democracy and I think campaigns should be prioritised y the broader network (who may have like me other organsing priorities) when folks are in jail (eg. Rossport 5), facing loss of liberty (Raytheon 9 earlier this year) or risking liberty or life (Rossport crew presently).

There's a page and half (sounds like an old Cadbury's ad!) quote by my good self in Mick's book about how to survive and thrive in jail as consequence of NVDA so I guess it is safe to assume that the book does indeeed support NVDA. I sold my 6th. copy of Micks' book yesterday withinn 10 seconds of being resupplied by an Afri cyclist outside the Royal Dublin (to a French anarchist guy I use to work with at homeless shelter).

The poiint I'm trynig to make here is that distribution of radical literature is major hassle in a near monopolised sector. Over the last 30 years of activism I have self produced dozen of 'zines, 3 pamphlets and had 2 books published (by small time publishers who are now extinct and there is a present attempt by christian anarchists in Aotearoa/New Zealand to republish my U.S. prison diary from Gulf War 1). Writing a book is major work, getting a book published is major work and then distribution is a 3rd. job. You're usually exhausted after each stage.

So yes this is a little experiment in radical book distribution in these trying times (for activism and soon the broader economy). The experiment is going well so far but it is work. In a few weeks we wll have 500 copies of Harry Browne's "Hammered by the Irish" to be distributed in Ireland so the experiment will continue on that fornt.

As in any broad campaign there are different positions (eg in this in Green Party/Government position, Shell to Sea, Shell to the town down the road, Dismantle Shell as a threat to the planet etc etc) this is to be expected and not to be silenced or scared of or people with different positions to be blanked. The right of tendency should be repected.

Hopefully Mick's and Harry's books will contribute to an internal and external debate around what Shell (and now the irish Navy) are doing in Rossport, U.S. military (and Irish Army) are doing at Shannon etc