Davy Carlin

My Dairy – In the beginning

Dear friends, as I am no longer on the ARN steering committee I therefore have no access to the e-mails that are sent to the ARN steering group. Therefore for those wishing to contact me directly I can be contacted at carlindavid@hotmail.com. Cheers Davy Carlin

Well, I am now to keep an online activist dairy. {this initial intro will be more extensive}. It will detail thoughts, political writings, poetry and much more, and at times it will be very heartfelt and personal. Some detailing the past while most being in relation to ongoing issues that others and I are involved in. It will also give the lighter side of life, and times and events as yet unaccounted for. Those events, Un - Accounted For, will be acknowledged for with an {UAF} sign. Indeed I have had quite a bit of contact by people who have stated that such a dairy is an excellent idea and are looking forward to reading it.

This online diary will be a continuance of a book I am working on about growing up in Belfast, and all the activism I have been involved in, and much more.

-That book will be in print by the end of next year and with that I believe such past times will be left behind me.

-Yet it is important presently to account and record such in as much entirety as possible while much is still fresh in ones mind, and more especially to stand against attempted revisionism in the future.

On that note my very first diary input is being written on an unprecedented moment and day in History. It is being written as the Irish Republican Army {IRA} has just announced only moments ago for its volunteers to stand down and to dump arms. Having been born into Ballymurphy {The heart of the Irish War} at the very beginning of the war - I now sit here almost 35 years on as an almost 35 year old man, just taking in all in. Those previous years of War and growing up as a child and teenager within the heart of it, will be detailed in the book.

Diary, - Well it has been now nine months since I have left the Socialist Workers Party {SWP} in Belfast, formerly known as the ‘Belfast SWP’ within most activist circles. {again which will be accounted for in my book} -.

- as will all points covering my time in the ‘Belfast SWP’ - as well as my leaving. Therefore I will just give a few brief points on that issue before moving on.

Firstly one of the points that were constantly raised within that party was of the necessity for such an organisation if one was to create such forms of unity. Yet the formation of Street Seen had showed otherwise. Street Seen is based on consensus rather that Democratic Centralism {DC.}. DC – which, as will be recorded, can and has been used as an undemocratic and authoritarian tool for formula and dogmatic politics within such far left groups.

Indeed when the SWP had also moved to arrogance and dismissing key activists concerns, I had raised such but in vain. I did similar when other key activists started raising seeing such ways of working, in part imputed from afar, again to little avail – as the SWP where on a roll, punching well above its own weight.

So such concerns and actions against genuine activists where secondary to them, at that stage. Yet as they attempt to again court favour, {while the more dogmatic organisers of old try still to curtail the continued rise of Street Seen} - such key activists memories are long. Indeed apart from but a handful of activists that we had worked with while in the Belfast SWP – the over whelming majority though have stated that they will no longer work with them on any new initiatives they may seek to undertake.

Saying that though like many others, my problem is not with many of the individual activists, but of the actual organisation and its leaderships. Indeed there were a couple of such SWP activists amongst several I had seen over the course of the entire day on Sunday {Feile opening} that I hold a lot of respect for personally and would see them as genuine activists.

‘NOTE’ - Yet in relation to those activists that I speak of - and others - and whatever our now separate affiliations, I would though still come to their defence or stand with, or indeed in front of them, if the case merited it – and they would know who they where.

- That also stands for two other individuals within the Belfast branch of the SWP who where not there.

Indeed on this very first entry of my online dairy I have to say that in my view that one of the greatest activists in the North that I have worked with to date – who also comes from within the ranks of the SWP -and whom I still hold immense respect for - is Ryan McKinney. He is still, despite our differences, like a brother to me, and my heart and mind where sore when I knew I had to leave such a comrade. He is one of the greatest trade union and left wing activists that I have had the privilege to work with to date.

Further Note – Ryan and Myself where on Branch 8 of NIPSA.

The Northern Ireland Civil Service dispute had seen Branch 8 leading the unofficial walkouts of thousands of Civil Servants onto the streets of Belfast, and beyond, in the greatest Workers dispute in twenty years, within the North. For that reason, and many other such actions, we where infamous around the Trade Union Movement and were indeed called the ‘Red Branch’ by many. Our branch committee, made up of 30 or so left wing Catholic and Protestant trade union activists, from a work force of over a 1000, had stood firm collectively. Indeed such was our stance that the government came against us first, with also seeing ministers condemning and then attacking us with the very first suspensions etc.

A record of this dispute can be found here on the Blanket webpage at - http://lark.phoblacht.net/nipsastrategydc.html

under the title -NIPSA, the most important workers strike in Northern Ireland in twenty years
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Yet, off course, myself and others had played the leading role in initiating the ‘Historic’ unity Falls and Shankill Road march during the fire-fighters dispute. But it was, and is Ryan’s. ‘real politic’ that can relate, that makes him in my eyes, a great and genuine left activist, of this present generation within the North.

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Yet one really surprising thing I have found over the last few months is the actual amount of key activists from around Belfast and beyond who have said to me, ’Davy you are far better away from the SWP’ or ‘Davy thank god you are out of that’ or words to that effect. And I am talking about twenty plus differing key activists across the campaigns in Belfast alone. Yet my question to yee all now that I have thought about it is – ‘why didn’t you tell me that when I was in it!

So then rather than the need for such a party to bring around such forms of unity {as I was told had been essential}, on leaving the SWP the opposite indeed has been the case. Street Seen within only months has ascended to having been the key activist mobilising avenue of such unity in the North. With working with others we have seen the largest mobilisation against Global Poverty ever seen in the North, with thousands pouring onto the streets. We with other genuine activists {and through consensus-based politics} had taken a campaign from scratch and put it onto the front pages. In doing so we had also both organised and inspired the largest mobilisation ever seen going from the North in such protest.

{UAF}. A while back I had banged into a very senior member of the SWP in Belfast who after the usual anti Indymedia and Dissent comments etc etc, stated something that just showed me what they where telling their members. That is, that all those that travelled on the ARN bus, the Student Against Poverty Bus {SAP} and the G8 mobilise bus where ‘ALL THEIR supporters! This brings a smile to my face. Given the fact everyone on the ARN bus came in support of an ARN call {I had sent out that call also several times myself}, most of them at best would be surprised as to how they where now being counted as SWP supporters by the SWP. Similarly as was with SAP, who actually openly stated non-affiliation to the SWP. As for G8 mobilise, putting aside the SWP and a few others, there was some on the bus who went simply to get there, while others where disgusted how they where treated by the SWP but nevertheless had already signed up for the bus {Again not SWP supporters}

Yet in this wee world, ALL where considered SWP supporters by such leading members of the SWP.

I smile though as I had mentioned such behaviour by another Socialist Party in the past.

Yet apart from the mass Anti Poverty rally, Street Seen and its supporters also initiated an International day of action, and in solidarity with student actions, and anti Racism organisations, forced an unprecedented case of a certain Southern Minister to back down and overturn his original decision. {Again to be detailed in the Street Seen section of the book – ever growing} - Indeed in Belfast that day we had seen 25 plus representatives of the major Human, Civil and Minority ethnic organisations standing with us.

Then of course there has been the actual initiation of the Street Seen paper itself. Which after just a few months is now on the Streets from Belfast to Derry, Dublin to Cork, with sales of thousands as ‘the paper of the Movement’. This with an ever growing support Network.

Of course Street Seen has been involved in many other initiatives also to be recorded in the book, but it has shown that such historic moments of unity continue in the North. While it may not have seen Democratic Centralist organisations at the fore like the case of the Anti War Movement -

{as by the time when it came for oneself being proposed to attempt to set up an anti racism campaign which eventually became an Anti Racism Movement - Note - ‘and it was not proposed by the SWP, but by a leading NGO’, I was already moving away from that particular DC way of organising and had left all such leading decision making bodies}.

- it nevertheless still sees Revolutionary Socialists at the fore – now though in the form of Street Seen. All this and more in the space of nine months which has shown that such a DC party is not needed to organise or create such events or moments, or to initiate solidarity in such International or local actions.

Note - Indeed the full and real article on the ARN’s beginnings can be found on the Blanket site {as can part two} as the one in the SWP was edited and ‘amended’, in part, to suit the SWP’s position at that time

- {UAF} – Myself and Jon Glackin, a key activist of Street Seen had recently got a taxi up to collect some of the papers of our latest issue. {Jon haggled the taxi driver down to some ridiculous price. When we arrived and I saw the literal thousands of Street Seen Papers piled up on a huge crate I realised what an important project we had initiated between the two of us {Both of us being ex SWP, as are a lot of Street Seen activists and supporters}. We collected a few thousand papers and got a train back to Belfast and with that Jon firstly found a massive box and then borrowed a huge ‘two man’ trolley after the box burst {I asked no questions} and we made our way out onto great Victoria Street in Belfast wheeling it in front of us. Yet now short of cash we needed to get the papers and JON to Dublin ASAP. So we went into the Europa Hotel to go through our options.
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- Therefore a trolley full of Street Seen papers was parked between a Porsche and Rolls Royce outside the ‘Grande Europa Hotel’ as the car attendant looked on in amazement. A Street Seen activist though in Dublin was kind enough to book Jon onto the train - but the only way they would take the booking was if he went first class. So we had no alternative – Jon had to go first class

To this day I keep Jon going about travelling first class getting tucked into his sizzling pork and wine, on route for Dublin with a trolley load of Anti Poverty papers.

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Yet while there has been no change in the collective forms of mass unity as seen again this year on Belfast’s Streets, this time against poverty {with Revolutionary Socialists again at the fore with others}. There though has been change for myself.

Although having been a key organiser in the Belfast Anti War Movement {having did scores of radio, television, newspaper and journal interviews both in Ireland and around the world as spokesperson of the Movement}. Through to having been Chair of the Anti Racism Movement {and having did more than a hundred radio, television, newspaper and journal interviews, again both at home and around the world}. Then as Chair of Make Poverty History Movement NI {Events committee} through to seeing the firm establishment of the ‘Paper of the Movement’ and its distribution of thousands North and South - I have seen change both in myself and in relation to others since leaving the SWP.

Note – the initiation of the largest Anti Sectarian rally ever seen in North has also to be fully accounted for, as it is presently unaccounted for - {In my book}. As is the local and International anti Capitalist protests from Belfast to Genoa and Geneva etc, where Comrades where brutalised, tortured and murdered.

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Yet I am no longer in any organisation where I am told where to write and what to write, what to say, what not to say, who to talk to, who not to talk to etc. {Although this may be changing within that said organisation - it was the case at my time} Therefore I have re - found and reclaimed my individuality and creativity and I am now able to think rather than recite.

With that I have found a growing interest in people wanting to hear my thoughts on many many issues as an individual – not only locally but also internationally. For example in the last weeks alone I have been asked to take part in a discussion on Jamaican radio in relation to the IRA statement and the British and Loyalist response to it {I have also been invited to the Caribbean islands to do a speaking tour on various issues}. I have also been invited to Italy by another organisation to speak on Globalisation and War. In America I have been invited to partake on a Debate on Marx and his relevance of today, while in Ireland I have been pencilled in to address a major conference on Poverty through to giving a lecture on race, and a talk on climate change, and much more.

Indeed the number of requests both in Ireland and more especially internationally has spiralled in recent months – all wishing my individual thoughts on such matters. This has only happened since leaving the SWP, with being able to write more in depth as an individual, and six months or so after the establishment of - and as one statement put it - ‘the phenomenal raise of Street Seen’.

So apart from seeing no change in the still mass forms of unity, through to now being requested to speak or partake in discussion around the world. I can also now really breathe and with that have found additional interests in life. From a growing love for the environment to travels to further reaches of the world, my wife and I have joint interests in such. We are also now keen to take up further interests together from horse riding to learning the piano, things we had thought in youth where not possible, or open to us.

NOTE – As time goes by and although my activism and belief in about seeing and bringing fundamental change to the world, with society based on need not greed. I do though also have dreams for myself that I had thought where not possible in childhood. I have fulfilled some, by writing a book and by travelling to many countries in the world but now have set my sights for further reaches, such as exploring the depths of Asia and South Africa as well {for reasons personal to oneself} spending time in Jamaica. I wish also to gallop a white horse in a far of isolated beach through golden sands and clear waters as the sun sets and wish also to give a performance on a grand piano to friends and family. Such things are personal, yet I seek to live out those dreams within the decade ahead.
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Marie and I had run the ‘Race Against Racism’ on Sunday in West Belfast. Hundreds participated on a sunny Sunday Morning before Marie and I marched in the West Anti Racism Network contingent up the Falls and then up the Whiterock Road in the Feile Parade, carrying the WARN banner. I also saw quite a few from the wider ARN network on the run, which was good to see.

The last time Marie and I had marched up the Whiterock Road was in a march to Save Black Mountain.

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Well I have also been down to the 26 over the last while and have hooked up with quite a few heads down there since. I spoke at the Residents Against Racism Rally in Dublin {but arrived a bit late to speak at another one further south}. I also spoke at Speakers Corner etc. Good craic is also had as well - each time that I go down.

I have also started a new job, and with writing book and home life etc – I am limited as to what I can do presently as work hours - bad hours. But that will change in the months ahead, so will concentrate personally on two issues presently. Also will update my dairy regularly {monthly or so} as well as engaging as always on Indymedia. Finally when my first book is finished I will also return to writing for newspapers and journals again. I also intend to write a second more specific and academic book in the years ahead.

Finally - finally, many are increasingly asking me what I believe in. Well I believe in many things. Politically though, if I am pushed to answer, I pencil myself proudly into that of a Revolutionary Socialist –

Well I am signing off my first online diary entry. See you in a month or so. Davy Carlin