Blair & Gender Politics

international | crime and justice | news report

Friday January 20, 2006 17:15

by iosaf

"F4J leader Matt O'Connor announced last night (January 17) that he was suspending the operations of the group pending enquiries into allegations contained on the cover of this mornings Sun Newspaper that 'extremist sympathisers' associated with the group had planned to kidnap the Prime Minister's Son, Leo Blair.

F4J say they condemn any such action unreservedly and that the group is increasingly having it's name 'hijacked' by a growing number of militant extremists and that it would seriously consider the long term viability of the campaign.

The group say that ex members have reportedly been in contact with the Anti-Terrorist Unit SO13 from Scotland Yard who said that activists would be shot on sight if engaged in any protests in Westminster."
____________________________________________

What the group F4J do is "gender politics".
& they did it in a way which attracted commercial media attention to their antics without equal attention being given their arguments.

There are very few "little groups" who have managed to draw as much publicity and interest in the Westminister borough of London. And on their website they describe their recipe for protest as being "after Greenpeace". In fact many of their actions owed more than a small debt to the "school" of street politics which began life as "london greenpeace" and developed over time into many groups - some of which remain and some which are now gone. I am proud to have been associated with one of those little groups. & I believe that might qualify me to pass comment on the current situation J4F find themselves in.

On the 19th of May 2004, protesters flying the "J4F" banner gain entry to the "Irish peers' son" gallery in the House of Commons at the UK parliament. They then used that gallery to throw condoms filled with purple dye at Tony Blair. It was a stunt which most definitely attracted attention (occuring on live tv) not only to the group J4F but also the then security arrangements in Westminster. The "Irish peers´sons" gallery had no armoured glass, a flaw which was promptly rectified. That was the penultimate protest in history in the British parliament. The last which followed quickly saw the Countryside Alliance manage to get a few yobbish oiks in, but then look really foolish as they couldn't think what to do or say once there. By which time J4F sent a team member up the Buckinhham palace balcony in a Bat man costume-
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=66561

At that point it really was quite apparant to even an untrained observer that J4F had friends. They had in a short time scored so many impressive goals, that their logistical, legal, intelligence and social connections
were pretty tippy toppy, except of course (obviously) as regards their kids.

The British then changed the law on protest in Westminster. It is now illegal to protest in the Houses of parliament or "linger with protesting intent" in the square outside. Its a small square where much protesting history has been made. After so much media attention and security scare mongering, ("why Al Qaeda would throw condoms filled with raicin!!!") their campaign objectives had not been met, and they had contributed to provoking one the most serious restricitions on _ancient liberties_ which offered others-
without such connections to protest in the past.

I don't feel I need labour the point that that particular result didn't go down well in my circles.

Leo, is but a wee lad, and hopefully will not be influenced by the idea that there were others prepared to mask up and kidnap him. And it is repugnant that anyone would think so. But it must be remembered that Blair's children have long been the butt of jokes.

At a time of very serious concern at the constant erosion of "ancient liberties" in early 2005 when the "anti-terror" laws went to the Lords to vote, and the Labour party rebelled in the Commons, Leo's name came up here .-
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68829#comment101632
But that was a joke.

he won the election.

The group and its affiliate interest associations are mirrored in Ireland.

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Comments (2 of 2)

the J4F website has admitted that the whole thing smells "fishy".

by &..,

Fri Jan 20, 2006 20:54

Can we imagine Irish spokespeople or advocates of the "gender politics fatherhood movement" such as John Waters http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72497
or Roger Eldridge http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=72176& at the centre of such accusations?

Everyone takes the piss out of Leo including Chirac. Chirac was reported as assuring british journalists [though he had lost the olympics selection, and been caught saying British food was as bad as Finnish food just ahead of having to go there and meet their queen] :- "I like them, I have a photo of Leo on my desk". This is yet another example of how the Blair presidential project ought alarm us all no matter our view on the "gender politics fatherhood movement" becuase lets be honest thats a wide band movement which carries many extremists of many hues. Religious and Political. of Right and Left. they are the often forgotten part of the "family lobby". And thats why they chose to use purple dye rather than porridge. I could never really get the batman and robin thing. & I see their protests as elitist and do not count them as being a "peer group".

So I'mseeing this from "other protesters' interest" and "Blair family shite". The elder Blair brat Euan who is just coming up to completing an internship for a US republican senator who as well as being a noted homophobic is also a "family lobby" type, was in his childhood shopped up for drunk and disorderly as a "response" to the particularly nasty response to one of the RTS gigs in London. I thought that was witty, clever and funny and doubt it did him any harm.
But I do condemn anyone in any protest group who wishes to belong in "fellowship" or "solidarity" with (? us ?) who sees this sort of prank as being political useful. For it is not. It is repellent and will bring us all, no matter where we live, (for Blair's influence is far) to yet more _commerical media_. Because thats what it comes down to. If we lose our rights to protest as usual, we rely more heavily on commerical media to report and misrepresent our agenda. At end F4J sought so much valuable publicity, that a cheap chinese whisper could bring them down.

note the wording ""F4J leader (...) announced (...) that he was suspending operations of the group

by strategist

Mon Jan 23, 2006 13:40

For a group which claims to trace its roots to the famed (or infamous) cabal of nutters behind "London Greenpeace" in the 90s that's very military and authoritarian and heirarchial language. London Greenpeace was itself a rump of splitters from Greenpeace international who decided they could do their thing in non-heirarchial, non-authoritiarion way without membership lists or "leaders". No wonder this "F4J" aren't peers, that statement raises so many questions by its implied "organisational projected operations". How long do they need to "plan" someone dressing up in fancy dress so they can get the law changed and ordinary people can't carry a political banner?

& Why haven't the Irish fatherhood spokesmen commented?

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Comments (2 of 2)