Back in 1904, Peter Kropotkin published the anarchist classic Mutual Aid. He wrote it as a response to the prevailing pseudo-Darwinian notion that life, both animal and human, was defined by a perpetual struggle for survival - a view that drove the ravages of colonialism, the exploitation of labour by capital, and the wars which engulfed Europe in the years after its publication. For Kropotkin, this view is a mistake. He starts in the animal kingdom, going through ants and bees forming huge cooperative colonies, birds forming flocks for food gathering, protection and navigation across migrations, mammals forming packs for cooperative hunting and herds for mutual protection. Throughout the animal kingdom, he says cooperation is the norm. For mammals and birds, certainly, it is solitary competition which is the exception. He then moves on to spend most of the book talking about cooperation and mutual aid as a driver of human history, from p...
Our media is in a spin about the One Nation victory in the Farrer by-election recently, following hot on the heels of the big gains made by Reform (and also the Greens) in recent UK local government elections. It seems to me that political journalists are flailing about, trying to explain what is going on. The predominant narrative is that this is about punishment, and that voters are blaming the major parties for the fact that they are struggling to pay the bills. The far-right parties, with their outspoken leaders and taboo-smashing statements, seem to offer an alternative. David Farley is the first One Nation member of the lower house. Will these parties make our lives better? You only need to look at the US to see they won't. The far-right Trump administration is actively making the lives of poor people worse while Trump and his billionaire cronies cash in. Reform and One Nation would do the same if they got the chance - why else do yo...