“The society which has abolished every kind of adventure makes its own abolition the only possible adventure.” Paris, May 1968


Wednesday 22 July 2009

Viva Stuntism!

I have always had a bit of a soft spot for those political actions that are usually dismissed by the po-faced brigade as "stuntism". Of course stunts are in no way a substitute for collective mass action but we all know that. Many stunts require large amounts of bottle and not only the ones that involve being suspended from Tower Bridge by your toes. I once knew a Christian Anarchist (don't ask) who at the height of the Cold War decided to go leafleting in Moscow. He lasted about five minutes before the inevitable arrest and KGB interrogation
I have only recently learned about a stunt from the past that sounds bang on target. A few days before Christmas 1938 about a hundred unemployed men rocked up at The Ritz, sat down and demanded afternoon tea much to the horror of the assembled toffs. So next time you think about looking down your nose at Ian Bone and Chris Knight's latest bout of lunacy, remember, it's all part of a wonderful tradition. Long may it continue.

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