I’ve been in correspondence
I've been in correspondence with one of those we met at the New Putney Debates and here's an extract from one of his emails:
Quote:
I do not think Occupy was formed as an anti-capitalist movement. We polled it at the beginning and it did not self describe as anti-capitalist. That is more how other people have described it – similarly as being primarily anti the austerity measures. The only issue that it definitley was formed around was the bankers rip-off, this was something that you could realistically say was an opinion probably shared by 99% of people. It quickly morphed into other levels of corruption in corporations generally.Its general statements (at http://occupylondon.org.uk/about/statements/statement-on-economy) there is no mention of being anti capitalist. It was felt that if we were to "represent" the 99% we would not do so if we were to state it in those terms altho the statements are very critical of the effects of capitalism. Quite a few in Occupy are anti capitalist though and it has sparked many conflicts and divisions.
This confirms what we thought had happened last year when the "Capitalism is Crisis" banner suddenly disappeared from the St Paul's camp (see message #23 here: http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/forum/general-discussion/occupy-movement?page=2 ). It might also explain why we got a better reception at the stall we ran there for 6 weeks from visitors who had come to see it rather than from occupiers themselves. It doesn't alter the fact that, whether they intended it or not, they did put the question of capitalism back on to the agenda.