CONVERGANCE SPACE WHERE NEXT YOUR THOUGHTS PLEASE:

Since then, so many people have placed so much of their energy into working towards our shared beliefs, and I would first like to thank them all here for that
I have barely heard a negative comment for Peace in the Park this year. Miraculously, it all came together and provided a perfect starting point for our mobilisations against the G8 in Sheffield. Wednesday saw a demo which saw us progress further into the town centre than we had initially hoped. Thursday saw us eating rice in the park, at least until things turned brutal for some. Friday, some of us took an unanticipated walk with others in a solemn, gagged procession though town in our orange Guantomano bay suits, with bewildered stares directed at us from all directions. Everything finished off by a huge party in our beautiful convergence space which went way beyond my expectations.

Aside from demos and peaceful protests, which are of course only a part of our movement, another important aspect is the searching for alternatives- and in this regard some workshops did materialise, and not to forget the more informal conversations that must have passed in-between people throughout the days of action. But more still needs to be done here, and I will speak more of this shortly

There was a little bit of talk about a proper revitalization for the social forum shortly before G8 impact. I don’t know what the feelings of people are about this now, I myself was not around at the social forum’s conception (haven’t been back in Sheffield for very long) and only finally managed to make a showing at what has been the forum’s last facilitating space to date- the open meeting back in March, from which grew the nucleus for the Sheffield Against the G8 group. But this is for me in miniature a perfect example of a social forum at work- a collective of people whose motivations might be quite diverse but whose aims have an inevitable affinity. Without overarching agenda, this forum should have a rhyzomic form which builds it’s roots amongst the many people who live in Sheffield who strive hard for very good causes and which produces its visible shoots, it’s practical
action, at the very nodes which concern us all, such as the arrival of undemocratic and uninvited visitors into out town. The reason why political parties with strict agendas should be remote but not estranged from our engagements is because the realm of politics is one of constant compromise, yet our forum is not of one of compromise but of seeking out the best of many possible worlds, or the best of many possible Burngreaves etc… We work in the spaces, we work on the outside and in-between and then it is left for some of us to try and push those ‘possibles’ into the spheres of existing non-radical politics in whatever way we can. No one should worry about the non-rigid structure of the social forum. It’s not supposed to be that way. Rather than having a meeting twice a month, fewer but wider, more open meetings like the one in March would perhaps be a good way to go- then when a particular issue does require a exceptional convergence of attention then further discussions, finer roots, can be extended out in more focused meetings

What was most interesting to me about the counter-G8 actions over the last few days was the varied assemblages of people who turned out to make their voices heard. From filthy dirty autonomist radicals, families sporting Make Poverty History sashes, the socialist choir, the newly sprung Independent Socialist Youth Forum, and our amazing little anarchist punks who took it upon themselves to start up a separatist sit in on the road at the Rice for Dinner event. Though I declined to join the latter on their ill-fated (but worthwhile) venture I do nevertheless think their show of rebellion was remarkable and is an energy to be harnessed. It has been a while since such collective shows of defiance against authority has emerged in Sheffield against such young people. I am in my early Twenties and I cannot remember there being such a politically motivated mobilisation with which to put all
my passion and rage into when I was at school or college in the working class northern estates of Sheffield in which I grew up (that’s maybe why I sent those years beating myself up instead). Though I don’t subscribe to the ACAB school of political philosophy in any shape or form, I nevertheless felt that what these kids were doing was partially exciting- true, out there on the front line of the demo, so to speak, any distinct notions of world peace and justice might have escaped their heads to be replaced by a ‘us and them’ mentality, but just some of those kids might just have the potential some day to be fully equipped fighters for the global justice movement, and for local issues too. This doesn’t necessarily imply a ‘mass mobilisation of working class people’ as it may have done before, but merely a chance to join us all in a social space where they can share experiences and ideas
with long time campaigners (helping to locate those nodes in the political and cultural space which are looking fucked) in the way they have been able to at the convergence space in the last few days. At least until the call from their mum that dinner’s on the table

All of this leads me to the final big paragraph for the day! Our lovely building which served us so well for days of converging might well provide us with a social centre for Sheffield- something my mind has kept drifting towards since I’ve been back in Sheffield (nearly one year now). A meeting on Sunday afternoon will provide us with an opportunity to discuss the possibilities for this space in the future. Gigs, flims, meetings are all things which of course can be facilitated by such a space. But just as important are the provision of workshops and seminars, which I am very interested in pursuing, which encourage the critical examination of perspectives on the kinds of issues that have been filling out heads all week, the kinds of issues that the G8 ministers came here to discuss in the first place, in a non-hierarchical and co-operative fashion. It has not been lost on me, the
amount of creativity and imagination that has been spurred by our affinitive distrust for our unelected global agenda-setters, from the smallest of banners to the organisation of colourful festivals and rice meals. Why not try and keep this alive? Peace in the Park could have a year-round presence in the form of creative workshops at the social centre which start off with a quote, a film or something revealing or encapsulating some kind of social injustice and would then continue with painting, music-making, dancing which centres on that theme. Indymedia workshops too- with an effort to reach out to members of the community who want to write about some other local issue other then ‘that great protest they attended yesterday’- I mean it can’t be only us activists who are sick to death of the mainstream media, can it?
So many uses for a social centre. Not to mention very occasional parties to celebrate our own humanity…
But above let’s keep the momentum going. The G8 coming to Sheffield could be a waking call for lots of young people in Sheffield who could provide an assemblage of new, fresh, exciting multiplicities of ‘other worlds’ which are possible
Sheffield, again, well done. Let’s keep our minds on it,
Yeah, we’re everywhere

Meeting at the covergance space to talk of it,s future g8 next step other issues: Food from 630pm meeting from 7pm pub from 10pm..