The first step in the process between sitting at home fuming about an outrageous new development, and actually stopping it, is finding other like-minded people and getting organised.
Starting up a Group from Scratch
Groups like the Friends of Twyford Down and Save Our Solsbury grew from a couple
of people deciding to actively oppose road schemes. If you decide to set up
a group to initiate opposition to a scheme, here are a few ideas for getting
started. Firstly, get in touch with other local groups with similar interests
- your local Earth First! (EF!), Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth (FoE), Council
for Protection of Rural England (CPRE) group or cycling campaign - and see if
there is any concern in these circles too. Write letters to the local papers
and see who responds, then get in touch with them.
When you feel as if you have enough people to kick things off (remember, you'll
only need a few) then consider setting up your first meeting. Book a hall, or
hold the meeting in someone's house, and make sure as many people who've expressed
interest can come along. Organise refreshments. Advertise in sympathetic places
that a group is being set up to oppose the development you're fighting, and
that a first meeting is being held. Do not invite the press.
The first meeting should be open, inclusive and inspiring! You could begin by
getting to know one another and letting off steam about the development. If
there are lots of people it might be an idea to do this in small groups of 4
or 5. Be at pains not to let a few people dominate the whole meeting. If people
decide to respect one another as equals, encouraging active involvement from
everyone in decision making and action, then both the campaign and the people
in it will grow and blossom.
The task of this first meeting could be to choose the group's name. Once a group
of people is set up, there are a few essentials to sort out without which your
group won't really exist.
Money, Bank Accounts and Treasurer
A bank account is essential, both to allow you to process donations, and to
avoid people in the campaign having to keep dipping into their own pockets.
Set up an account with an ethically aware organisation, for instance the Co-op
bank or an independent building society. Have at least two trustworthy signatories
who are also not in trouble with outstanding financial court cases or debts.
One of these signatories should take the role of Treasurer. This is a role best
suited to someone with book- keeping skills, time to spare, and who is easy
to get hold of. The signatories will be the only people who'll have their names
directly linked to the campaign and for this reason perhaps they should be people
who are unlikely to be involved in arrestable direct action.
Treasurers should never be pressured into handing out cash on demand but should
be able to refer demands back to the meeting. Right from the start the Treasurer
should keep scrupulous records of income and expenditure so they are accountable
to the campaign. However, never keep records or receipts of anything incriminating.
Points of Contact - Postal Address, Telephone and E-mail
You must have a postal address, as people will soon want to send you requests
for information and donations etc. Consider setting up a Post Office Private
Box (PO Box) as soon as possible rather than using a private home address, for
security reasons. However the Post Office will disclose the names and addresses
to which the PO Box is registered on request. Safer still is the BM Box confidential
mail forwarding service, privately provided by British Monomarks (see Chapter
16). A BM Box gives your address complete security - except from the police!
A third and easier alternative is to have a "care of" address in a
sympathetic local radical bookshop or similar.
A telephone contact point is also essential. In the first instance you may
want to use individual private phone lines. Several numbers will share the burden.
Alternatively the campaign could pay to have a second line installed in someone's
house with an answer machine with a message on it.
If a member of your group has access to a computer and a modem you may wish
to set up an e-mail address (See Chapter 4 "the internet" section).
Group Structure
British anti-road direct action campaigns have always deliberately avoided formal
hierarchical structures such as, committees, leaders and named positions. Hierarchies
are stifling and do not bring out the best in people. From a practical point
of view, hierarchical structures can easily be nobbled by the victimisation
of its leaders.
Although non-hierarchical structures require hard work, patience and tolerance
to work, they are worth it as they are definitely the most welcoming and inclusive
way to enable everyone to maximise their contribution to the campaign. With
this way of working, individuals will be able to vary their involvement according
to their personal skills, energy and interests at any time, unrestricted by
the straitjacket of formal structure. People will probably be happier too! It
would be optimistic to pretend that informal hierarchies, based on experience
or dominant personalities, will not develop. Try to minimise this, and ensure
that these hierarchies don't become entrenched.
Establishing small but open working groups to tackle specific issues - research,
legal support, fundraising - allows efficiency and specialisation without hierarchy.
Having no leaders does not mean that individuals do not take the initiative
or responsibility. It means that people have to be self-motivated.
The campaign will develop its own unique identity. Preserve this, and guard
against being used by other groups or individuals with their own agendas. Hierarchical
national organisations (even sympathetic and helpful ones) and political parties
(including local politicians) may try to use your campaign to further their
own ends, if you let them. Work with them, but on your own terms.
The system which brings about untold social and environmental ruin relies on
people respecting and obeying hierarchy. Don't mimic the system - fight it!
See also 'Untying the Knot'.
Campaign meetings
Campaign meetings are an essential tool for bringing the campaign together for
discussion and decision-making. Although they can be tedious and frustrating
they should never be abandoned. Running successful, dynamic and positive meetings
IS possible, although often hard work!
Firstly, decide on the purpose of the meeting. Regular weekly meetings are good
for deciding basic campaign expenditure, exchanging news, and brief discussions,
but aren't suitable for in-depth debates on a single issue, or for detailed
action planning. It's best to call a separate meeting to deal in detail with
planning or specific issues; alternatively, just get together the people interested,
and do it! Some campaigns have set up small working groups to work on particular
projects; these can then report back to a weekly meeting.
The weekly meeting should have a fixed time and venue, to provide a steady reference point. Weekday evenings are good times, starting the meeting late enough to allow people who have been working to get there, but early enough so that it finishes in good time. Meetings in camps are preferred by some camp-dwellers, but finding a reliable, comfortable, weatherproof and well-lit meeting space for enough people can be difficult. A meeting room in the nearest town is better, but will often pose transport problems for those living on camps. Providing reliable lifts from and back to camps on the meeting night may be the answer. Ensure the arrangement is broadly acceptable to everyone.
For information on meetings and consensus decision making see other articles within organisation section, including anti-mass methods of organising.
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