Issues like police accountablity. or lack of it, identity politics in terms of funding, drugs, anti-social behaviour, gentrification, to name a few, which the IWCA have at one time or another either as activists or cllrs have had to address. Indeed for the most part it was the iWCA that put these items on the agenda themselves often to the horror of the local establishments; greens included.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23684480-details/Boris+told:+Cut+air+pollution+to+save+3,000+deaths+a+year/article.do

The IWCA pilot projects achieved great success in vindicating the theory with such a limited number of activists, and showing that door to door work talking to people about dog mess was more productive on election day than the global political issues of imperialism and war.

Also, election day was always seen as a useful gauge of opinion and effectiveness of activist work, instead of being an end in itself.

Whatever people might say, it seems unlikely that there is a sleeping majority of ‘left’ voters just waiting for a new group to appear and save them from the BNP. The Left (if it exists in any real form) must realise that it is square one for the socialist project, and activists must win the respect of ordinary people in the same way that the BNP already has, through community work, listening and responding. I’m sure I heard of BNP meals being provided for pensioners at christmas, bring and buy sales, and this kind of thing.

This constant local activity IS socialism from the bottom up, and although it has worked for the fascists in the UK, in other countries like Italy it is the basis of strong socialist communities.

With the SWP also arguing for a new project for the left, I was suspicious, but its heartening to hear for once ‘We do not believe we have all the answers or a perfect prescription for a left wing alternative;’ calls for a federation instead of a party are perhaps a loosening of the hands around textbooks, and a recognition that the belligerant united front tactic might not be what’s needed this time.

So what’s the next step? Count me in.

Irrespective of environmental pollutants, we have historically, as a socio economic class, have had a reduced life expectancy in comparison to other socio economic classes. And now, with the advent of the reverberations of environmental pollutants beginning to be identified, I expect the historical trend of reduced life span to not only continue but begin to accelerate in the working class because many are still detained in cities by poverty and social immobility where the environmental pollutants which are attributable to such conditions are concentrated.

‘Your comment posted in the current context of the ecological threat to our habitat and survival as a species reads to me as naive.’

My own experience of things tells me that working / lower class people and council tenants are by and large not interested in environmental issues. Global warming or peak oil are rarely high on their agenda. Few can afford organic or natural food as they are more concerned how to feed their family on 30 quid a week. In fact, many don’t even bother to use recycling facilities and sling all their rubbish in the same bin destined for landfill. Even the kids show a stronger preference for footie or PS2 games than saving planet earth.

The Greens have succeeded in working / lower class areas by focusing and campaigning on local issues that affect the people and promoting policies on economic and financial reform, rather than abstract issues such as global warming.

Greenman: Bookchin was, I believe, an anarcho syndicalist and a libertarian socialist, which is a curious choice of author for an individual, such as yourself, in a working class forum as both anarcho syndicalism and a libertarian socialism reflect bourgeois ideology and your comment: “ I have found many of those preaching anarcho primitivism, online or in person, to be completely out of touch with reality.” is increasingly curious as it is from an assumed member of the working class who endorses books in support of bourgeois liberal theory which originated centuries ago and has no relevance today.

However, in response to your comment above, may I advise you I am not, in fact, out of touch with reality and in response to your additional comment which claims: “Transition Towns and the Transition movement are an entirely different thing and most of those involved would not thank you for trying to link a rational attempt to work out strategies to cope with coming energy crises, climate change and peak oil with the mock-radical student-philosophical intellectual masturbation that passes for Primitivist “theory” may I also advise it has been my experience that these organisations have welcomed and respect my opinions upon anarcho primitivism.

‘Are you or have you ever read any literature regarding anarcho primitivism or are you aware in transition???’

I have read it and find that most of it ends up being inappropriate solutions for nonexistent problems.