Apparently unemployed people in America are forming and joining a union for unemployed people:

www.unionofunemployed.com/

I think this sounds like an incredibly good idea - people are rendered powerless by financial lack, but en masse they regain a considerable voice, along with confidence and purpose.

Do any of our American members know if it is working? Could it work here in the U.K. and in Europe?

Whether or not it will achieve what it sets out to do, I don't know. However, what is definitely missing in this world is solidarity. Ironically, the globalists, the social engineers, the banking elite, the wealthy and the greedy all realise this, that is why they get together in conferences like Bilderberg (not to mention numerous other slightly more transparent conferences). They recognise the power of coming together and of consensus. They don't worry if there is disagreement on a few issues, they iron out the differences, and come to a mutually acceptable road forward that enables their core values and goals to be preserved. That's why they're so fucking successful. That's why they already completely dominate the planet, its resources, and, arguably, its culture.

It's one of the great failings of the 'alternative media' that there has been no concerted effort, or barely even any effort at all, to organise and populate an activist group with clear, defined goals, modus operandi and some practical non or anti-cooperative social disobedience. The biggest group I have seen (although it was still a protest, and offered very little practical resistance) was Occupy Wall Street, which was started by Adbusters, which is just an anti-capitalist, 'left leaning' magazine.

So I think a Union of Unemployed People is a good idea, but they have to actually work out what they're going to do and do it, not ask someone else to do something for them, or protest when someone doesn't do what they want them to. Because those people never listen!

Lovely answer, thank you wub. Yes, solidarity is sorely missed today. One of the biggest driving forces in Britain used to be the Unions throughout the '50s, 60's, 70's and even a good part of the '80s. No wonder Thatcher worked so hard to destroy them.

Unemployed people, like all moneyless groups, are pushed and shoved about, told what they can have and can't have, without anything they say or prove being taken on board. Perhaps it would be a good thing for such a union to start here - if only to give unemployed people the confidence to start standing up for themselves.

Yes, it would have to have good organisation and clear purpose - insisting unemployed people are treated as Human Beings and not "scum" would be a good place to begin.

As you point out, every group unashamedly stand united - certainly the wealthy band together to demand whhatever they want. The poor and workless should be doing that too.

I wonder..... where to start?

Thank you.

A global network of unemployed unions, that'd carry some weight if it knew where to throw it!

I was thinking more that they should help each other out in little practical ways to start off with. This is something we could all be doing. It's probably asking a bit much yet for people to pool their resouces, but, to put it simply, helping each other makes people happy. I know, because I've studied Psychology, that for all the bloody research that's been done in every conceivable area, and all the therapy that's been undertaken, and so on, I've only ever seen four suggestions that seem to have some consistent positive concrete effect on people's mood:

(1) Spending time in nature.
(2) Getting more exercise.
(3) Helping other people.
(4) Eating more healthily, or more naturally.

I suppose the fifth one would be "doing something productive" which is harder to identify, and a possible sixth one might be "having sex regularly" which may be not open to everyone! However, everything else is basically a waste of time. But how often do unemployed people do any of these things? That's why they end up in a rut. They perceive that it's an economic rut, which of course it is partly, but the best things in life are free, we've just all forgotten what they are.

Not an accident, of course, because as you say, Thatcher is the archetypal figure who helped create this me, me, me, atomised culture and society. That's why I believe that basic solidarity is so important because it's the first step towards reversing these trends.

I think that "list of 4" is incredibly important for everyone, rich and poor. And yes, getting out, being together, having been of use to others in a day: all free and available from one minute to the next. But I think old, poor and "useless" people become so demoralised they no longer think to enjoy what is around them. They are so written off, even by their own kind and certainly by the people who work with them.

I'm firmly of the belief that the Human is the most spectacular of all creations. Even the "lowest". Even the most uneducated or disadvantaged. They can, if they want, if they are shown how, if they are even slightly empowered, change everything about themselves and around themselves. They just need to remember it and feel "enabled".

Uniting, having a say, sharing ideas and outings.... wouldn't that be something?

oioioi wrote:

cantata wrote:
Nice post.

cantata wrote: I agree with everything you've said here, and I think it's vitally important. It's definitely hard to achieve because we live in this technological corporate matrix that constantly tells you that you're not worth anything if you don't drive a BMW, but the more people that get together and resolve to support each other and help each other out, the better. Of course, this is precisely the sort of support that the Jobcentre will never give them, because their remit is to churn out economically useful pawns.

How about a union of the unemployed, the underpaid/valued, the pension squeezed, the exploited, the ridiculed, the disenfranchised, the marginalized, the victims of injustice, the bombed, the pillaged, the ousted, the etc etc etc?

I see value in unity. Unity of the people of planet Earth.

dubmeup wrote:
Wouldn't that be the greatest!

cantata wrote:
Yes, yes it would.
From little acorns.........

dubmeup wrote:
Let's do this thing.

Great thread cantata!

The only way anything like this will work is if the skilled fraternity encourages small or one to one parties to learn new skills, otherwise it will become yet another occupy type movement out in the cold getting nowhere and achieving zero.

This model is yet another divisional of the very same people who are still funding their home grown and supported corporations, as soon as these home grown eat all pay now't mind sets become forein owned its night night Mr Lawrence and all will be lost skills and the ability to make a comeback.

Why do you think I'm doing what I'm doing not just talking about it, I might come across as a spade caller but things need to be said as it is, ready or not its coming.

Can we not hear him



Edit:

Unify yes but out of sight in the home working for our own well being.


cantata wrote:

The Apprentice wrote: I see this too which is what prompted me to post that up there ^^^
Really as I see it, any of these unions are divisive unless they are open doored and inclusive.
As it stands a union like this is most likely destined to be about having a moan at 'them' rather than doing anything constructive to self help. I'm not anti it, I'm pro expanding the horizons of it. In truth I don't think we need to stand together in opposition of anything. We need to work together to build the future we'd like. Pooling of energy, ideas and skills. These ideas are already reality (LETS schemes etc) but as yet they are still very small.

The loss of skills is astonishing, The Apprentice. That is a point of huge importance. It's commonplace here in the U.K. for youngsters not to know how to cook - at all, many of them, never mind sometimes. If you can't cook, how do you feed yourself and your family? It's surely a basic skill to being independent and able?

Dreary anecdote, but I'll tell it anyway!: I always planned to go off and live in the wilds of France one day, except I didn't have the money, etc. Recently, I cut a hole in my exhaust and was getting quoted £400+ to have it repaired. With money running out I had to think of trying to do it myself - was it you who posted a repair solution in another thread?. But it made me realise that if I had gone off to live in "the wilds of France", I'd have to be calling in mechanics and electricians and vets and plumbers at every twist and turn, because I know nothing of the items and materials that form the every day fabric of my life. I've been a car owner for nearly 30 years... and I know how to put in water, oil, petrol and air!

As a professional horsewoman, I had to learn from the beginning about poultices, minor ailment treatments of horses, etc., and when to phone the vet (who would leave me with any and all injections and medications). Now? For the smallest cut, everyone calls the vet. they know nothing about kaolin, bread, clay, various bandage applications, etc.

It's incredibly important to spread skills throughout the community again, I agree fully. Perhaps another empowering task such a Union could undertake?

The LETS agent as I call them and the person who started it all lives in our town and is a mind doctor who I know very well indeed, I have tried very skillfully to explain where this idea needs to go and they give my idea the cold shoulder every time.
This person stands there in shoes made in childrens eyes and lapps it up as if backing cakes and walking dogs is going to get them what they need.

I was introduced to their group and immediately on mentioning what I was wearing and standing in, the real truth of the matter had them look at me as if I was alien, for many the pollitically correct and fluffy ball safety net, as Gris once called it, its already too late.

This mind doctor I memtioned gave a money type debt lecture and film in the local meeting place and achieved nothing really because she was adraid to tell them what they really needed to know.

Thus achieving.nothing saying.they simply are not ready, they never will be.


dubmeup wrote:

On the subject of cars cant, you'd be pleasantly surprised how quickly you'd pick up mechanics. An awful lot of it is just having the right tools, a Haynes and some incentive. I was a latecomer to cars having been a committed cyclist all my life. When I took my test in my early 30s, I was skint so had to learn how to keep a vehicle on the road. Within two years I had the confidence to remove, strip and rebuild engines. It's just big meccano Dive in to it, I reckon you'd be ace at it

The Apprentice wrote:
Haha don't get me wrong, I'm not holding up LETS schemes as some kind of solution. I'm referring to the principle of skill swapping that is involved. In truth LETS is just another currency. I do however see that it has some value in encouraging people to work for eachother and together. I started a similar scheme on a classic car site. This led me to visiting other members to help them out. In doing so we each learnt from eachother as well as helped with the task in hand. + I got made quite a few cups of nice tea

Yes I did give a detailed exhaust post on DIF.

People will eventually start looking for the savings by seeking out those with the skills and the ability to have a go themselves, if everybody did just one item a day for themselves the corporations profits would halve in pretty quick time and all their nest eggs placed in the Asian basket would be decimated very quickly indeed.

The majority would eventually regain composure and control in smaller numbers out of sight would see the lazy standing upon the shoulders of giant dissapear by and large.
cantata wrote: