Morning Comrades!
What an eventful last few days! We’ve got some housekeeping to do here and a few announcements about the merch department before we can dig into a few bits so without much ado here it goes.
There is going to be a mutual aid drop this week, general release will be on Wednesday and the patreons to this newsletter will get an early release on Tuesday, with their discount codes and a new free poster to download. That means, the patreons will be getting their weekly email on Tuesday this week and not on Thursday.
If you have been paying attention to our Telegram Channel then you know what the design is - and it’s one of my favourite ones, the LV flip to Yuppie Scum. Also, you will already know that I have spent most of the weekend perfecting a sun fade / dye / wash for the this drop. I will get into detail about the process on Wednesday but it’s something I have always wanted to do and am quite excited to have nailed now. Granted, I could just buy grey blanks, but yeah, what’s the fun in that. Also, these faded / dyed shirts will be limited on a first come first served basis because they take heaps of work to get done. For the time being, here is a little teaser. I haven’t made up my mind in regards to what organizations we will support with this drop, but if you have any suggestions, now is the time to say so.
As with every week, it’s time for a new Black Lodges Weekly Jams and fuck me, it was a good week last week for new music, tapping into long forgotten tunes and finding heaps of super off-beat, sexy af tunes for this playlist. It pretty much taps into most genres of music that I am into, again, without blasting your ears with metal, and there is a solid balance between old rap, post-punk, alternative, electro, drum n’bass some blues, funk, jazz and r’n’b. Honestly, this is your early summer wrapped into a 3hr trip.
A Brief Update
I spent Friday ranting and raving about the continuing insanity over in the U.S. and since that is a developing situation I just wanted to fire off a couple of hot shots and a warning based on personal experiences.
When Fascists Say Fascist Shit, Believe Them And Act Accordingly.
I cannot stress this loud enough. I’ve spent the better part of nearly 30 decades in anti-fascist work, a lot of behind the scenes research work trying to expose these bastards and whatever fuckery that was exposed, usually, if not always, transpired. When they come out of the woodwork and announce their plans in broad daylight, not only do they feel untouchable but they damn well mean it. This isn’t the time for nuance, debates or keyboard fuckery. Get out in the streets, protect those in danger and yourself, especially if you are in a situation of privilege. The time is now and the work needs to be done.
Good News, Finally!
Almost to the day, 101 years after England formed Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin, a Marxist-Leninist Nationalist Party ( read, pro-working people and pro unification ) have won the regional elections for Northern Ireland and personally I couldn’t be happier and I wish nothing but good fortune to them. Irrespective of the fact that I am English, or actually, precisely because I am, this is monumental in taking giant steps towards not only breaking up the brutally imperialist nature of the United Kingdom, that is nothing but united or rather united by force of the Elite English, but also the Irish deserve nothing less than total autonomy from England and unification is a giant step towards that goal. The crimes committed by the ruling elite of England in Ireland are beyond pale and the reckoning is way overdue. Party politics in England is grim beyond words, but Welsh Socialism, Scottish Independence and Irish Unification give me hope.
On that note, another important change, relevant to a people dear to me but more importantly, relevant for the global destruction of U.S. / NATO unipolarity is Brazil in October, with Lula officially in the race against the Trump of Latin America, Bolsonaro. This is definitely a development this community is going to have to pay attention to and rally our support behind. Stay tuned.
Degrowth Or Climate Disaster
A podcast, I know, and one I even listened to! Shocking, I know, but whenever Professor Hickels speaks ( and writes ) we need to pay attention. I have mentioned his work on here a number of times and whilst a lot of is heavy on the science- that is wonderful and important I know that the message of his work can get lost. Now, degrowth is a school of thought that offers tangible means to avert the looming climate disaster. Do yourself a favour and listen to the above.
That’s plenty to get stuck into for a Monday. Thank you for your attention and time. Yours, as always, without compromise,
V.
#LULA2022 #LulaPresidente