The importance of symbols
Reading: The Guardian, Independent and BBC News websites. The Morning Star. Green World and Green Party (GPEW) Activist Bulletin. Some pages of Finnegans Wake. Urban 75 Politics Boards.
Listening: Editors, local radio, Radio Five.
Viewing: Chelsea Vs Liverpool (Well done Liverpool!) Doctor Who, episode two of current series on BBC1 (amusing subversive republican subtext!)
I have posted some ideas for a Green Socialist, green libertarian socialist or ecosocialist flag below. Emblems, colours and symbols are often underestimated for their power as weapons in the struggle. The most powerful weapons of this kind are the simplest and most easily recognisable. Fortunately the two designs below are virtually unused internationally (apart from a few departmental or heraldic flags) but are admirably simple and recognisable (and quite pretty). The diagonally divided one resembles the black and red flag of the anarchosyndicalists of Spain made famous by the CNT and FAI in the Spanish civil war and revolution. In red and green I think it may have been used at some time by the British socialist youth movemnt, The Woodcraft Folk, though their more recognisable symbol is the red gold and green rising sun, fields and trees design. As the Spanish and later international libertarian left used the juxtaposition of red and black as the marriage of anarchism and syndicalism (or libertarianism and socialism), so the emerging ecosocialist movement could use the similar red and green flag to symbolise the marriage of (libertarian) socialism and ecological politics. The other flag with a horizontal divide is similar to the horizontally divided red and black flag of the Nicaraguan Sandinistas. Again the juxtaposition of the two colours emphasizing the coherence of our current and its drawing on the wisdom and experience of green and socialist movements. I would be interested in what ecosocialists think and how they feel we might go about agreeing and popularising a design.
Labels: Green Politics
posted by greenman @ 9:45 pm
5 Comments:
Thanks very much for your comment. The RTS flags were very effective, but I haven't seen any recently. I agree with you on the two designs - the diagonally divided one is the more striking.
Good to hear from Chile!
How are things in your part of the world?
Don't worry, mistakes are part of the learning process!
Yes, that was my meaning. You are wise to avoid arguing with the more dogmatic types, as it rarely achieves very much in the swaying of attitudes, though some of the less dogmatic can be debated with more productively. And of course ideas and positions argued for by these groups must be confronted when they are adopted by members of community and workplace organisations that we belong to, if they look likely to lead in an authoritarian, sectarian or unproductive direction. There is much excitement amongst the left in Britain about the "left turn" of governments and electorates in your continent - sometimes a little over-optimistically, as I am sure your movements face many of the obstacles ours do, as you say. Nevertheless, great to hear from you, and solidarity with your struggles!
I found your interview very interesting - for others who might be interested I post the URL here -
http://www.socialistunitynetwork.co.uk/voices/vergara.htm
I like it a lot... good design.
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