Are we the 99%?

Today is the one week anniversary of the OccupyLSX movement, and looking back on the week its amazing to see the progress made and all that has been achieved. Inspired by various movements such as 15-M in Spain and Occupy Wall Street in the US, we have created our own movement in the heart of The City in order to speak out against injustices and form our own solutions, through true, participatory democracy. Yet this movement, with all its good intentions and expectations, is under threat. From the get-go, people have been keen to ensure that this movement is not co-opted by those who could wish to exploit it for their own gain, such as political parties and trade unions; however this movement is being co-opted, and it is being co-opted by those within it. We are the 99% is the main slogan behind this movement. It represents transcending above party politics, above left/right divides, above hierarchy and above minorities pushing their agenda on everyone else. The strength of this movement is in its unity, yet this unity is already fracturing and undermining the prospects of the whole movement. Instead of focussing on what unites us all, the 99%, discussion has started to converge on fringe ideas, on radical ideas, on ideas that most certainly do not represent the views of the 99%. This is completely backwards and goes against everything that this movement is supposed to represent. The Capitalism Is Crisis banner which graces the camp may represent the views of many at St Pauls but does it represent the 99%? Certainly not, and it comes as no surprise that the media has labelled the movement anti-capitalist at the start of every article and every news segment. Listening to a discussion at the GA the other night about this banner and the label the press has given us, it is clear that many people are happy with being labelled anti-capitalist. That is fine, but have people forgotten what this movement is all about? It is essential that people remember that the people at St Pauls do not fully represent a wide spectrum of beliefs and views. This isnt a problem of course, until you claim that any consensus reached at OccupyLSX represents the 99%, when it doesnt. The beauty of this movement was always the way it encompassed people from different backgrounds and with different political views, yet all united by certain unalienable problems such as tax evasion and a lack of regulation on banks. We need to go back to basics, back to discussing the issues which unite everyone and working towards solutions which benefit everyone. To alienate a broad section of the 99% is not only ironic but farcical, and stands to destroy everything that has been achieved. Look to New York and see how they have done things there, they have steered clear of divisive issues and focused on those that unite and strengthen the movement and that is what we need to learn from in order to have any success here in the UK. I am not trying to dictate to any of you what needs to be done or how to do it, I only wish that people respect everyone in this movement and realise that our discussions, decisions and actions need to truly be inclusive, and that where we lack inclusiveness we respect the views of others. We may be the 99% but we certainly do not lack individuality within this movement and freedom of expression is a basic right. Yet how many people when expressing their individual views think about how this reflects upon the movement as a whole? Some banners and placards certainly play a part in alienating large portions of the 99% who would otherwise support the movement. People may be staunchly against moderate views or actions but can this movement truly succeed without widespread support? Can we ever exact real change and influence when we are a minority dictating to everyone what the 99% is and what it represents, when half of the 99% is completely opposed to us? I dont think we can, and the irony and hypocrisy grows every day that we allow this shift in the movement to happen. OccupyLSX needs to take a step, to identify again the underlying issues which represent everyone in the 99% and how we can all work towards solving these issues leave the radical stuff for some other movement, some other time, because our strength is in our unity and that unity is being jeopardised each day. I hope everyone continues to do amazing work as they have done. We are all in a position to create real change so lets not falter, and lets do this - together!

With love, from a concerned supporter of the OccupyLSX movement x