A-Infos (en) UK Deputy P.M. Iced -- A good example of direct action!

[Aaron <aaron@burn.ucsd.edu>]

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     A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
           http://www.ainfos.ca/
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Comrades, compas, et ??,

I don't know the music of the U.K. punk band Chumbawamba, but this report
is music to my ears! Personally, I think that Mr. Prescott should be kept
frozen until such time as soul transplants become available, but I can
appreciate lesser results.

Check out Chumbawamba's web site at <http://www.chumba.com/> for additional
info on their 'cool' treatment of the Deputy P.M., and a lot more! If you
have a slow browser, you can go directly to the relevant page:
<http://www.chumba.com/_rant!.htm>. For those who are lazy -- or don't have
web access -- I'm appending the schedule of their upcoming North American
tour.

 - Solidarity,
 - Aaron

Note: In case it doesn't come across properly in your e-mail reader, the
character '£' in what follows is the symbol for the British pound. (£1
exchanged for about US$1.60 last time I noticed.)
--------------- Begin Forwarded Message: ---------------
Date:         Mon, 16 Feb 1998 18:09:20 -0800
Sender: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <LABOR-L@YORKU.CA>
From: Sid Shniad <shniad@SFU.CA>
Subject:      Support for Liverpool dockers

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998
From: chumba@chumba.demon.co.uk
Subject: I was at the brit awards

Right, here's the full story of the bucket of ice incident. The whole brit
awards was one of the most obscene things I've ever been to, £500 a ticket,
£5000 for a table. It was the only time I've ever been surrounded by the
people who run Britain. I was sat at a table with one of the sacked
Liverpool dockers and his wife, who were going to collect the award if
chumbas won anything and explain exactly why New Labour had sold them down
the river. The government own 40% of the mersey dock and harbour company,
who the dockers were sacked by for crossing a picket line, they could have
reinstated them in 10 minutes. The deputy prime iminister John Prescott is
an ex docker and someone the liverpool dockers feel most betrayed by.
Outside there was a big demonstration for a lad who had been sacked for
trying to organise a trade union at a cd packing firm where wages are under
£3 an hour. We went out to meet them and I ended up smuggling two of the
most up for it demonstrators into the hall where the brit awards were, we
even gave them megaphones which we were using to shout "your a fucking
wanker" at Richard Branson. We were all at this table and were getting more
and more furious. We were saying to the two lads we'd smuggled in it would
be better if they fucked up the whole thing because they'd be linked to the
demonstration outside, but you've never seen security like it. No one knew
what to do, Time was running out.

Anyway, paul came up to Alice and said "give me a hand" the two of them
picked up a huge bucket of ice and started walking off. I thought "I'll
have some of that" and followed them. Right behind Alice and Paul, who were
making their way through the tables were 2 huge security guards. Just as
they reached Prescott's table, Danbert jumped on his table and chucked
water on him. The security guards  were distracted and Alice and Paul
dumped this huge bucket of water and ice over his head. The next thing I
knew I was in front of a soaking wet deputy Prime Minister of Britain, I
grabbed hold of him and nose to nose told him "that's what you get for
being a scab"  at which point he pushed me away and was surrounded by
security guards. It's not very often you get the chance to come face to
face with the bastards who rule the world and remind them that they are
fucking people over.

Anyway it's the biggest story in Britain at the minute, New Labour's press
machine are launching a full on attack on chumbas, getting even the
"liberal" Guardian to do a hatchet job. But that picture of Prescott
soaking wet and looking pissed off will live with him for years and none of
Tony Blair's ministers will ever be able to go to an event like that again
and appear on TV trying to get credit for music that they are actively
destoying by getting rid of welfare, free education, ect. That's a big part
of their public relations stratergy messed up.

"Cool Britannia", well it turned out to be a lot colder than that bastard
was expecting.

yours Keir

           chumbawamba

c/o PO box TR666, Leeds, LS12 3XJ, UK
e-mail: chumba@chumba.demon.co.uk
First church of chumbawmba web site:  http://www.chumba.com
--------------- End of Forwarded Message ---------------

The following is taken from <http://www.chumba.com/_news_i.htm>:

... in March, a month-long tour of North America and Canada
[which, as we all know, is in Oceania {;->}. -- Aaron]
Support will be Alabama 3 (or, as they're known in the USA, 'A3')

    * Monday 2 [March] SAN FRANCISCO Warfield
    * Tuesday 3 LAS VEGAS The Joint
    * Wednesday 4 PHOENIX Hayden Square
    * Friday 6 BOULDER Boulder Theatre
    * Sunday 8 LAWRENCE KS
    * Monday 9 ST LOUIS
    * Wednesday 11 MINNEAPOLIS First Avenue
    * Thursday 12 MILWAUKEE
    * Friday 13 CINCINNATTI Bogart's
    * Sunday 15 INDIANAPOLIS Egyptian Room
    * Monday 16 COLUMBUS Newport Music Hall
    * Tuesday 17 PITTSBURG
    * Wednesday 18 ROCHESTER Water Street Music Hall
    * Thursday 19 TORONTO Warehouse
    * Saturday 21 KAMLOOPS Snojob Festival Sun Peaks
    * Sunday 22 SEATTLE Paramount
    * Monday 23 VANCOUVER Rage
    * Tuesday 24 CALGARY Macewan Hall
    * Thursday 26 ASHLAND Ohio Ashland University
    * Friday 27 MYRTLE BEACH House Of Blues
    * Saturday 28 ATLANTA Centennial Park
    * Sunday 29 PANAMA CITY Club La Vela
    * Tuesday 31 [March] ORLANDO House Of Blues
    * And finally...
    * Wednesday 1 April MIAMI Cameo Theatre

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