Bristol’s premier citizen Mayor George Ferguson made an unannounced visit to the local Anarchist Bookfair today – only to face TEA-BASED RESISTANCE to his shameless grandstanding.
The MILLIONAIRE MAYOR bumrushed the doors at the Trinity Centre – putting a paltry two quid into the donation bucket – in what appears to have been a bizarre publicity stunt that soon went very wrong indeed.
Once spotted, the Red Trousered self-publicist found himself mobbed by angry punters keen to tell him what they thought of his budget-slashing cuts, with bumbling Fergo able only to repeat variations of his standard line that “I’m not making any cuts, it’s the government!” – our favourite being “that’s a government imposition that we have to deal with!” Oh George, are you telling us that you’re just EXPENSIVE WINDOW-DRESSING?
Anyway, it wasn’t enough to appease one book-lover, who promptly chucked their cup of tea over the Tobacco Factory Baron before ‘directing him to a question from the floor’.
Having returned to his feet and dusted himself down, noted libertine George then composed himself enough to point his election-winning fake smile at a cameraphone whilst posing with a copy of your favourite scandal sheet (though he later unsportingly described The BRISTOLIAN as “fiction”), do a quick circuit of the building and then leave, angrily MUMBLING TO HIMSELF ABOUT IAN BONE.
Well George, it was nice of you to fit in a trip to a part of Bristol that isn’t Clifton into your busy schedule of Very Important Foreign Excursions – but perhaps next time things might pan out better if you didn’t treat it like a safari…
I think it’s really good that the Mayor came along to the anarchist bookfair. However you feel that a revolution/ better future will come about, having Bristol’s mainstream political figures come and attend the bookfair can only promote the cause further. We continually isolate people from believing in radical change, and if we literally shove people off then how will anyone learn or be engaged by anarchism? Maybe George came along and found some fantastic new ideas about revolution and now we’ll be closer to a serious opportunity for it?
I’m not advocating the mayor, and I agree with showing passionate feelings towards people that prop up the system, but for me the problem is the system, not just its figureheads. The right wing constantly demonise this person or that, but in reality it’s far more complex, it’s economic and its cultural, etc. etc. and we shouldn’t fall into the same traps.
If we want to create change we have to welcome people of any background, and that includes those in positions of power now.
Plus, I’m personally of the opinion that as we’re opting for an ideology based on solidarity, respect and love for the common human, then we should embrace people with those same values, but I know that not everyone agrees with that.
“Bristol’s premier citizen Mayor George Ferguson made an unannounced visit to the local Anarchist Bookfair today”
He had been invited, by the Bookfair, and accepted the invite, on Twitter as this link shows
https://twitter.com/BristolBookfair/status/325181795555483649
I’ve got absolutely no time for the man (if you listen to our podcast you’ll know I’ve never made a secret of that!) but to invite someone in, then he gets attacked for coming – not a cause for celebration in my eyes. A breach of common courtesy is how i see it.
Also, whatever you think of him (and i think we all think pretty poorly of him), he reacted well – could have had a hissy fit and got the coppers in, pressed charges, all that crap. Fair shout to him for not doing that.
I’m not usually one for washing dirty laundry in public, but I think i need to ‘register my disapproval’ on this. Of course, it also goes without saying, I’m not talking for Durston on this, as I’m sure he thinks differently (in fact i can hear him muttering “bloody liberal” as i write this!) :0)
FBWL, it’s not as if the bookfair collective had a meeting and chose to invite him. One person using the account sent that (possibly misguided) tweet. The tweet only asks if he is coming, though I admit it is somewhat loaded and challenging in tone.
Your say: “…but to invite someone in, then he gets attacked for coming…”
Your comment reads like the bookfair organisers invited him and then attacked him or were comjlicit in this. To be clear Bookfair orgasnisers were not involved in the incident, non of us saw it, nor do they celebrate what happened. The mayor was free to be there, if other guest saw differently that does not reflect the views of the collective nor individuals within it.
Feel free to register your disapproval with the person who attacked they Mayor, I know I will. This is a pretty big headache for me and could possibly have jeopardised this or future events.
Thanks,
A BABC member.
George is a very amenable chap who is defined by his privilige; its what he knows. the opportunity could have been taken to ask for some openess re the tax arrangements of the Merchant Venturers or why is it OK for the billionaire owner of Bristol City to waste 40 million quid on Bristol City when his other half in Hargreaces Lansdown has the nerve to criticise the City Council when this sort of money would negate the entire budget cuts that George Ferguson is having to bear.
Wow – Bristol anarchists, way to do absolutely nothing for your cause except make yourself seem like complete idiots. Nice job
The tea throwing man classes himself as a socialist, not an anarchist.
Yes, I have no idea what the writer means by ‘taste of his own medicine’ – I don’t recall George Ferguson ever pouring a cup of tea over anyone. I cannot believe you think this pathetic act is worthy of celebrating. It also has absolutely nothing to do with anarchism.
I think ‘a taste of his own medicine’ is a play on the well known Roald Dahl book ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’? Not sure you’re supposed to take it literally.
Although let’s be clear, George’s ‘medicine’ is total and unflinching support for right wing austerity economics for the poor and bailouts and bungs to the rich.
Not everyone wants to engage in a public school debating society discussion on these issues either.
The beverage assault was a very selfish act that reflects badly on the event as a whole. Not big and not clever.
So if Ferguson doesn’t come to these kind of events he’s accused of being elitist, but if he does then it’s a publicity stunt and incurs sarcasm. In what way should he have acted differently so that his visit was not seen as acting like he was “on safari” and guilty of “shameless grandstanding”? He’s a politician after all and has already said he’ll be seeking re-election next time, so how can he be expected not to want to spread the word that he visits all kinds of Bristol events? Shame on The Bristolian for gloating over an assault on a 66-year-old man.
Why would a politician come vote-gathering at an anarchist do? Had he been drinking?
Whilst I agree with most of the comments above and as a long standing veteran of many DAMS etc. Having held strong Anarcho/Marxist leanings,(thats another debate) for most of my life. I thought that for “Red” George to turn up, knowing what may come was asking for something to happen, (perhaps another media stunt.) However, I take issue with him getting “a taste of his own medicine”, On the rare ocassions I’ve been into his empire in Bedmister I’ve only ever seen him have Coffee, Wine, or water I know it’s a bit pedantic. But at least he turned up, how many other Mayor’s/MP’s/Councillors of Bristol can you say that about?
From the Bristol Anarchist Bookfair website in January:
New Bristol Mayor as bad as old Council Leaders shocker
Storm in a teacup….
Sorry- if it was coffee there might be ‘grounds’for complaint..
It was tea, not coffee. Cold tea. And he wasn’t pushed over – he slipped in the puddle of tea and fell flat on his arse. All the hand-wringing on here makes me laugh. My sympathies are with the people who are on the receiving end of Lord Redtrews’ cuts strategy – people who are having to pay the bedroom tax, Council workers who are being sacked and having their pay and conditions changed at his Lordship’s whim WITHOUT NEGOTIATION. But that doesn’t matter does it? After all, they’re not Merchant Venturers or fucking celebrities. Pricks.
Just so no-one else wastes their time contacting me to ask this question – no, it wasn’t me that did it. I’m just one of the people that had a good laugh about it!
I’m THE FUKIN MAYOR DO WHAT THE FUK I TELL YOU OR I WILL MAKE YOU ALL FUKIN HOMELESS
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