A campaign poster ( above ) for EU Parliament Elections recently got a makeover during last weekend’s demo + march against rising rents called Mietenwahnsinn. This billboard sits just in front of the party headquarters for the SPD ( Sozialdemokratischen Partei Deutschlands ) in Kreuzberg, Btropolis.
Don’t ask us to explain EU elections, we don’t want to bore you to tears. Nor cause anyone to jump from high buildings out of utter despair ! This kind of electoral politics train wreck is not something that is usually on our XLt Radar for analysis.
But a very brief intro: This June 6-9, 2024 is the 10th parliamentary election which began in 1979, and will be the first EU-wide election since Brexit. Here’s the inadequate wikipedia, if ya need a quick overview. Please excuse the image of Ursula von der Leyen that pops up on your screen, especially if you have just eaten. From our quick XLT overview, the warmongers prevail, and that’s why we’re here to scream ! And hope you will share this article with your comrades if you find it useful and tactical enough.
Slippery and highly-dubious “elections” in so-called “democracies” are mostly in our thoughts now because of the sinister war times, the genocide(s), and the rising fascist elements that the dominating bloody pools of governance worldwide are now swimming in way over all our heads !
And because there is some Partei activity in Deutschland that has grabbed our attention sufficiently to warrant some serious thinking, and provide some distanced. but grounded, alien inputs ! ( i.e. Mera25 and Die Linke )
Also because now, we suddenly realized that it’s a topic that needs some new critical assessments to be debated amongst our peers, which is largely influenced by anarchist circles and/or the uncategorizable, filled with diverse tribes deeply engaged in fighting for other possible worlds.
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pic from Cherry Adam. ( Danke ! )
( from the massive demo, 2 weeks ago, against Genocide and the bombing of Rafah )
“'If Voting Made a Difference, They Wouldn't Let Us Do It”… is a quote and sentiment that pops up often around election time among all of us who are fed up with all our flailing ‘democratic’ states. We did a quick search to see if it comes from some well-known anarcho voice. But while it often gets attributed to Mark Twain, Emma Goldman and even Amiland anti-war activist + direction action pioneer Phillip Berrigan, it doesn’t actually have any such esteemed nor specific origin.
If voting made any difference…
Krapitalism would have already flooded it with blood money !
So YES, it’s been done ! Elections are permanently soaking in big industries and vested interests, which is becoming increasingly obvious these days. We should probably have new categories of what they actually are in these post-democratic arenas. Some suggestions : Proxy (S)elections !? Techno-feudalist ( Varoufakis ) jousting ?! Entertrainment Programs ?! Three-Ring Corporatocracy Circuses ?! Lesser or Besser Evilism ?! Neoliberalist Scourge Upgrades !? Total Recall Install ?! Matrix Narratives Maintenance ?! ( the last one, with a nod to
‘s inspiring ninja texts! Recommended ! )Yes, it’s easily all that bad !
But should we vote ?!
For those of us who CAN vote ( and many in our XLt group cannot ), it’s been our XLt analysis for a couple decades now…
IT’S NOT - IN MANY CASES - POINTLESS TO VOTE !
But while in many ways ( in so many countries ) we are being duped by a very dirty grand scam theater, and we will not get to choose the candidates we really really want. One primary reason is because the entry into electoral politics is limited to and shaped by and gatekept by (BIG) MONEY required to run a serious campaign. And if they manage to qualify, the likelihood of attaining small victories is - not impossible - but extremely rare !
Nevertheless people/citizens, and even non-citizens, do have the power to do damage control and/or plant various seeds for revolutionary politics in the midst of these mainstream strangle holds ! And as we point out in this quick sketched rant, we do have small windows of opportunity to build allies ( and accomplices ) in these wretchedly stacked, fixed and broken systems…
The XLt draft synopsis/ notes :
Why it's sorta worth participating in political party fights ! (i.e. June 9 - EU elections )... i..e the ol’ community anarchism alone doesnt cut it , cant cut it ( it's too weak ! ) ... When fascists start exploiting the 'divisiveness' and the 'democracies" ... it's time to FIGHT BACK in the ring ! ... power from below doesn’t exactly work, when the boots are on the neck from the krapitalist entities from above ! ... especially now when everything plays out in such oppressive ways ( i.e. matrix narratives ) that are distributed via high-financed media platforms. The Left perspectives are getting crushed in all the rightwing Signal Noise ! ... Political parties that have access to serious financing infrastrctures, are one of the only ways to combat, or at least make visible, the mainstream shitstorms ! Grassroots media scrapped together from the pennie jars is more often than not like shooting with toy water pistols ! But a political ally who gets money from oddity donors like a Brian Eno or a Roger Waters, and perhaps a wide-variety of quieter private donors, can be used to give the crucial voices bigger and louder platforms than just the little Kiez / neighborhood stages. ... people who can give voices like Francesca Albanese an extra platform w/ paid-for tech infrasructure, and paid-for tech crews. ( and/or trusted volunteers )
Check out one of Mera25’s latest interviews with her, by Varoufakis. ( sorry for the Youtube link )
Added note: We don’t demonize people who entirely opt out. We can sympathize with many who do not wish to be implicated and abused in the dirty games. Not to mention the potentially problematic data collections in state-run elections ( which are best utilized by corrupt parties in power ). But even if you don’t vote, showing our support tor those doing the good fight on these mainframe politics front lines can also be a valueable act of solidarity !
We wrote this yesterday, as we were heading out to support the MERA25 rally in Kreuzberg. A fitting ‘Kiez’ location for fiery speeches and invoking radical solidarities; Lausitzerplatz was for a long time ground-zero for anarchist and black bloc, and to some extent migrant, insurrections in Btropolis ! The guest speakers they had were incredibly powerful and very moving ! The (registered ) rally /gathering gave a platform for very local and community-based activists, and included Palestinian voices, who expressed their gratitude to Mera25 for being the only party currently running in DE elections, that has stood steadfast against the current German state’s complicity in atrocities and genocide … and all the newly entrenched war-footing lunacy agendas !
We will have to try and come back to describe some of the thoughts and emotions expressed there in more detail …
( work in progress, please read in your browser for the most up-to-date version )
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Note: We ARE very concerned about the fragmentation of the left parties in DE. And because we do not have a thorough analysis of what’s now occurring with Die Linke partei, we suggest you do your own research if you are trying to decide between these two parties. But we will mention that from what we have read, we see the further fragmentation from Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht ( BSW ) as highly problematic, and do not include them as an XLT ally. Also BSW positions on migration appear to have dangerously swerved into an anti-migrant populism, and puts the already-weaknened migrant + refugee rights and protections in danger.
Of course we are very open to hearing from what our readers, followers and supporters think of the DE contexts !
And at some point we will attempt to analyze and suggest strategies for the upcoming US (s)elections train wreck this November.
Also if your following the UK electoral horror show, this interview in Middleeast Eye with Andrew Feinstein is incredible. Very shocking - but not surprising - to hear his anecdote ( in the first 10 minutes, we think ) that while Labor party can spend millions on Starmer's campaign, Feinstein is only allowed to spend something like 15.000 pounds. While NOT pointless to challenge this rigged game, it shows just how corrupt the game is ! In any case, fight like hell Andrew ! Incredible if he can pull it off, and still vital that his voice is in the ring even if he doesn't defeat the Starmer / Labor sham basket case !
https://www.middleeasteye.net/video/unapologetic-podcast-uk-elections-andrew-feinstein-stop-keir-starmer
Wow ! Our XLt Substack piece on post-democracies isn't any where near the level of Cailtin's new text ( very much on the same wavelength ) which dives into analyzing more specificly US elections... this is an important read for anyone who works hard on electoral campaigns, media activism AND/OR anyone looking for what the fuk do we do now !?? ... What we love about her writing, is that she has no need for academic-speak, she goes straight to the HEART of the matter ! ( and for the jugular vein, as they say in 'ninja-speak' ) ... A MUST READ ! ... https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/when-the-powerful-control-public