(en) Organise SolFed Ireland joined the Solidarity Federation as their Belfast Local back in April

We hope that our affiliation to SolFed can help the development of a revolutionary, 
anarcho-syndicalist, union federation across Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. The 
following is amended from the SolFed website at http://www.solfed.org.uk ---- Solidarity 
Federation (SolFed) was formed in March 1994. Organise! was initially formed in 1984 out 
of the Antrim and Ballymena Anarchist Groups. SolFed is a federation of groups and 
individuals across Ireland, England, Scotland & Wales. Everyone involved is helping to 
build a non-hierarchical, anti-authoritarian solidarity movement. The basic foundation 
used for doing this is the Local group. ---- Down the Local ---- People are getting 
together to form Locals ? SolFed groups. Locals put solidarity into practice. In time, 
each Local will have a premises as a base for solidarity action in the local community.

Locals are organising or getting involved in local campaigns across a wide range of issues 
? both in the community and in workplaces. Issues are wide-ranging: defending our natural 
and local environment and health; opposing racism, sexism and homophobia; pro-choice 
campaigning; in fact, anything which defends or contributes to our mutual quality of life. 
It is all part and parcel of building a solidarity movement.

Direct Action

Apart from being the name of the SolFed magazine, Direct Action is the tool which Locals 
use in all their work. At a basic level, this can be simply the spreading of information 
through leaflets, local bulletins and public meetings to raise awareness and involvement 
locally. However, Direct Action is not limited to spreading information. It means a 
physical presence in defending and promoting a better quality of life. Fundamental to 
Direct Action is the fact that we can only rely on ourselves to achieve our goals. While 
we reserve the right to take opportunities to fight for improvements to our quality of 
life now, the solidarity movement must always remain independent from those we are 
demanding from. Solidarity Federation will accept neither leadership, charity, nor 
guidance from government or business ? instead, we must couple our principle of solidarity 
with the practice of self-reliance.

Networking

Solidarity Federation members who work in the same work sector have formed Networks. Their 
purpose is to promote solidarity amongst workers. Networks also use Direct Action to fight 
for better pay and conditions, forming a basis for a completely new labour movement, 
nothing like the Trade Unions, which are weakened by having to abide by ridiculous laws, 
and by hierarchical power structures and self-interested paid officials. The fundamentally 
different nature of Networks fits their fundamentally different aim.

Where Next?

As Locals and Networks grow, they practise community and workers' self-management. 
Eventually, industries will be run by producers and consumers. In other words, by workers 
(in Networks) and people in the wider community (Locals), who want the goods and services 
they provide. And this is no flight of fancy or text-book dream. As the solidarity 
movement grows in members and influence, so does the scope for action. Both the Locals and 
Networks have already established a reputation and are showing real results in membership 
and effectiveness.

Global Solidarity

Capitalism is international, so we need to be organised globally to oppose it and build a 
viable alternative. Nationalism and patriotism lead to pointless and false divisions, used 
as tools to fuel economic and bloody wars. Solidarity Federation opposes these in favour 
of a movement built on global solidarity. Solidarity Federation organises across Britain 
and Ireland as a section of the anarcho-syndicalist International Workers' Association 
(IWA). This gives it essential international solidarity and experience from much larger 
sections, such as the CNT (Spain) and USI (Italy). Founded in 1922, the IWA has a long 
history of solidarity in action; by the 2nd World War, over five million people worldwide 
were affiliated. A combination of war, fascism, and soviet ?communism' all but destroyed 
the movement, but after the Spanish CNT re-emerged in the late 70s, the IWA had a new 
lease of life. Today, there are sections ranging from a few dozen to thousands of members, 
and growth is rapid. At the 21st IWA Congress in Granada, Spain, in December 2000, three 
new groups were welcomed into the IWA, to add to the seven new sections welcomed at the 
Congress four before.

Getting Involved

A global solidarity movement can only gather strength as many more people who share the 
same aims get involved. Contacting Solidarity Federation offers the possibility of 
contributing to this growing momentum. It is not like joining a club, union or political 
party ? rather, it is an opportunity to channel your efforts for change and, at the same 
time, benefit yourself from the experience.

If you are interested in building such an organisation in Ireland please contact the 
Belfast Local of SolFed at: belfastsolfed@gmail.com