[New-imc] Re: Arguments for a subject-based IMC

[boud]

hi blue pi,

On Thu, 2 Jan 2003, blue.pi wrote:

> Well, I am not of the same opinion as everyone else here, I find ChuckO's 
> arguments pro a homeless IMC quite convincing. I like to add:
> many country IMC's in Europe only have f2f meetings in subgroups (e.g. 
> Berlin, Hamburg, Munich...), otherwise they organize virtually. This would 
> be the same work style for an issue IMC as I understand ChuckO. 

They do have subgroups - or autonomous local groups - who do meet f2f.

Activists in any European IMC also share a small number of languages 
(2-3 are usually enough), socio-political and cultural references,
and more or less common social and economic conditions, making it 
relatively easier to have effective communication, and also a typical
European IMC has a total population typical of a small to large city.
 
> Or the other way round: most arguments that are brought up here would make 
> country based IMC's impossible. I know that there were long discussions when 
> the first country based IMC's applied, but I believe that was solved saying 
> that people need to organize according to their needs. 

People from the country based IMCs had real networks of activists
wishing to start an IMC, they talked about the organising they had
already done, they read the documents, discussed the principles of
unity, and did the organising work suggested in the membership
criteria.

And at least one "national" European IMC (France) has found that the
best way of getting through a crisis was to reform as local
collectives, which nevertheless retain unity via a common "portal" and
mailing lists.
 
> Arc writes: 
> 
> > 
> > I believe that what you are hearing, as far as the negetive feedback and
> > voices against such a project, is a strong doubt that such a thing could
> > be done.  
> 
> That's an important point and I would also like to hear more about how the 
> homeless IMc group is made up. But I don't have the feeling that it was the 
> main concern in the discussion so far. 

chuck is most welcome to start a mailing list and then we'll hopefully
learn a lot more about the collective as it forms, and we'll see if
it is a N.America regional group, or North-Atlantic regional group.