Zhukov's fight against international capital, part I

[G.K Zhukov]

A few days ago, I got called up by a friend of mine.
He's working for an organisation called "No to the EU", and he is also a member of Senterpartiet (the Centrum party aka the old peasent party).

He was pissed at Hydro, (the 3rd largest aluminium company and also involved in oil&gass) who know celebrates their 100th birthday by splashing out 10mill £ on conserts (like today in Bergen) and so on across Norway. At the same time they are closing old production lines in Høyanger, Årdal and Karmøy, without wanting to invest in these places. For Høyanger this means the closure of the whole planet by 2011, probably also a closure of the other main employeer in the town (who uses aluminium to produce parts for cars). Now the firm who partly owns the company who make carparts, wants to buy the aluminium plant and expand it.
Hydro, beeing a monopolist capital shitcompany, doesnt want to sell. They want to earn money untill 2011, and then close it down. This will reduce the volum of aluminium on the world market with 75.000 tonnes or so, and thus benefit the price (and therefore Hydro).

Hydro is a private company, but the norwegian state has more than 1/3rd of the shares.
The minister for business and industry could have ordered his representatives in the Hydro board to vote for sale off the plant to this canadian company. But he has refused to do anything (beeing the conservative he is, it comes to no big suprise).

So let me get back on track. My friend is quite pissed off. He tells me that "we have to do something" and asks me to pop in his office in the next days. So two days after, we meet and discuss it. Next day he purcases clothing, and we chat about various slogans.
We finally settle for "Hydro fester -Høyanger dør" (Hydro parties -Høyanger dies). We paint the banner and we're pretty pleased with the result. Since there will be wind, we cut a few wholes in it.

So the next day we meet at 16.00. We make the banner complete, and attach it to some sticks so we can hold it high. The consert arena, where Hydro is celebrating, is just around the corner. After a few minutes of walking, we are ready to hoist our banner. But we wait, til the classical music is over, and the CEO of Hydro is going to speech. People start looking at us and our banner. The security"guards" starts talking to each other. Some people comes over and comes with positive remarks: "Keep it up!" "It's about time someone is bringing that up" and so on. And two people who comes from Høyanger finds it ace that someone cares. Then we are approached by someone who presents herself as director of information at Hydro. She has one of those extremly bourgouise dubblel-names. She doesnt exactly stay long around to chat (might have something with that I joked that she was the director of bullshit?).
Then the police comes along. An officer asks me how long we are going to stay there. I say 30minutes or an hour or so. He tells me we are allowed to stand were we are, unless we make to much noise or start to make trouble. Then he reads what we have on our banner, and I dicusss the issue with him. He seems to be agreeing with me, and wishes me good luck(!).

So after standing there for a about one hour, we walk around abit to show it to the public, then take it down. My friend has to go, and I say I will look for someone else to hold it with me.
Since its election time here in Norway, all the main parties have a place in the city centrum where they hand out fliers and so on. I get to my parties booth, and there comes along two young comrades. When I ask them to give me a hand, they instantly join me. So we march back towards the consert arena with our banner. We have placed us so, that people who'r going to the consert pass us. Three people from Høyanger (two of them work there, one of them beeing a union representative) approaches us, asking us why we are doing this. They seem more than suprised that someone who's never even been to this small place, have taken the time and effort to do something. They take photoes of us with our banner with their mobile cameras We also got other positive comments from passers-by and tourists who wants to know what we are protesting against.

So after spending another hour (and a half), I say to my comrades that we should call it a day.
Its just enough time for me to get home and do some needed shopping, before the stores close for the weekend.

Strange thing is, that my friend (who isnt even close to becoming a communist like me), seemed to be wanting more radical slogans than I did

Join the fight against international monopolist capital, today!

[dda]

This reminds me that I need aluminum foil. Thank you.

[Yahwe]

Originally Posted by a lying communist

So after spending another hour (and a half), I say to my comrades that we should call it a day.
Its just enough time for me to get home and do some needed shopping,

[ceres]

Zhukov seems like one of those youth's who protest for the protests sake, my advice, get a hobby.
________
Club Royal Condos Pattaya

[queball]

Are you sure the Canadian company offered a fair price (ie. at least as much as Hydro will get out of it)?

[vampire_lestat]

Originally Posted by ceres

Zhukov seems like one of those youth's who protest for the protests sake, my advice, get a hobby.

He has a hobby, protesting.

[G.K Zhukov]

Originally Posted by queball

Are you sure the Canadian company offered a fair price (ie. at least as much as Hydro will get out of it)?

As the numbers have not gone public, who knows?
But Hydro havent stated price as the reason, but that the canadian company didnt say they were 100% to expand it. However, the canadian company has no stated that they are willing to guarantie that now. Also the local autorithies have some money, so they will be buying the plant together with the canadians.

[Freedom]

testing sorry

[Cannon_Fodder]

Originally Posted by G.K Zhukov

For Høyanger this means the closure of the whole planet by 2011

Holy sh*t. Someone call a hollywood movie star, theres a planet to save!

[Hicks]

Yahwe already beat me to it but this needs to be quoted again:

Originally Posted by G.K Zhukov

So after spending another hour (and a half), I say to my comrades that we should call it a day.
Its just enough time for me to get home and do some needed shopping, before the stores close for the weekend.

Join the fight against international monopolist capital, today!

[Dante Hicks]

So what are you saying, that people who do any sort of protesting shouldn't use shops?

[Phang]

Originally Posted by Dante Hicks

So what are you saying, that people who do any sort of protesting shouldn't use shops?

that logical consistency is unneccessary when dealing with strongly-held views?

(which I realise isn't exactly one of my strong points)

[Hicks]

That he cut his protest against evil international monopolist capital to go and further enrich the same people. Just looks very out of place in that post.

[Phang]

Originally Posted by Hicks

That he cut his protest against evil international monopolist capital to go and further enrich the same people.

i don't think he leaving so he could buy some aluminium, oil and gas from Hydro. I may be wrong, but i got the impression that, you know, food was part of the equation

[Dante Hicks]

Originally Posted by Phang

that logical consistency is unneccessary when dealing with strongly-held views?

How is it logically inconsistent?

He said he needed to do some shopping. Presumably evil Norwegian communists need to eat and drink and the only reasonable way to get these in our society is to buy them from shops in some form or another.

Sure, if he went off to buy 38 tonnes of aluminium from this particular company he disliked then that'd be pretty hypocritical. But the fact he went shopping after protesting doesn't seem particularly contradictary.

[KaneED]

Alooominum.

=/

[Vaio]

Originally Posted by Dante Hicks

So what are you saying, that people who do any sort of protesting shouldn't use shops?

They should use shops that sell produce made by enlightened citizens and not oppressed workers.

Shops like Nike and Macdonalds should be ok........

[the_dastardley_chihuahua]

im curious - what are the unions at said plant doing? where are their protests? did you consider contacting the union reps to enquire how you could help?

[G.K Zhukov]

We did actually call em.
However, they seem all to passive. As most other places in this country, I suspect its run by people holding membership in the labour party. And they tend to be inactive *****.

[dda]

Originally Posted by Phang

i don't think he leaving so he could buy some aluminium, oil and gas from Hydro. I may be wrong, but i got the impression that, you know, food was part of the equation

Probably food in an aluminum can, cooked over gas fires and moved to market by petroleum burning conveyances.

[G.K Zhukov]

I even got in the local newspaper

For those who's able to read norwegian, see the last paragraph:
http://www.bt.no/kultur/article399868

[Stew]

Originally Posted by G.K Zhukov

I even got in the local newspaper

For those who's able to read norwegian, see the last paragraph:
http://www.bt.no/kultur/article399868

That's not a language, that's random letters, stupid letters at that!

[Ste]

Frstø stayed Festplassen paternal slumrende siesta. Eve konsertmaraton has the accumulationså widely begun. Actor Bjarte Hjelmeland am programleder på it brautende, mountains mtenå. Nathalie North contribute game summer. Musiker Ole Pound unveil eve mainly carefully prepared « book token» nrå consignee ( and sponsor) am Hydro. «Hydromatepoeticon» am a beep- and billedverk along with fragments at industrihverdagen at bdeå by land and offshore. Experimental på Pound- active show.

- Comes enough almost på Norsktoppen, spkerø emcee Hjelmeland.

It is the musikalsk vorspiel på Festplassen. Iflgeø gjestemassen hasn't celebration correct began thanå. Although William Huts accord all but nrå absolutely away at Musikkpaviljongen. Climax becomes facts nevertheless no matter frø a active guttegjeng, after own mere words invited på cause at facts physical connection along with hobbitene, entrer scene.

European guttepublikum
Ralph Myerz & In spite of the fact that Jack Paramount Bandage getting a Hydro- sponsor half-time frø Dublin and eleven French cities awaiting at tomorrow at. Iflgeø askyvringøæ Tarjei Strmø Mountains am continued best.

- We're certainly actual på snnå europaturné. But in Europe is it only boys as likes us. Accordingly is it a good one å vreæ at home, said trommisen frø he claimed bound and vokal assistance at audience.

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Artificial limb against Hydro
A additional srbarå, musikalsk seanse stayed it dates back to concurrent high « halos Master»-symfonien how storskjermene following Oslo-Filharmoniens fiolinstrkø and soloist Sissel Kyrkjebø. Også Mountains Operation, Annbjrgø Lien and Slvguttenø utgjorde it enormously scenebesetningen as Interpretation fantasiverden became made musikalsk. Artwork bdeå at book and dreiebkeneø following music and a closely packed audience. Iflgeø Hydros kalkyler stayed facts between 25.000 and 30.000 på Festplassen in grå.

But no matter all mtteø be up to Hydro- celebration along with feststemning. «Hydro attach, Hyangerø drø» stayed facts afford budskapet in rdtø på bad language at Arild Citizen and meddemonstrantene. They ønsket rather pitø than festtaler at storkonsernet.

- Hydro blur a awful dobbeltmoral against å consumes 100 millions på å celebrate herself på additions interval as they closing down fabrikkdrift, said Citizen along with henblikk på ache in Hyangerø, Årdal and Crimsonø.

Even the internet couldn't translate it