Protest, Poverty and Power: A Case Study of the Anti-Poll Tax Movement

1995 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Bagguley
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
New Social Movements ◽  
Conservative Government ◽  
Poll Tax

In 1989–90 a regressive local tax, the Community Charge or poll tax as it became known, was introduced by the Conservative government. Its implementation was met by widespread sometimes violent protest, and a systematic campaign of non-payment. In response the tax Was replaced by the more progressive Council Tax. This paper considers the nature of the anti-poll tax protest. Its social base, forms of organisation and tactics are considered in relation to theoretical debates about new social movements and poor people's movements.

scholarly journals “They don´t represent us!” Opportunities for a Social Movement Unionism Strategy in Spain

2015 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holm-Detlev Köhler ◽  
José Pablo Calleja Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
New Social Movements ◽  
Social Efficiency ◽  
Spanish Economy ◽  
Social Movement Unionism ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Facilitating Conditions

Our goal is to analyze strategies of union revitalization that have been successful elsewhere and have the potential to become so in Spain. Within these practices, Social Movement Unionism focuses on alliances with other groups to improve unions’ social efficiency. In this article, we address the applicability of the principles of Social Movement Unionism in the specific case of Spain. Given the transformations in the Spanish economy and labour laws tending towards further deregulation, Spanish unions have had to react. The emergence of new social movements such as the Indignados or Mareas Ciudadanas (civic tides) and the declining confidence in unions among the Spanish population, make this approach timely and appropriate. For this article, we will take certain aspects from the trade union revitalization debate and combine them with the main theories on New Social Movements. We will apply these approaches to a specific case study: The viability of cooperation between the largest Spanish trade unions and the recent social movements arising from the Indignados movement. For this purpose, we will primarily use data from secondary sources and transcripts of interviews conducted with unionists and social movement activists. With all these elements taken into consideration, we will conclude by showing the inhibiting and facilitating conditions for the development of a Social Movement Unionism strategy for the referred actors.

Prohibition, Legalization, and Political Consumerism

2018 ◽  
pp. 740-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Drug Control ◽  
Psychoactive Substance ◽  
Political Consumerism ◽  
Control Laws ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Us

Cannabis (marijuana) is the most commonly consumed, universally produced, and frequently trafficked psychoactive substance prohibited under international drug control laws. Yet, several countries have recently moved toward legalization. In these places, the legal status of cannabis is complex, especially because illegal markets persist. This chapter explores the ways in which a sector’s legal status interacts with political consumerism. The analysis draws on a case study of political consumerism in the US and Canadian cannabis markets over the past two decades as both countries moved toward legalization. It finds that the goals, tactics, and leadership of political consumerism activities changed as the sector’s legal status shifted. Thus prohibition, semilegalization, and new legality may present special challenges to political consumerism, such as silencing producers, confusing consumers, deterring social movements, and discouraging discourse about ethical issues. The chapter concludes that political consumerism and legal status may have deep import for one another.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document