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@Mister_Baxter
So... Anarchism-related discussion, anyone? I would probably describe myself as a species of green anarchist, in that I think we should be aiming for a political set-up that has the protection of the biosphere as its highest priority (the green bit) and I don't believe that governments, being the elected servants of the public, have the right to use force or coercion to make people comply with their political objectives (the anarchist bit).
But I'm aware that there's a huge problem with that combination of beliefs. How do you persuade people who care more about their own short-term wants to change their lives in ways that they won't like? How does an anarchist resolve their own dislike of government force with the existence of powerful opponents who are more than happy to use force?
The Spanish civil war was a good example - how can you fight your way to (local) power and then expect to run things without coercion, when your enemies remain all around you and within your own territory? Or, more pertinantly, how is it right for anarchists to use violence against property (the windows of every Tesco in central Bristol right now, for example) but wrong for the BNP to use violence against property (eg a mosque)?