Ian Bone
Encyclopedia
Ian Bone is a prominent British anarchist and an active publisher of anarchist newspapers and tabloids, such as Class War
and The Bristolian. He has been regularly involved in social campaigns since the 1960s, including the 2001 "Vote Nobody" election campaign.
In 2006 he published his autobiography, Bash the Rich, of which a film version is currently in production. He presents a radio show, Anarchy in the UK, on London's Resonance FM
in which he interviews anarchist activists.
Bone was famously dubbed 'The Most Dangerous Man in Britain' by British tabloid newspaper The Sunday People
.
. In the 1980s, with others, he set up the anarchist paper Class War
. The confrontational style of the paper led to Bone becoming an infamous figure in the politics of the 1980s. His personal stock was at its highest when he appeared on the Jonathan Ross
show. following the publication of 'Bash The Rich' Bone rejoined Class War after a long period of distance from the group
Based in London
for most of the 1980s, he moved to Bristol
in the early 1990s where he became involved in various campaigns, but often keeping a low profile. In 2001 Bone started the Vote Nobody campaign which encouraged residents in Easton
, Bristol to turn out for the local election and vote for 'Nobody'. Bone attended the founding meeting of Bristol Indymedia.
In that same year he started The Bristolian, a scandal sheet
that purported to give "independent news from Bristol that the other papers won't touch". Freely distributed throughout the bars and pubs of Bristol—and by Bone himself in Bristol's Corn Street—the news-sheet gained a weekly circulation of over 15,000. He wrote much of the paper himself, but was assisted by local journalist Roy Norris, and by his long-term partner Jane Nicholl. In 2003, the success of The Bristolian led to the Bristolian Party, which stood in the local elections in an attempt to mobilize widespread discontent with Bristol City Council's policies. Bone was criticised by some in the anarchist community for his involvement with this campaign. On May 1, 2003 a total of 2,560 people voted for the Bristolian Party, which gained an 8% share of the vote within the 12 wards they contested. The Bristolian was runner-up for the Paul Foot Award
for investigative journalism in 2005. It ceased publication shortly afterwards but has since returned in the same format with occasional double-page issues.
On December 6, 2006 Bone appeared on Channel 4
's current affairs discussion show Starkey's Last Word
, alongside Ed Vaizey and Harriet Harman
, discussing the Iraq war. In it, Bone contended that the solution to the failing war was that British soldiers serving in Iraq should take part in mass desertion
, that 10 Downing Street
should be blockaded on May Day
(International Workers' Day
), and that the two speakers beside him, both of whom were pre-war advocates of the Iraq invasion, should be put on trial for war crime
s.
On October 27, 2006 Bone led a meeting at the London Anarchist Bookfair
.
In December 2007, Bone sold the film rights
to his bestselling book Bash the Rich to cult
British film maker Greg Hall
for £10. A blog
has since been created to follow the film from its conception to release.
Class War
Class War is a UK class struggle based group and newspaper originally set up by Ian Bone and others in 1983. It subsequently mutated various forms, becoming specifically anarchist....
and The Bristolian. He has been regularly involved in social campaigns since the 1960s, including the 2001 "Vote Nobody" election campaign.
In 2006 he published his autobiography, Bash the Rich, of which a film version is currently in production. He presents a radio show, Anarchy in the UK, on London's Resonance FM
Resonance FM
Resonance 104.4 FM is a London based non-profit community radio station run by the London Musicians' Collective .The station is staffed by four permanent staff members, including programme controller Ed Baxter and over 300 volunteer technical and production staff.Until September 2007, ResonanceFM...
in which he interviews anarchist activists.
Bone was famously dubbed 'The Most Dangerous Man in Britain' by British tabloid newspaper The Sunday People
The People
The People, previously known as the Sunday People, is a British tabloid Sunday-only newspaper. The paper was founded on 16 October 1881.It is published by the Trinity Mirror Group.In July 2011 it had an average daily circulation of 806,544....
.
Activities
Bone was an active anarchist throughout the 1960s to early 1990s. Initially he set up the anarchist agit-mag Alarm in SwanseaSwansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. In the 1980s, with others, he set up the anarchist paper Class War
Class War
Class War is a UK class struggle based group and newspaper originally set up by Ian Bone and others in 1983. It subsequently mutated various forms, becoming specifically anarchist....
. The confrontational style of the paper led to Bone becoming an infamous figure in the politics of the 1980s. His personal stock was at its highest when he appeared on the Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross (television presenter)
Jonathan Stephen Ross, OBE is an English television and radio presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One chat show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross from 2001 until he left the BBC in 2010. Ross began hosting a new chat show on ITV1 starting 3 September 2011...
show. following the publication of 'Bash The Rich' Bone rejoined Class War after a long period of distance from the group
Based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for most of the 1980s, he moved to Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
in the early 1990s where he became involved in various campaigns, but often keeping a low profile. In 2001 Bone started the Vote Nobody campaign which encouraged residents in Easton
Easton, Bristol
Easton is both the name of a council ward in the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and an inner city area that lies partly within that ward. The Easton ward also contains the Whitehall and Netham areas of the city. Notable places within the ward include Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road railway...
, Bristol to turn out for the local election and vote for 'Nobody'. Bone attended the founding meeting of Bristol Indymedia.
In that same year he started The Bristolian, a scandal sheet
Scandal Sheet
Scandal Sheet is a black-and-white film noir directed by Phil Karlson. The film is based on the novel The Dark Page by Samuel Fuller, who himself was a newspaper reporter before his career in film...
that purported to give "independent news from Bristol that the other papers won't touch". Freely distributed throughout the bars and pubs of Bristol—and by Bone himself in Bristol's Corn Street—the news-sheet gained a weekly circulation of over 15,000. He wrote much of the paper himself, but was assisted by local journalist Roy Norris, and by his long-term partner Jane Nicholl. In 2003, the success of The Bristolian led to the Bristolian Party, which stood in the local elections in an attempt to mobilize widespread discontent with Bristol City Council's policies. Bone was criticised by some in the anarchist community for his involvement with this campaign. On May 1, 2003 a total of 2,560 people voted for the Bristolian Party, which gained an 8% share of the vote within the 12 wards they contested. The Bristolian was runner-up for the Paul Foot Award
Paul Foot Award
The Paul Foot Award is an award given for investigative or campaigning journalism, set up by The Guardian and Private Eye in memory of the journalist Paul Foot, who died in 2004....
for investigative journalism in 2005. It ceased publication shortly afterwards but has since returned in the same format with occasional double-page issues.
On December 6, 2006 Bone appeared on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's current affairs discussion show Starkey's Last Word
David Starkey
David Starkey, CBE, FSA is a British constitutional historian, and a radio and television presenter.He was born the only child of Quaker parents, and attended Kendal Grammar School before entering Cambridge through a scholarship. There he specialised in Tudor history, writing a thesis on King...
, alongside Ed Vaizey and Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
, discussing the Iraq war. In it, Bone contended that the solution to the failing war was that British soldiers serving in Iraq should take part in mass desertion
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
, that 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
should be blockaded on May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
(International Workers' Day
International Workers' Day
International Workers' Day is a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries...
), and that the two speakers beside him, both of whom were pre-war advocates of the Iraq invasion, should be put on trial for war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s.
On October 27, 2006 Bone led a meeting at the London Anarchist Bookfair
Anarchist Bookfair
The Anarchist Bookfair is the name of several annual anarchist book fairs.The British Bookfair started in 1983, and it has become the largest anarchist event in the British calendar, and is a combination of stalls, talks and workshops by anarchist groups and campaigns.Most British anarchist groups...
.
In December 2007, Bone sold the film rights
Film rights
Film rights are the rights under copyright law to make a derivative work—in this case, a film—derived from an item of intellectual property. Under U.S...
to his bestselling book Bash the Rich to cult
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
British film maker Greg Hall
Greg Hall (film-maker)
Greg Hall is a British film director, producer, cinematographer and screenwriter.-Career:The Plague — made when he was a 22-year-old with a budget of just £3,500 — was Hall's feature feature debut, winning him the inaugural Katrin Cartlidge Foundation Award at the 10th Sarajevo Film Festival...
for £10. A blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
has since been created to follow the film from its conception to release.