Anarchists subvert London billboards to shout: Don’t Vote

Spoil your ballot, engage with politics, take to the streets! — A Huck exclusive interview with the Special Patrol Group, the activists behind the ‘Bullshit Jobs’ campaign, on their latest Don’t Vote action.

This afternoon a communique arrived from the Special Patrol Group, a radical offshoot of STRIKE! Magazine. It read:

Rupert Murdoch has more influence than the entire UK electorate. All of the candidates are idiots: a truly democratic system would have an option to vote for none of them. DON’T VOTE: spoil your ballot, engage with politics, take to the streets!

Lots of love,

The Special Patrol Group

You may remember these subversive agitators who informed tube passengers that their jobs were bullshit on the first day back at work this year and subverted advertising billboards to announce that the Metropolitan Police are ‘still really racist’ after Ferguson went up in flames.

Just days before the UK’s general election, the SPG have launched another timely action.

As commuters trudge home, their senses dulled by agonising hedge fund-bankrolled party political broadcasts and inane campaign updates from the mainstream media, they will be confronted with billboards across London that shout: Don’t Vote.

Instead, the SPG are calling on Londoners to engage with politics through alternative means, by spoiling their ballots or taking to the streets. As with every action it’s backed up with some solid philosophy, which you can read here – including this gem from Audre Lorde: “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.”

Huck caught up with a member of the Special Patrol Group to talk about the Don’t Vote action. The shady figure raised the visor on their riot helmet to give this exclusive interview.

Wait a second, I thought voting was being politically engaged?
We think coming out once every four or five years to put a mark in a box is apathetic. Spoil your ballot: a vote for none of the above, if you will, a vote against the system. Engage in politics: find a campaign or issue that matters to you. Take to the streets: make a banner, create a zine, build a movement. Do something! Lots of amazing people already do.

Why are you encouraging people to spoil their ballots? Why not just stay at home?
Because we have an unfair system, not-voting gets counted as ‘ignore me’. It seems obvious to us that a properly democratic system would include an option to vote for none of the above; perhaps if it did, we wouldn’t be stuck with such woeful ‘representatives’. Until we can change the system, spoiling your ballot is the only option that shows that you’re unhappy with it – nobody should endorse it by voting for it.

Warren Street

What’s your beef with Rupert Murdoch? What’s an ageing Australian who can’t even vote in the election got to do with all this?
It’s not about the individual ageing Australian, although he is obviously a very unpleasant individual. It’s about wealthy individuals and interest groups having more influence, significantly more leverage than, not only individual voters, but the entire electorate.

If you took the money out of politics, placed limits on spending etc., the people with the best ideas rather than the most money would win. But politicians have done the opposite of that – they’ve made themselves available to the highest bidder. Bribery and corruption in our system is euphemistically referred to as ‘lobbying’, as though ordinary people have the same clout as multinational corporations.

One of your posters shouts ‘Take to the streets?’ When? Where?
Always and everywhere until the change you want to see has happened. But it’s not supposed to be taken so literally: it’s about a mindset. It’s about realising that the only thing that has ever created change is collective action – and that usually, literally, happens in the streets. The beauty is in the streets – not the ballot box.

What really gets your goat about outdoor advertising? What would an SPG future without advertising look like?
Outdoor advertising is one of the few things less democratic than parliamentary politics. If you buy a newspaper or switch on the television, you can turn the page or change the channel – outside nobody has any choice but to be bombarded with messages that are trying to convince you to give up your hard earned, often by telling you you’re too fat, too ugly, or otherwise incomplete. The visual realm belongs to everyone, so nobody should be able to buy it.

And other places have already recognised this and banned outdoor advertising completely – notably Grenoble and Sao Paulo. It’s interesting that both Westminster and the City of London seem to have already passed by-laws banning outdoor advertising – presumably because rich people don’t like having their visual landscape sullied with shite either. The difference is, they’ve got the power to do something about it, and we don’t.

The Special Patrol Group is an offshoot of STRIKE! Magazine. Find out more about their Don’t Vote action here.


Ad

Latest on Huck

A punk rock band performing on stage, with a female lead singer belting into a microphone. Behind them, a colourful mural with graffiti-style text.
Music

Meet the hair-raised radical women of Berlin’s noise punk scene

Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy within the German capital’s female-only bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Group of people dancing at a live music performance, with a large "Spaces Beats" sign in the background.
Music

Amid tensions in Eastern Europe, young Latvians are reviving their country’s folk rhythms

Spaces Between the Beats — The Baltic nation’s ancient melodies have long been a symbol of resistance, but as Russia’s war with Ukraine rages on, new generations of singers and dancers are taking them to the mainstream.

Written by: Jack Styler

A person's face surrounded by colourful flowers. The flowers include orange, red, and yellow dahlias, as well as smaller yellow blooms. The person's expression is serious.
Music

Uwade: “I was determined to transcend popular opinion”

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s Nigerian-born, South Carolina-raised indie-soul singer Uwade.

Written by: Uwade

Taxidermy alligator with a small monkey sitting on its head, displayed on a wooden shelf with other items.
Culture

Inside the obscured, closeted habitats of Britain’s exotic pets

“I have a few animals...” — For his new series, photographer Jonty Clark went behind closed doors to meet rare animal owners, finding ethical grey areas and close bonds.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Muscular man with arms crossed in a dark setting, 'Hard Feelings' text overlay.
Sport

Frazer Clarke: “I had a hole in my leg, I’m very lucky to be alive”

Hard Feelings — For our interview column on masculinity and fatherhood, the Olympic boxing medallist speaks to Robert Kazandjian about hard graft, the fear and triumph of his first fight, and returning to the ring after being stabbed on a night out.

Written by: Robert Kazandjian

Close-up view of a woman in a vintage pose, with flowing hair and an outstretched hand, set against a hazy, scenic background.
© Peter Palladino, courtesy of the Peter Palladino Archive.
Culture

Remembering Holly Woodlawn, Andy Warhol muse and trans trailblazer

Love You Madly — A new book explores the actress’s rollercoaster life and story, who helped inspire Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.