The South Essex Heckler project has reached the end of the road. This is the low key, low maintenance successor blog:

Estuary stirrings https://essexstirrer.wordpress.com/

There are a few reasons why we’ve knocked this project on the head…

Firstly, we don’t think it achieved the aim we had of bringing anarchist politics to a local audience. Sure the Heckler has created a following but a lot of that has been on the back of the non-local stuff we’ve written, particularly in relation to the COVID-19 crisis / lockdown / the ‘new normal’.

Secondly, we also set out to create a loose alliance of like minded radicals in the south of Essex. Suffice to say that what we thought was the start of a loose alliance sadly melted like snow on a summer day as the COVID-19 crisis / lockdown / the ‘new normal’ revealed a lack of critical, questioning thought among people we once regarded as allies.

Thirdly, in these weird, dystopian times, we need to be agile and adaptive. From this point onwards, there will be more in the way of ad-hoc projects and publications designed to respond to a rapidly changing and increasingly challenging situation. Being tied to a sprawling, time consuming blog project like the Heckler was holding us back.

Lastly, we felt that the Heckler had become an end in itself as opposed to a means to an end. When a project exists for the sake of existing, regardless of how many years it has been going and how much work has gone into it, the time has come to call it a day and move on.

This blog is now archived for posterity.

I’m involved in two other projects – DiY Culture and Alternative Estuary. Ending the Heckler will allow me to devote more time to those projects and also, get some of my life back.

Lastly, I’d like to thank the comrades who have supported us for so long – your backing through some tough times has been greatly appreciated:)

Dave – the editor