WRITING ON THE Arms Control Wonk site, Paul Kerr reflects on the dynamic between the political and cultural impact of Crass and the re-emergence of CND (the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) in the early 1980s.
Arms Control Wonk was founded in 2004 by Jeffrey Lewis and claims to be “the first blog on arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation.” Over time, it has evolved to become a “home to everything that is ‘too wonky or obscene’ for publication about nuclear weapons.”
Kerr’s thinkpiece is a result of recent conversations with Steve Ignorant and with Penny Rimbaud. “The former seems like a geezer you’d chat with in a pub; the latter comes across as an anti-capitalist Gandalf,” Kerr suggests.
Kerr presents a clear difference in emphasis in the perspectives of Rimbaud and Ignorant.
Rimbaud reaffirms the claim that he has put forward on multiple occasions, in print and verbally: that Crass played a decisive role in CND’s revival.
Ignorant is more measured, suggesting that “Crass ‘can take a bit’ of credit for raising public awareness of CND,” but arguing that the intensification of the nuclear arms race in the early 1980s ensured that organised anti-nuclear sentiment would have “been in the forefront again” in any event.
Paul Kerr. 2021. ‘Crass and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’. Arms Control Wonk, 14 February, https://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1210940/crass-and-campaign-for-nuclear-disarmament/
The Hippies Now Wear Black 