1968 and all that / La revolution est incroyable parce que vraie

Held on Saturday 10 May 2008 at Conway Hall, London, with speakers from France, Germany, Spain, USA, Eastern Europe, Africa and Britain.

Talks | Films | Books | Games | Art | T-shirts | Contact us

Ady Cousins came along on the day and filmed several of the talks (listed at left), including Istvan Meszaros and Eamonn McCann. We also found footage of Ian Bone's talk.

Books about 1968 are available on-line through AndrewBurgin.com, as are the two conference T-shirts.

The 40th anniversary of 1968 is also being marked by other events in London.

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Send us your feedback using our comments form or by e-mail.

Dear Andrew,
I will always treasure last saturday.I met people I'd been at school with and last saw in July 1968 when we were involved in a school strike.Looking back on it we were so eager to get out of school that we forgot to call off the strike.So I guess we are still technically still on strike!! (this was at the JFS Comprehensive School in Camden Town)
Anyway,the sun shone....class war misbehaved and I even got a comradely hug from one of my situationist friends.Great stuff.
Thank you and your friends for organising it.
Ed Rosen

I would just like to say that I found the event really enjoyable. The talks that I went to on Woodcraft, Student activists and Vygotsky were really interesting and thought provoking, inspiring activism. The comradeship and the general atmosphere was really quite unique. My only regret is that I didn't hear about the event in enough time to tell other Goldsmiths students and people from the Woodcraft Folk. If there are anymore events like this then please take my email address so that I can spread the word amongst the youth movements I am involved in. Cheers,
Karl Rosen, London Region Woodcraft Folk

Hello Andrew. Thanks for your email, and for Saturday, which was a brilliant piece of organising by you and others who worked with you. It was nostalgic and forward-looking, informative and fun, and if you want to add that to the richly-deserved tributes on the website, please do. I’m sorry too that we didn’t get to meet, but I guess it was one of those occasions when you had to be in five places at once. I hope our paths will cross on another occasion.
There were some good stories, so I hope you’ll get some interesting material for the website. FYI I’ve attached a copy of the handout I used as a stimulus. If you want to include that as well, go ahead.
All the best
Zoe Fairbairns

I think this was one of the best conferences I've been to both in terms of organisation, spirit and sheer intellectual exuberance. My only regret is that I didn't arrive earlier. Getting to see Piers Corbyn, Mike Marqusee, Mr Compendium, Sheila Rowbotham and the incomparable Eamonn McCann made for an unforgettable day. I also found a copy of the Penguin Collection of Cricket for 50p. What more can I say? Many thanks to all involved- a happy, sunny day amidst these sour times.
Tim Street

What a thoroughly pleasurable conference, Andrew. Your anti-sectarian good humour and wit pervaded the whole occasion. Even the pro-situ picket outside was fun. Well done, man.
Ben & Esther

Just a note to say thanks for a well organised and enjoyable conference.
Tony Martin & Kim Shearer

Thanks for a really good day. It was both informative and inspiring, and also (relatively) non-sectarian.
Ian Birchall

Hi Andrew,
I'm sorry I didn't manage to track you down on the day, but what a day it
was, and we must thank you for having us. It was great, friendly, thought
provoking and memorable to say the least.
All the best
Tom

Dear Andrew,
Just like to offer my thanks for organizing this as a 'punter'. It was stimulating, thoroughly enjoyable and a chance to catch up with a few comrades! I also attended some 1968 events here in Bristol, organised as part of the Festival of Ideas. While the panel discussion on the 'Sixties and Idealism' was interesting it was much more generalising than the talks I attended at Conway Hall which really got stuck into the detail. Good to catch up on some of the spirit as I was about 18 months old in May '68 and living in a small Wiltshire towns which probably didn't swing anyway.
Steve Hunt

A great event. I just hope that everyone who attended will take Alain Krivine's point that the events of 1968 are not only more justified today, they are also more likely to happen and more likely to be a success. Perhaps we should hold a similar event a year from now at which people report back on what they've done??
Mark Richardson

Well done to everyone for producing a stimulating and 'different' event. Among other things, hearing Eamonn McCann combine passion with a dispassionate synthesis of historical and intellectual knowledge was very inspiring.
Nico Macdonald

I really enjoyed it - saw numerous interesting events and felt there was a real camaraderie among the diverse attendees: a shared sense of optimisim that things can be better than they are at present. And it was actually very well-organised!
Ian Long

I don't know what the general view was but I had a fantastic time. I met friends that I had not seen for ages, and the three authors taking part had a great day. We sold a modest number of books, but we got two large trade orders and made some useful contacts. Well done to you and all the volunteers. I was stuck at the stall so never went to a session save for the one I introduced, but I heard good comments about many of the sessions. There seemed a remarkable amount of good comradeship. And the bagels were nice. Thanks to all.
Ross Bradshaw, Five Leaves

A brilliant day which kicked off for me with a full room at 11 am discussing Essex 1968 and 2008. Dominic Kavakeb, President of Essex NUS, is doing the memory of '68 proud! The beer was great, but pity it got sold to those strange people who thought the place was full of 'wankers! Well done Andrew. I think only you could pull off a remarkable event like this.
David Wilson

Congrats on an inspired day. You did an amazing job of organising and orchestrating a conference. Brilliant, man!
Anne Aylor

Thank you for a lovely, inspiring event which was so well & selflessly organised.
The best session I went to was about squatting but I had plenty of laughs in the others !
Please let me know when any films are to be shown and meanwhile THANKS again to you and Barry and all the other organisers.
AMANDA SEBESTYEN

"Sous les pavés, la plage."