by a UK comradista

WHAT S HOT

Wandergesellen
An itinerant crafts people with a tradition dating back to the 12th century. Not only do they sport shapely, arse-hugging, double zipper cords and sexy Han Solo waistcoats, they also created the most incredible camp at Reddelich. We were all feeling the spacious showers, the capacious bar and the bodacious children's playground. As a cultural phenomena they have gone from geek to chic in an astonishingly short space of time

Widening the cracks*
The resistance metaphor du jour and an 'an endless source of smirks, giggles and wise-cracks'. ho ho! . From the five fingers** widening the cracks of the G8 summit itself to the Anarchist Teapot Sound System for widening the cracks of activist music dogma. cracks were widened everywhere.

The unsung heroes of the resistance
It was not all about front-line glory from the guy who spent every afternoon picking up the litter, Carlos Camper who fielded the world s media at the camp gates to the people that held the front-line of porta-loo hygiene. None of it would have been possible without them.

Tandems - the new buddies

The Concierge - Welcome tents are so last year

Centralised washing up systems
A massive leap forward in camp hygiene and a possible explanation for this year s lack of Dissent!ry

Pink and black international brigades t-shirts
This season's must-have commodification of our resistance

Out of Action barrio
Providing medical help, chill out, support spaces and great coffee!

Mobile Kitchens at the blockades for feeding the front lines

The Hedonist International
For squatting extra land at Rostock, for the old skool hay bale rave and for mobilising the musical cavalry to the demos and blockades

Working with the local communities
Never goes out of fashion. There was not enough but what there was, was hot

Dry nights before actions
BLOCK FIRST DRINK LATER - Slightly undermined by all the other bars everywhere but a great idea.

Forest, poppies and relentless sunshine

The blockades
Both mass and autonomous- huge, diverse, sexy, inspiring- Que scorchio!!!!! You could not see the five fingers in action without it stirring your loins so many tales of caring, sharing, solidarity, dignity and grace under pressure. Having a plan made a big difference and we hope to be seeing more of this in seasons to come.

And last but by no means least
A marked improvement from 2005- the main event was stopping the G8 from happening rather than welcoming them to do more--- Hot!

WHAT S NOT

Lack of queer male wandegesellen
Don't worry boys! The what's hot team have it on good authority that there is one joining in six months time

Insurectionary ManArchists
Aggressive, unreasonable, and a constant source of movement strife. Can you please go and insurrect someone where else and come back after you have had some gender awareness workshops!

Confusing tactics with political principals - In reference to those who would rather fight than win

Gender balance in Turbulence - otherwise it would have been on the Hot list.

Shitting by the sides of the blockades- Companer@s please!!!!!!

Peter Wahl from Attac

Could you take any more distance? Actually yes, please take more distance.

Chemical toilets and the absence of compost toilets

The Silo guarders
A big thank you to all the people that put there time and energy into protecting the strategically important grain silos. Not only were our beautiful Mexican companer@s not allowed up there but the Queer barrio took action against the silo guarders due to reports that they had their binoculars trained on the showers during women's showering hours... so not hot

Queer Identitarianism - kind of defeats the whole point, no?

Camera Paranoia
There are helicopters flying overhead with technology beyond our imagination, cops on every demo with a plethora of cameras and everyone has a mobile with a camera on it anyway. So why go intimidating and in some cases attacking movement-based independent journalists?

The Suicide Block
For going 100m away from the camp to the small village of Reddelich, taking down some garden fences, dismantling a rockery garden, throwing some mollies around then going back home to bed. Oh and bringing the riot cops home with you. A lot of posturing for, well, nothing really.

The counter summit for taking place on the the same days as the blockades. Whose bright idea was that?

*the word crack has several meanings, in this case it is provoking giggling as it is a slang word for the part between your buttocks.

**the five fingers tactic was the technique used to break through the police lines and worked incredibly effectively. Upon reaching a police line the mass of people would divide into five fingers- becoming an ungovernable mass.