I have a template now, and a rhythm that works for me. Here's the latest. Tell me what you think, how they could be improved (highlighting words in the quotes when I am reading aloud would be one thing. Leaving out some of the 'comic' asides would be another. What else? https://twitter.com/marcsrhudson/status/1626294996511997952
Manchester Labour’s utter naked contempt for democracy, part 94 (thousand).
So, Manchester City Council has 96 Councillors. 91 belong to Labour, and a more craven bunch of neoliberal stooges you are unlikely to find this side of the Conservative party. The City Council has an executive system, meaning 10 of the (Labour) councillors run the show, with a "cabinet" and a "leader." There are six... Continue Reading →
Is #climate really a “comms issue”? Really? Srsly?
There's another new report out, this time based on a survey of 2000 adults (1) that tacitly pins the blame for climate inertia on various forms of 'denial' and delayism. You can read about it on the excellent edie.net website here. I could be wrong, but these sorts surveys and reports seem to get done... Continue Reading →
Of XR’s “The Big One” – likely numbers and likely consequences
In April the next (and final?) XR event will take place, in London. In January the organisation click-baited a "We Quit" statement (see here for more.) They are claiming they will get 100 thousand people to turn up and... (mill around? sell newspapers to each other? something else?) So, two things. First the numbers. There's... Continue Reading →
Of Theseus, Vygotsky and the lack of dry docks for planks to be replaced
So the old puzzle goes - of Theseus's ship - if you replace the mast twice, the sails thrice and every plank of the hull over time, is it STILL, after all that the "original" Theseus' ship? (and, if it isn't anymore, when did it stop being so?) Then there's Lev Vygotsky, the Russian educational... Continue Reading →
On failing to solve the January 4th 2023 problem….
Well, back in mid-2019 I wrote this Here's an excerpt January 4th 2023 is a Wednesday. There’s probably going to be a scrutiny committee meeting or two of Manchester City Council on that day. Back-bench councillors will gather to hear presentations from officers and Executive Members, and pick over reports. (In a perfect world Manchester City... Continue Reading →
The barriers to skill-sharing and what to do about them (maybe) #SocialMovements #SocialMovementPathologies
Hello, this post, inspired by this one on Friday covers some reasons why skills-sharing is so hard to do, especially in allegedly "non-hierarchical" social movement groups.. It covers why it matters, why it doesn’t happen easily, and, of course, ‘what we could do.’ I’ve tried to park my unhelpful (to other people if not myself)... Continue Reading →
Hello to new after-the-Conversation-article readers – barriers to skillsharing…
Today the Conversation posted another article of mine about Extinction Rebellion - you can read it here. I got a high profile follower out of it, and a lovely email from someone, and a media request. Anyway, if you've come here, you're probably interested in social movements, and so you're in the right place (or... Continue Reading →
“Ten Years since [the first] Climate Camp”
In 2016 some people put together a booklet to mark the ten year anniversary of the first "Camp for Climate Action." They published this among the various pieces-
Unpublished FT letter, on Just Stop Oil, Thatcher and social movements… @JustStop_Oil
Another failed letter (my one success this year was in May. See here). The excellent letter from Patricia Finney ('It's simple physics and chemistry - climate change will kill us all', FT 17 December) will hopefully give readers o the FT in high places pause for thought. There are two points I wish to clarify.... Continue Reading →
marchudson.net 