Our choices - conscious and unconscious - of where, when and 'how' we protest - constrain our options, whether we can see that or not. In 2005 activists at the Gleneagles G8 meeting realised that "summit-hopping" and responding to elite agendas was demoralising and debilitating. Thus was born the principle of a 'Camp for Climate... Continue Reading →
Maunderings and meanderings (Thesis) #Window #Metaphors #sense-making
Maundering #1 One of the key techniques for defensive institutional work is to make nonsense; to destroy or at the very least degrade the sense-making capacity of your opponents. Disorientate your enemy, deprive them of the ability to figure out – (quick enough - these are OODA loops, don't forget), what is going on. Screw... Continue Reading →
Rallying the troops. #smugosphere
I went to a rally yesterday. It was good – started on time, didn’t outstay its welcome, had an admirably diverse range of speakers (the [old] white male quotient was low, much lower than it would have been even ten years ago). Well-organised, nothing about to say a reflection etc etc. So why was I... Continue Reading →
Event Report: Voices from the Climate Front line
Australians have known about climate change since 1988. In 1989 at the South Pacific Forum, the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke found himself in discussion with leaders who worried (rightly, as it turned out) that their island nations were in danger [see below]. The intervening 28 years have been ones of promises broken, hopes dashed, while... Continue Reading →
Political parties as street gangs. Except in #Manchester of course…
This below is from a Quarterly Essay called Unfinished Business: Sex, Freedom and Misogny by Anna Goldsworthy. It's in the correspondence bit, talking about the previous essay, 'Not Dead Yet' by Mark Latham. I have added the link. Part of the explanation of this organisational shortcoming lies in the fact that political parties are strange beasts.... Continue Reading →
Keeping together in time: movement-building and mobilising
Most activist events, even (especially?) the ones that are supposed to be energising are, imho, demoralising and dis-visioning. Stale repertoires, ritual denunciations that show us – and others – our powerlessness and lack of imagination.Today, while setting the mood and giving information, an activist used a word you don't hear often - joy. When I... Continue Reading →
Books I absolutely did not buy today.
I went to a worthy (and fun) protest at which people closed their accounts with the Commonwealth Bank, because it (and the other three biggies) are saying they want to keep the world under the two degree warming target, which I wrote a short factual piece about, and will use to think more about mobilising... Continue Reading →
Vale Erik Petersen – “Old time mem’ry”
Just found out that Erik Petersen, of Mischief Brew died earlier this year. I never saw him perform, and have only today been listening to his (excellent) work. Al Baker had covered one of his songs (co-written with Robert Blake), which he kindly played at my wedding. It's a corker; beautiful to listen to, the... Continue Reading →
Why argue with #climate denialists? It’s comforting is why
"Never wrestle with a pig, you both get muddy, but the pig enjoys it" as the old saying goes. But what if we, secretly, enjoy it too? Or if wrestling with the pig is a safer and more fun option that wrestling with the angry rabid hippo who is next in line? WTAF am I... Continue Reading →
Machiavelli on incumbency and insurgency…
As Mr. Machiavelli said- “It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This... Continue Reading →
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