Activism and the dissociation from popular strugglesCampaigns concerning, anti war, anti capitalist, occupy, ordinary people can feel threatening and antagonised by. This work is important, but global warming, doesn’t mean much to a lot of people in their day to day existence. Does the activist need to think less sometimes about incomprehensible rhetoric and meaningless discourse and start to relate more to the folk we will need to carry off major social change. If our campaigning, groups, ideas and movements don’t assist and relate to everyday problems of people, is there any reason for them to be successful?Topics ideas for discussion workshops
Critical Connections – Social Networks -Building Institutions – Institutional Change

It is an imperative if we are to have any kind of decent future we need to mobilise our communities. The financial cuts that affect our well-being that will be used to protect the well-being of bankers are already beginning to sink deep, particularly to those least capable of absorbing them.

There is not much more to be had out of complaining to each other, nor comparing our misery, or explaining how banks are bad. it is time to start making the connections that can build solidarity towards change but are also connections relevant to people in the community.

Over the last year in places like Govan, Maryhill, Dalmarnock and in vicinities elsewhere, there has been constructive commotions. Folk are getting together and voicing their opinions, getting on their soapboxes and testing the water.

We are beginning to make the connections between the community garden to the community centre to the community facilities and all kinds of groups and individuals are showing up to talk. Meetings all over are becoming more constructive and focused. Popular education, Facilitation, consensual ideas are beginning to arouse the radical imagination, understanding and confidence of the community.

If our hope is for a different system, we need to discover what it is, what it should look like and if it has to be more horizontal and representational to ordinary people, who better to involve in helping to build it than those who would hope to benefit most from the change.

Now comes the difficult part. How do we shape this new information and confidence into intelligent ideas rather than just protest. How do we agree on some overarching aims, create associations, institutions that will bind our efforts and create the solidarity needed to build a mass movement that can challenge the might of the banks and powerful corporations?

Quite a tall order but nothing that hasn’t happened before in our history. It will not all happen tomorrow, (nor over the Reshuffle), but the event may create, not the answers, but an opportunity to engage in the questions and “ways of thinking” Maybe some ideas towards organisation and mobilisation, through critical connections and to explore what others are maybe thinking and doing towards these ends.

Topics ideas for discussion workshops
Critical Connections – Social Networks -Building Institutions – Institutional Change. Other topics

These ideas have come about through talking to people not particularly engaged in politics but keen to do things but frustrated at the lack of places facility and understanding of where to place their energy. There are also success stories, campaigns working on these things so how do we get them out there for others to see and use?