How should the non-party political left respond to the rise of the far right?

[ska invita]

That is a massively important question. And, I'd add to what extent is there variation by class, location, age, sex and so on. If anyone has read or seen any decent work on these types of questions please share it.

funnily enough DAN EVANS no less shared this on twitter the other day
It for the USA though but the trend is the trend

The Anti-Social Century

Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality.

www.theatlantic.com

which builds on a trend: Bowling Alone was from the late 90s....

Bowling Alone - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

again USA

 

[Smokeandsteam]

funnily enough DAN EVANS no less shared this on twitter the other day
It for the USA though but the trend is the trend

The Anti-Social Century

Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality.

www.theatlantic.com

From his trendy Cardiff loft apartment no doubt..

Seriously, thanks for this Ska. A useful starting point.

 

[chilango]

Yeah, I don't know how typical this is... but I've had something like 14 or 15 different workplaces and (I think) about 27 different addresses in my life so far. What sort of foundation is that for workplace or locality organising?

 

[ska invita]

Yeah, I don't know how typical this is... but I've had something like 14 or 15 different workplaces and (I think) about 27 different addresses in my life so far. What sort of foundation is that for workplace or locality organising?

its not typical

 

[ska invita]

A useful starting point.

yes i think its only a starting point tbh. As you say variation by class, location, age, sex is the more important bit and that requires a proper academic study.

My feeling is there is a massive gap out there for putting things on in public spaces and being publicly visible. Its more expensive, its a hassle, venues cost a lot etc etc, but it can really solidify connections and commitments. It need to be inviting to randoms and not subcultural.

The other thing that I think could be vastly improved is to make talks/public meetings far more interactive and facilitated so people meet each other and build friendships, rather than consume information and leave.

Here in London a group called Brick Lane Debates had a short but fruitful run of events like this. A bit more like Spanish 'circles' (it came out of that time) than your usual lecture, and did result in people making political friendship groups, but it fizzled out too quickly. Its a good model, Id love to see more of it. It requires knowledgeable facilitating though.

 

[LDC]

funnily enough DAN EVANS no less shared this on twitter the other day
It for the USA though but the trend is the trend

The Anti-Social Century

Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. It’s changing our personalities, our politics, and even our relationship to reality.

www.theatlantic.com

View attachment 460355


which builds on a trend: Bowling Alone was from the late 90s....

Bowling Alone - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

again USA

From the The Atlantic article, needs cross-posting to the knife crime thread...

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to poor neighborhoods in big cities, and the community leaders tell me the real crisis for poor teenagers is that there’s just not much for them to do anymore, and nowhere to go,” Klinenberg told me. “I’d like to see the government build social infrastructure for teenagers with the creativity and generosity with which video-game companies build the toys that keep them inside. I’m thinking of athletic fields, and public swimming pools, and libraries with beautiful social areas for young people to hang out together.”

 

[ska invita]

its not typical

that said I think younger people stuck in renting DO move around a lot more than my generation.

 

[LDC]

that said I think younger people stuck in renting DO move around a lot more than my generation.

I'd be interested to see recent stats about workplace/job stability and moving related to various professions and jobs.

Anecdotely almost everyone I've worked with in the NHS who I chatted to who wasn't a doctor seemed to live and work pretty much where they were born - apart from the international nurses etc. which is another complicated factor in the healthcare workforce. One nurse I knew born and working in Wakefield all his life so far (he was in his late 30s) had been to London once and wasn't going back, said it was 'very unpleasant' - or words along those lines.

 

[lazythursday]

From the The Atlantic article, needs cross-posting to the knife crime thread...

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to poor neighborhoods in big cities, and the community leaders tell me the real crisis for poor teenagers is that there’s just not much for them to do anymore, and nowhere to go,” Klinenberg told me. “I’d like to see the government build social infrastructure for teenagers with the creativity and generosity with which video-game companies build the toys that keep them inside. I’m thinking of athletic fields, and public swimming pools, and libraries with beautiful social areas for young people to hang out together.”

I've been a bit involved with a project to improve a woodland / sports area which has some of this at its heart - turning a bit of a dispiriting community space into one that sparks joy and has facilities for hanging out. And tbh it's totally burnt me out - the amount that funders/council expect 'communities' (eg one or two volunteers) to do is beyond places that don't have loads of retired middle class people with existing knowledge/skills.

So yeah, the crucial bit for me there is '"I'd like to see the government build". That's what makes me a bit wary of some of the ideas around building social infrastructure as part of political action - as with social spaces, it's just forcing unpaid work on people that should be paid for.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

the amount that funders/council expect 'communities' (eg one or two volunteers) to do is beyond places that don't have loads of retired middle class people with existing knowledge/skills.

leaving aside the politics / ethics of expecting volunteers to pick up the pieces of what used to be public sector work, the number of 'early retirement with a decent pension' people that the voluntary sector has relied on for the last couple of decades is dwindling and a lot of voluntary organisations are struggling to get enough volunteers now...

 

[hitmouse]

Yeah, I think the "let the government build it" thing is a trade-off between different sets of problems rather than a straightforwardly better option - even if anyone feels straightforwardly positive about the idea of Starmer-run yoof clubs or whatever, I'm not sure that "Starmer-run yoof club that doesn't immediately lose all its funding when the Badenoch/Farage coalition takes over in '29" is a more realistic alternative to anything.
In terms of a medium-term goal, I reckon that maybe the best thing to aim for might be for people to get paid more money for working shorter hours and retiring earlier so that doing voluntary/community stuff isn't so much of a drain on a few people's over-stretched free time and resources. Not that I really have a realistic plan for how to get to that goal either.