Rebellions aren't easy: where do we go from here?

Many thanks for sharing - I really love that LRB take, with one exception being that I think it continues the press-perpetuated myth of Roger's leadership. Not that I think this is a total fantasy - if enough people believe he 'leads XR', then of course that means he does in effect, and vice versa. And obviously it depends on what you mean by leadership - but in my own experience I haven't seen much actual reason for it (outside media treating him as such) since at least before April.

Whether or not that's a good thing... I guess I'd say that to me the lack of guiding vision and strategy is much more a symtpom of our lost cohesion than vice versa; and that whatever Roger's credentials as a 'progenitor', he is not capable of helping to bring the internal (or indeed international) cohesion that we need.

If it gives you any hope, I'd at least say that if we do start trying to act like an NGO (as is very much a possibility), we wouldn't manage: too many people would leave... It's quite a nice fear to hear, though, insofar as I very much share it.

Hi, just joined and no idea how Loomio works but hope to find out as I go. Your article really resonated with me, I've been having similar thoughts.

Thanks! I guess the next step is for those of us who have these worries to work on some steps for addressing them

I'd love to have a response to my posting on 2nd May.

Hi! Sorry, I had a busy period!

Thanks! Wonderful to read you here too!

Yeah, that sort of cultural reflection sounds really interesting. I've heard it described as desireable lots of times, but it seems in our emergency / resource-strapped culture it's pretty easy to just keep on deferring oppression workshops, and/or for them to be ill-attended or esoteric when they actually take place. Would/should we prioritise them above a local action?

I guess to answer that you've got to have a position on how essential it is for us to achieve that kind of reculturing. Perhaps we could remain repressed, authority-loving bouregouis subjects and still meet our demands? It didn't seem that big a problem in the opening months until and during April, but we didn't have such a big local scene then, and I guess our earliest members probably tended to be more radical.

Whatever the details, it makes me think we'd benefit from a more intentional approach to culture: at the moment most of it seems to be a sort of by-product of other areas of emphasis (including regen), but your account (and others) makes me think it's pretty crucial, especially when (as ever) thinking of our April high water-mark. We can't just hope something emerges that makes people feel happy and empowered, we have to actually create conditions that encourage this.

As a sort of side-note, I guess the Milgram experiment is a pretty pertinent point of reference

I also am glad to have come across this conversation, which is raising the right kinds of issues. I have 45 years of street level community organising experience in Peckham, SE London. Spent much of that time pondering on the issues raised in this exchange and been involved in many sub journeys around the issues. My latest street level role is coordinator of active citizens group Peckham Vision - http://www.peckhamvision.org , social media @peckhamvision (please follow us). I have spent many years studying in action the dynamics of street level organising and how to interact effectively with the institutions and the corporate world. Please see my thoughts on this in these two links:

Youtube interview - http://goo.gl/Fs6f73

My published paper - https://bit.ly/2yIoS7b

I have been pleased at the emergence of XR groups organised by borough in London, and assume and hope that is happening also in other parts of the country. Teaming up the newly attracted energy of XR in local areas with the existing widespread thousands of activists already working on local community issues is a key to developing effective sustainable community structures. We are doing this in the London borough of Southwark through the Southwark Planning Network (SPN) which brings together activist groups on planning across the borough. We are working with XR Southwark on the issues the climate emergency and now the public health emergency raise for planning and redevelopment issues, that many of us are already grappling with as an, as yet unacknowledged, emergency.

That is happening in Lewes too Eileen. XR Lewes works with Transition Town Lewes, Plastic Free Lewes, Sustrans, Divest East Sussex and Lewes District Council among others. We had a big joint event planned for this summer which had to be cancelled sadly. We're hoping to put it on one day.

That's good to know that the linking of networks is happening in other places as well. This must be a stronger part of the new normal.

Hey Eileen - thanks so much for this!
I really love your energy/matter point - I think it has loads of general relevance, and to XR still more so. This sort of conceptual agility seems key to understanding our dyanmism, strengths and weakness: I think it's easy on the UKS teams (especially for those having spent a year or more building 'matter' structures) to think only or primarily in these kinds of concrete terms, to the likely detriment of our local (i.e. entire) membership which lives as much in terms of fluid energy.
I guess something that this and your paper ('s abstract - I'm planning to read it when I have time today or tomorrow - looks really helpful!) begs as a question is where and how to rebalance or reconcile the energy/matter or (related but presumably distinct) horizontal/vertical tradeoffs. Do we accept that UKS needs to walk and talk like an institution to be most effective, complete with a clear verticality? Should local groups admit any verticality? Should UKS and 'local' even be treated as separate entities?

In any case, it's great to hear about that kind of community cooperation. Not without its own complexities, of course, but it seems a crucial part of maintaining/regaining an understanding that we aren't disrupting the public, but that we are the public; among so many other benefits!