The Mass Mobilisation: UK XR Mobilisation Plan Summary

Thanks for all the incredible work and thought and planning that is in this proposal its a strong plan. I have been local lead link for Totnes and Area and the Hosting team and now supporting Regional Development South West. The main tension I can see is in the internal work that is needed to develop the smaller local groups who have formed but who are operating really like large Affinity Groups. There would be expectations for these groups to undertake mobilisation to get more people involved but actually those groups themselves really need SOS development, Facilitation support. So I would suggest that there is a third layer of work needed for mass mobilisation to work a) the bringing on new groups that is outlined here - yes b) the supporting local groups to do mobilisation ie pledges different methods - yes but c) a new layer of work -local group internal development support. What we don't want is for there to be lots of mobilisation of new people but fragmented or patchy local group structrue/ organisations/ meetings for them to come into or new people will quickly get disillusioned. Also I would say and I can see that it has been named but can't emphasis how important it feels to make sure this links with new County Co-ordinator Roles being set up and Regional Co-ordinators as well. I think that County- Co-ordinators are key in all the options a, b, c and I would think that paying them as part of the mobilisation team would be really wise or that they have the opportunity because that's what they will be really in practice. Ruth

Hi Robin. A huge piece of work , well done. I offer some thought from the perspective as a local group coordinator in a large very rural area that is far from London. By and large i would echo Ruths comments. If it is approached as a way to assist and empower local groups it should go ok, and if done through building the Regional / county teams it will support the decentralisation . If however local groups feel they are not getting the training/assistance needed to execute this, and have expectations placed upon them by "central" it may not go so well. Possibly resulting in Local groups choosing to exercise their autonomy.
I feel a key risk of things not going "so well" will depend on how the metrics resulting from the "live feed " of data local groups will be put under an obligation to provide are interpreted . If there are no methods used to balance the figures coming out of different groups with respect to the size of geographic area they cover, the population density/demographic of that area, and geographic restrictions such as public transport availability then any figures are likely to portray rural groups in a manner that does not reflect the reality of the time and effort they continue to put in under difficult conditions. Ian .

We know we need to fill our police stations and our jails to make this movement successful.

We can fill up the jails - but not with school children or middle-aged people, they have a bit too much to lose. Losing a job due to getting a criminal record can be a real disaster leading to losing your house and becoming homeless and destitute - not just you, but the whole family. That is a really big ask.

But we can build a Gran Army of many thousands of retired people, like me. We have some sort of steady income/ pension, we cannot be sacked, whatever we do our pension remains and in any case what the hell are we going to do with the rest of our lives if not trying to ensure that our grandkids will have a planet to live on.

I am proposing to raise such a Gran Army (bit like Dad's Army but for all sexes). Here is the spiel:

It's down to us!

Its down to us because our generation allowed this to happen.

It's down to us because we have time on our hands.

It's down to us because we have steady secure income as pensions and loads of special discounts.

It's down to us because we are arrestable.

It's down to us because we can't be sacked for being arrested.

It's down to us because our wrinkles make us media gold dust.

It's down to us because we love our children and they can't afford to do it.

It's down to us because we want our grandchildren to inherit the Earth in a state compatible with continued human civilisation.

It's down to us because we have nothing to lose.

Let's form an army of arrestables and set ourselves a target of 20,000 arrests in 2020 (so roughly 10 each). That will put a bit of pressure on the police, the court system and the government.

Let's face it, what else are we going to do with the rest of our lives?
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May we incorporate that into the Mobilisation project or would it be better to start a new project?

@Paul Sousek - your list sounds good. Not sure about getting arrested 10 times in 2020, though! Also, XR Pensioners has a ring to it - like the Chelsea ones? 😎

Getting arrested 10 times in a year is the goal to generate a massive impact. Many of us got arrested several times in April and again in October. Add to that couple of local action and its done.
XR Pensioners sounds good, although I wanted to include the word Army.
I have put up the proposal on couple of XR facebook groups to see what kind of reaction/ support the proposal may have. I intended to get that going if we achieve 100 likes. So far about 75.

@Robin Boardman do you see that as potentially part of XR mobilisation?
if not, how can I obtain some kind of XR official status for the initiative?

@Paul Sousek - arrested several times - excellent. One problem some of us have, living in the sticks (i.e. mid Wales) is the potential cost of travelling and appearing in court. Being retired is a good start, but not many outside London/Manchester/Bristol/etc have the time and resources to match those more conveniently located to actions and arrests. Just saying, Paul!

@Paul Sousek love the idea of a Gran Army! Count me in!

Regarding making pledges.........I know badges are popular, perhaps we could have a special badge for each pledge that a person makes. A concrete sybol/reminder of their pledge both to themselves and to others.

Very clear and logical work, thanks. My feedback: Wondered if XR could liaise with other green pressure groups to create a fortnight of truly big marches, street theatre and non-violent actions all over the UK, synchronised with the next Rebellion. The Green Party, some trades unions and the now greener Labour Party might play ball too, at a politically sanitary distance, perhaps via special climate emergency conferences, all needing policing too. If all these events were big and bold enough to keep the Police in their home patches, that would stretch them even further than last time and allow XR's actions more time to set up and entrench^. This mass uprising could be conceived of as a series of rings of toughness: at the centre any XR folk prepared to suffer prison; then XR arrestees; XR disobedient to point of arrest; XR demonstrators avoiding arrest, now, by this reaching out, considerably swollen by Student Strikers, Greenpeace, FoE, and any other green or environmental activists; plus an outer ring of members of the public inspired to join the demos - some perhaps on strike (or sick) for the climate. Have just visited Greenpeace and FoE groups local to my XR group to see where they are at. Both now have climate emergency top of their agenda. Greenpeace group is younger, less politically savvy, but energetic and eager. One showed disapproval of XR; others agreed very much that The Time is Now. FoE group was more mature, very well researched and politically very savvy. They were also pro-XR and are keen on some collaboration. I expect, for the sake of the planet, both Greenpeace and FoE would be keen to provide carefully synchronised demos and actions that would not only add to the impact and breadth of the Rebellion but give XR's own actions a better chance of succeeding. The idea could be used internationally too. Make 2020 the tipping point for the end of denial.

^ I witnessed the early demise of the Beacon on Westminster Bridge. Tactics also need sharpening, but I'll make suggestions separately.

Just a technical / facilitation point as a Loomio nerd and process person, making use of Loomio's brilliant Proposal or Poll features can be a fantastic way to not just add another comment but actually temperature check a statement and make visual where the group as a whole stands on a particular thing

I would encourage it, even if the poll statement is not popular, at least we know!