Good afternoon merry folk for change! 🔥
The UK contingent of my audience have woken up to a new era this morning. A Labour landslide ushers in a hopefully brighter future – though they are unlikely to implement the kind of radical change our society and planet really needs. Much of that work, as ever, rests in our hands as individuals, activists, optimists and networks fighting for change. So, as we looks to new political futures, here are 5 social ideas, tips and talking points, all of which I’ve come across or re-discovered over the past fortnight. Please enjoy!
1. What I can’t get my head round: Bonkers electoral Processes – All doesn’t make sense to me: Labour wins with a landslide but boasts only a marginally higher vote share (33.8%) than Jeremy Corbyn’s election campaign in 2019 (32.2%). Meanwhile, half a million more people voted for Reform (4,091,549 votes) than Liberal Democrats (3,499,933 votes), despite Reform winning just 4 seats and Liberal Democrats 71. Similarly, the Green and Reform both win 4 seats, despite Reform attracting over twice as many votes as the Greens (1,939,502 votes). I’ve always believed in proportional representation, and I would say these discrepancies highlight how needed it is, were I not rather thankful it hasn’t worked out in Reform’s favour!
2. What I’m watching: Lost Boys and Fairies – Thank you Silas for sharing this one with me: this gut-wrenching, tear-jerking 3-part series about a gay couple in Cardiff going through the adoption process is BBC drama at its very best. Unmissable – but be ready to cry your heart out!
3. What I’m also watching: The Grab – An exposé by the director who brought us Blackfish, this thrilling documentary follows how land, water and the global food system is being bought up by private equity in the pocket of a powerful elite. Painting a grim picture for the future of food security on our planet that is already over-stressed by humankind’s appetite for growth, these seemingly intractable issues makes UK elections feel pretty mundane.
4. Quote I’m pondering over: Naomi Klein in Doppelganger – “We are all trapped inside economic and social structures that encourage us to obsessively perfect our minuscule selves even as we know, if only on a subconscious level, that we are in the very last years when it might still be possible to avert an existential planetary crisis.” (pg. 324)
5. What I’m signing and sharing: RSPCA: Rampant Animal Cruelty – The RSPCA’s Assured scheme for certifying ethically-sourced animal products is worse than a joke. It is quite frankly criminal. As George Monbiot exhorts in a recent article, “So extreme and outrageous are the RSPCA’s failures that I suspect animals would be better off without it.” Watch this video for an overview of Animal Rising’s important investigation and sign the petition here!
📣 Opportunities and Offers
👓 Become a Trustee – I consult for this lovely small charity that established runs community-led meals across the UK to foster social connection and a sense of welcome. They’re looking for a Trustee!
🌏 SEO Specialist – we’re looking for an SEO specialist to join our team!
That’s it for this fortnight! As ever, please let me know your thoughts and feedback – and send anything you’d like me to include in upcoming editions this way.
