Whilst the focus of this website is on music, now that the results of the elections have sunk in, I need a moment to talk about politics.
It has been disconcerting and discouraging to see how narratives of division, prejudice and scapegoating become stronger in our society. The increasing popularity of a party like Reform UK, which openly talks about defunding statutory services and replacing the NHS with an insurance model that would deprive countless people from the care they need, reveals how our social bonds are degrading under pressure. Tricked into believing that our lives will be easier if we agree to make other people’s lives harder, we are turning against each other.
We can and must do better than this.
Across the country, there are a number of organisations working to educate the public and help us find better answers to our problems. We can contribute to this by joining their efforts, or by starting our own in order to preserve and protect our communities, trades and faith groups.
For example, here are some events put on by the Ella Baker School of Organising in the upcoming weeks:
- A national supporters meeting on 30 May at a venue in central London.
- A three day in-person, Defeating Narratives of Division training run in Sheffield on Mondays 1st, 8th and 15th of June.
- A series of 90 minute online sessions run in collaboration with Birmingham City Council on 3 June, 17 June, and 1 July.
- A trade union orientated one day conference on ‘defeating the far right’ in Liverpool on 13 June.
- The second Northern Race Equality Conference on 15 June in Leeds.
Be with this or another group, I strongly encourage you to take action. Elections are just one gear in the great engine of democracy, and living in a thriving society that includes all of us takes way more than reading some articles and going to vote every few years. We can do it, together.
Spread the word.
