There’s been a lot of interest this morning, from people disillusioned by party politics, in how to go about organising and taking direct action. So I thought I’d throw out a quick post with some practical tips.
If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere like London, there may already be a vibrant movement – in which case, find an active local group, and go along to their meetings. If you’re in smaller towns and cities, or in a part of London that’s not yet kicking off, then those groups might not be on your doorstep – yet. But a movement has to start somewhere! So here are some tips for doing effective direct action wherever you are. This isn’t a checklist, but some ideas. What will work will vary with the area and with the issues focused on. And I’m no expert: this time last year I had never organised! But here’s what I’ve seen produce results since I’ve been involved:
- Start from the ground, about a local issue. Evictions, rising rents, closure of a school, a health centre or library, companies using workfare – whatever you see happening or fear is coming.
- Google to see if anyone is already campaigning (the words ‘save’, ‘campaign’ and ‘action’ are common keywords). If you find a group, attend a meeting.
- If not, start a group! Even if it’s just you to start with, think of a name and set up a Twitter profile, a blog, a change.org petition, and an email list (many radical campaigns use https://riseup.net). Update regularly. Follow and interact on social media with other local people and other similar groups in nearby areas.
- But as important as social media is, it has to supplement physical action! Make fliers with information and links to websites and social media, and hand them out in a relevant place. If you’re able to without being moved on by security, set up a table, have a mailing list sign up sheet and/or petition. Try to talk to people and gauge local opinion. Do this numerous times.
- Have regular meetings – if you can get two other people that’s enough to start. Take minutes, draw up action points, and share out tasks. Have someone chair meetings to keep them on track. Always try to rotate roles where possible (else you risk unnecessary and limiting power structures popping up)
- Try to forge links with similar groups in other areas (even if just showing solidarity over social media). Invite people to your meetings from other campaign groups, and attend theirs as delegates of your group. Put posters in colleges and universities. If you’re in a small town then volunteering at places like food banks and charities may help you find like-minded people.
- Make a community newsheet telling people in more detail what’s going on (and publish the same articles on your blog, disseminate on social media). Put it in community centres, libraries, and hand it out at public events. Remember – lots of people, particularly those most marginalised, may not have internet access or the requisite digital literacy to find out about you if you don’t have physical media too.
- Three people is enough for a picket – perhaps outside a company who use workfare. Hand out fliers explaining the issues, and make a banner – a white bedsheet with black paint will do if you can’t afford to get one made. If you’re lucky to know any artistic people (or are one yourself), they/you are a godsend for making beautiful banners. Poster and banner making can also be a great way of engaging kids if there are families involved (a lot of the London housing movement is being led by mothers for example).
- Don’t irritate or harass local people – engage and inform them. Learn when to make a ruckus and when to be polite. Even if they disagree with you, ordinary people aren’t your enemy! Don’t try to force a campaign from above, build it from below.
- If there’s enough of you, occupy empty spaces – whether its social homes facing demolition, closed libraries or nurseries – and keep other locals informed and engaged. Find legal and practical advice from the Green and Black Cross and the Squatters Advisory Service
- If enough local groups pop up, consider federating. Create an umbrella group that organises regular meetings where one or more delegates from the individual groups come together to update each other and to decide on coordinated actions. But always maintain the autonomy of each group, don’t subsume them into some homogenous new group. That way you retain the benefits of mass collective action, whilst keeping up the embedded, locally relevant struggle. This is the model used by groups like Radical Housing Network, and it’s been incredibly successful.
- Stay horizontal, avoid creating leaders or positions of power and authority. Most successful campaigns are where people feel empowered in the decision making process – where someone can immediately come to a meeting and get stuck in, where they quickly discover the power they have as an individual and don’t just rely on others. One way to ensure this is to rotate roles (like chairing meetings, minute taking, attending as a delegate at other groups’ meetings etc). But also bear in mind people have different strengths and weaknesses, times of energy and times of burnout – utilise their skills and support them in their difficulties.
Hope some of that helps someone.
Solidarity!
Reblogged this on UNEMPLOYED IN TYNE & WEAR.
Excellent article – will reblog and make it a sticky for a week or two, and pass details on.
Thanks! Had a really good response from this, there’s a massive appetite for action right now. Solidarity from London!
I am a lone voice in the wilderness, talking about the con that is the flat rate state pension, that will hit the poor hardest, but will also wipe out the state pension of the so-called squeezed middle.
I put up flyers on my car. Now useless in the garage as no dosh. That didn’t work.
Paid a few of my precious pounds on a poster in my local post office. No interest at all.
People just do not understand the blizzard of pension changes. Never heard of SERPs, despite it being so important now.
Most people do not even know there has been massive pension ‘reform’ aka abolition.
The Which Guide to pensions has the same result as they go about in their TV advert asking people about the pension changes.
Having read the Which Guide online, all the total losses are avoided to be listed in it altogether.
All this information has been in the right wing newspapers via the pension industry for decades.
I would not have started looking as caring for two disabled parents and did not think I was not going to get a state pension at 60, at the full amount for 30 years National Insurance history.
Now the Tories have wiped all that out, with the former Lib Dem MP Mr Steve Webb being in charge as Pensions Minister. Happily he lost his job on Thursday.
Where has Labour been in these 5 years? So now only too pleased to see Mr Balls lost his job. And Mr Miliband lost his leadership, as did Lib Dems Leader Clegg.
Pensioners Convention. Not interested.
Age UK. Said did a petition,, nothing happened. Not interested.
No-one will believe me, despite the information being gained by pension industry professionals through freedom of information requests.
The right wing press is only too happy to see the ever diminishing pensions of the old, they curse for living too long.
No local campaign will start, because women think their husband will provide.
What about the old sick disabled and single old women out there in their multitudes?
They buy back years, not realising that being opted out means they are wiped out anyway.
But men are also hit by various other changes that mean the poorest are out of the welfare state and the state pension system.
But again and again the reasons for signing are all just about losing state pension payout at 60 for women since 2013.
The petition is about far more than that.
So I am at a loss.
I’ve done the ground work on the internet. But can do nothing else physically.
Do I wait til on and after 6 April 2016 for the first load of victims to be hit?
Will they realise why they were hit?
Probably not. They will think it is just something about them individually.
So the working class who voted Tory and in their 60s will then regret it bitterly.
I am at a loss.
What do I do next please?
Chris – I’m sorry you’re struggling, but it sounds like you’ve done some incredible work. We usually don’t see the effects we have in campaigning, because they happen in other people’s minds – we merely plant the seeds. Send me an email, let me know where you’re based and I’ll see if there’s anything I can do to help – grahammpjones [at] googlemail.com
Solidarity to you
Graham
Whatever we do We must to it collaboratively – less competition and more collaboration. We All need to work for the Greater Good x