Reclaim the Power:
Visioning Day
Introduction to this document
On 14th December 2013 Reclaim the Power called its first gathering since the Reclaim the Power action camp in Balcombe in August of the same year. Rather than being a decision making gathering, it was instead intended as a visioning day. This was a chance to share visions for the future, brainstorm the steps required to achieve these visions, and begin to think about the next steps Reclaim the Power might take.
A further Next Steps gathering will take place on the 8th-9th February in Oxford. This will be the chance to make decisions about what we do over the coming months.
Below are the typed up notes from the different sessions of December’s Visioning Day. Whether or not you were at the gathering, we hope these will give you food for thought when developing proposals and ideas to bring to the Next Steps gathering. Please note that these were just broad ideas generated by participants on the day, and should not be taken as any sort of policy statement.
Should you have any questions, or if you’d like to submit a proposal, please email the gatherings group: info@nodashforgas.org.uk
Sharing Visions
For this part of the day participants were grouped randomly, with roughly eight participants per group.
The task was to imagine what world and what movement they wanted to see in five years’ time. All individuals’ ideas were written down rather than being tested for consensus.
For the purposes of readability, we have grouped the ideas into broad categories.
Education
-Teachers demands are successful
-More funding for arts
-School starts at seven
-More emphasis on practical skills over academic.
-School curriculum does not promote colonialism and dominance.
-Life-long reskilling.
-Free community childcare.
-Smaller classes
-Democratic classrooms.
-Kids at primary not split by age.
-Cops off campus.
-No exams and different types of assessment.
-A love of learning.
-Teaching of ethics in schools.
-Alternative education systems begin to emerge.
-Education reform.
-More nature in schools.
Movement
-A stronger movement.
-General strike in next five years.
-Powerful individuals become allies.
-More regionalism.
-On-going camp with mass presence.
-Reaching out to communities more.
-Engagement with those at the Job Centre.
-A bigger more connected movement.
-More international solidarity.
-More links between different resistance movements: racism, poverty, health, equality.
-More explicit recognition that there are shared goals between movements.
-Move beyond name checking other struggles to true struggles.
-Diversity of environmental movement improved.
-Tackle exclusive processes.
-Engage with other classes and groups; these be always factored into our plans.
-Stronger links between local and national battles.
-Move away from the notion of “our” movement and how to recruit people “in.”
-Strong and dispersed radical groups working up and down the country.
-Listening to community issues (Fuel Poverty Action model).
-More diversity within the movement.
-Movement less reactionary and more normalised.
-Movement becomes more strategic.
-Grown movement.
-Climate movement becomes more conscience of social justice issues.
-A vibrant climate justice movement.
-Greater engagement with people disillusioned with energy industry and government.
-Greater outreach to underrepresented groups.
-Crowd funding works rather than relying on rich individuals.
-Every project is accessible.
-Critical Mass becomes mainstream not sub-culture.
-Actively confront misogyny and racism.
-We are still hopeful.
Government, democracy and community
-Grassroots politics outside parliament.
-Culture of mass decision making.
-EU no longer has borders.
-Mass reclaiming of public property.
-Bill to remove judicial reviews for planning.
-“Rainbow world”
-Moving beyond global colonial structures.
-Tackle abusive uses of power.
-Open borders for refugees.
-Communities grow their own food.
-End of austerity.
-End of heteronormativity.
-Develop a more socially compassionate welfare state.
-Renationalise trains, energy, and postal service,
-Don’t privatise the student loan book.
-National living wage and 1 to 10 pay ratio.
-No more landlord; everyone in co-ops.
-Localised economies.
-Notion of the “commons” more understood.
-Technology-aided communication.
-Corporate media no longer controls our knowledge and information.
-Growing number of not-for-profit institutions.
-Everyone is recognised as a decision maker, not just politicians.
Energy and Climate Change
-Fossil fuel communities include climate change in risk analysis.
-End of subsidy to fossil fuels.
-Energy is shared more fairly on a global scale.
-Insulating assistance for people in fuel poverty.
-Climate Change at the the top of the agenda.
-Fossil fuel use beginning to reverse in usage.
-Limits of planetary environment become part of mainstream .
-Public perception of energy use is changed.
-No new sources of fossil fuel.
-Fair and democratic energy system.
-Short haul flights not socially acceptable.
-Coal off the table, fracking off the table, and gas minimised.
-Cultural and social shift in approaches to energy generation.
-Awareness of need to keep fossil fuels in the ground (especially unconventional ones)
-More sustainable food systems.
-Democratised energy.
-Fracking 100% banned and public 100% aware of the risks and dangers.
-More bikes!
Corporate Power
-Ban advertising (Especially for kids)
-Drug companies become publicly owned and accountable.
-Shame existing press into reform.
-A measurable reduction in corporate influence over public decisions.
-A shift of investment away from arms and fossil fuels into positive alternatives.
-No more tabloids or Daily Mail.
-Don’t privatise water on a global scale.
-Banks and corporations no longer given bailouts.
-Tax havens closed.
Sharing Steps and Strategies
The next stage was an exercise in working out the steps we would need in order to reach our five year visions.
16 visions were taken from the previous session, with four groups (formed at random) being assigned four visions to plan towards.
The task was not to think about actions Reclaim the Power might take directly, but what ‘real world’ steps we’d need to see on the journey to realising these visions.
The task aimed to focus our minds on what visions we felt Reclaim the Power was most suited to working towards.
Once this exercise was completed, participants had the opportunity to select the vision they would most like to see Reclaim the Power work towards. These groups brainstormed a list of possible actions Reclaim the Power might take, and these are appended to the relevant visions in red below.
| 5 Year Vision | Nobody in the UK will be in Fuel Poverty |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | -All housing will be energy efficient.
-There is more access to social housing. -Energy has become renationalised. -A robust network of housing co-operatives. -Tenants have more power and landlords have less. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | -Building regulations are on the road to zero-carbon homes.
-Community-owned energy tied to a community-energy fund. -Co-operative tenure. -City-wide energy co-ops. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | -Equity between metre tariff and bills.
-A big boycott of the big six. -Divestment from fossil fuels into renewables. -Investment in energy efficient homes and renewable energy. -Community and household empowerment over fuel poverty. |
| 5 Year Vision | Climate Change is at the top of the agenda |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | -Every corporation has to have an environmental impact assessment (by law)
-A ban of carbon offsetting. -Emergency networks set up to respond to climate change and flooding. -All products have an end-of-life factored in. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | -Make environmental impact assessment cumulative and legally binding.
-‘Carrots’ to persuade smaller businesses to complete environmental impact assessment. -Public investment in scientific studies into climate change. -Everything is packaged in recycling and reused materials. -Key people targeted with facts. -All products have to have a carbon footprint. -Reclaim the Power holds a response camp to next extreme weather event. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | -Clear presentation of facts from independent sources.
-Stronger media commentary on climate change. -Contacted key people to help make commentary happen. |
| 5 Year Vision | A Fair and Democratic Energy System across the UK |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | -A rapid growth and community controlled renewable energy sources.
-New Fossil Fuel energy generation has been cancelled. -There is wide public support for a fair and democratic energy system. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | -Wide public awareness that a fair and democratic energy system is possible (perhaps via the Zero Carbon model).
-There is widescale outreach in schools. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | -Opponents of fossil fuel projects are regularly attending planning meetings.
|
| 5 Year Vision | No New Fossil Fuels and existing fossil fuels phased out |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | -Fossil fuels are heavily taxed with the tax reinvested into renewables.
-Legislation has developed to ban fossil fuel extraction and use. -UK companies are legally forbidden to extract fossil fuels elsewhere. -Removal of bias of fossil fuel usage from publications (eg education). -No new fossil fuel sites in process. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | -No fracking in the UK; local groups have been victorious.
-It’s in the Labour manifesto that there will be no fracking. -Local authorities are moving pension funds out of fossil fuel energy investment. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | -Fossil fuel brands have been removed from cultural sponsorship.
-Community discussion about removal of pension funds from fossil fuel energy investment. -Clear strategy to achieve all of the above. |
| Possible actions Reclaim the Power might take to achieve these objectives | -Amplify existing campaigns.
-Counter-marketing -Develop links with allies: churches, schools, fossil free towns. -Establish journalist connections who are allies. -Use Youtube and other social media platforms. -Target a specific company with a rolling blockade -National day of action on the fossil fuel industry -Mass burning of fossil fuel bills: “Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay” -Encourage allies to support day of action. -Follow Frack Off’s model: outreach talking team/local groups. -Direct Action on big six offices. -Outreach to unions. -Target suppliers of fossil fuel industry. |
| 5 Year Vision | No New Fossil Fuels and existing fossil fuels phased out |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | -Fossil fuels are heavily taxed with the tax reinvested into renewables.
-Legislation has developed to ban fossil fuel extraction and use. -UK companies are legally forbidden to extract fossil fuels elsewhere. -Removal of bias of fossil fuel usage from publications (eg education). -No new fossil fuel sites in process. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | -No fracking in the UK; local groups have been victorious.
-It’s in the Labour manifesto that there will be no fracking. -Local authorities are moving pension funds out of fossil fuel energy investment. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | -Fossil fuel brands have been removed from cultural sponsorship.
-Community discussion about removal of pension funds from fossil fuel energy investment. -Clear strategy to achieve all of the above. |
| 5 Year Vision | Economies and Food Systems Localised |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | -Chain supermarkets are completely gone.
-Corporate power has diminished. -Transnational Corporations Abolished. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | -Communities have a right to say no to large supermarkets.
-There are opportunities for education on local economies in schools. -There is subsidised training for young people to get into permaculture. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | -Local economies are being incentivised through local currencies (eg. Brixton Pound).
-Relationship between investments and food systems challenged (eg. Pensions) -Food-based squatting (land squats). |
| 5 Year Vision | End of Austerity and More Social Infrastructure |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | -Anti-union legislation is repealed.
-Big Six energy companies are on the way to public control. -Crackdown on tax dodging. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | -Workfare and bedroom tax stopped
-The Tories on their way to being out of government. -Local authorities are putting pension funds into local low carbon initiatives. -Plan for bringing railways back under public control. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | -A systematic vision to create x number of low carbon communities.
-Labour MPs sign up to pledge. |
| 5 Year Vision | Corporations no longer control resources |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | -Modified our technology to reach a better democracy.
-Most people are growing their own food. -Major reduction in corporate access to government. -High profile worst offenders kicked out of sports and arts sponsorship deals. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | -Most people aware of where their food comes from.
-There’s more public awareness of the sponsors of our arts and sports. -Enforcement of ecocide as legislation. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | -Connected with relevant groups.
-Local and global actions taken against big corporations. -Food swap systems set up to local communities. -Culture of skipping. -Public aware of the problems of privatisations. |
| 5 Year Vision | Reducing Corporate Control over decision making |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | -Fracking is stopped in the UK.
-Reduction in corporate access to government. -Government ministers no longer allowed on corporate boards. -High profile gov/corp conferences stopped. -Fossil fuel companies kicked out of university, arts, and sports funding. -Fossil fuel sponsors removed from climate conferences. -[2 years: 2015 COP mass action against rubbish process] |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | -Actions taken against Cuadrilla.
-Fracking moratorium is Labour Policy. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | -Mass action has taken place to shut an AGM.
-Action to defend legal aid for judicial reviews. -Use of RtP resources to support existing campaigns on fossil fuel sponsorship. |
| 5 Year Vision | Skilling up beyond protest to positive solutions |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | -Squatting unused space is normalised.
-Mass skilling up in skills that lead to autonomy. -Community social centres have skill-shares. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | -More under 18s involved in radical solutions
-Squatting legalised. -Guerrilla gardening happening on a large scale. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | -Positive protests have taken place.
-Network of support and communication for skilling up. |
| Possible actions Reclaim the Power might take to achieve these objectives | -Building the following skills: guerrilla gardening, foraging, basic food production, urban agriculture, networking and communication, creating social centres, squatting unused land, workshops for schools and families, community organising, coffee mornings and social events, working with local councils and understanding,
-Proposal: squat unused land to produce food; pilot with local group, build links with the community, use as a base for workshops and community organising (such as the above list of skills), |
| 5 Year Vision | A democratically controlled and functioning community hub in every region |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | Two major regions are “done” (eg. Bradford and Buckinghamshire).
Wide network of eviction resistance phone trees populated by hundreds of active participants. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | We have thoroughly researched the best way to obtain spaces in different areas. This information has been disseminated to the most proximate groups. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | Compiled a list of contact details of interested community groups across the community. |
| 5 Year Vision | A bigger movement for radical social change |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | Movement based issues are breaking out into mainstream media and public consciousness. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | Public feels more empowered about the possibility of radical social change.
Stadium sized events are beginning to happen. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | Pre-existing national groups to have formed alliances and develop common plan of action for expansion.
Coalitions have started to form on a local level and are having discussions about direct action.
Reached out to non-traditional allies. There have been high profile actions in local communities.
A programme of street-level community outreach in busy areas and transport hubs. |
| Possible actions Reclaim the Power might take to achieve these objectives | -Public transport outreach as a forum for discussion.
-Outreach to non-traditional groups: learn from them and they can learn from us. Scouts, faith groups, schools, trade unions, university groups. -Develop a less introverted, more outwards facing recruitment approach. -Educate ourselves on how to educate others. -More outreach events, presentations with discussions, gathering contacts at each event. -Being really creative with our means of communication. |
| 5 Year Vision | More Diversity in the Movement |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’ when taking actions.
Community groups are fully empowered to fight for issues.
Groups that would never have worked with each other four years ago are beginning to work together and take action in full solidarity and collaboration. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | Half of the actions that Reclaim the Power attend are organised by different groups.
We are proactively offering skill-shares in aspects of activism to community groups.
We are fully mindful of required representative groups are we are actively contacting these groups when planning action and convergence.
We’ve enacted a lively programme of skill and knowledge sharing. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | To have found out how people have felt excluded and how we can change these patterns.
Forged links with a diversity range of community leaders. Diversity is agreed to be an important issue.
Focus groups and forums have become to figure out how people have felt excluded and how this can be addressed. |
| Possible actions Reclaim the Power might take to achieve these objectives | -Provide childcare consistently at all events and gatherings.
-Ensure venues are accessible by asking and involving people with disabilities. -Have established a Safer Spaces Policy, employ advocacy and mediation. -Have considered how to go out to diverse groups and talk to them. -Interrogate how the movement excludes certain groups (thinking about race and class). -Go to existing groups and support them in forming strategies. -Start focusing on what we can do locally (as national events can exclude). -Go and talk face to face and learn to connect our message with people’s concerns. -Reframe what is “cool” (remember that certain groups struggle with arrest more than others). -Identify what it means to be in the movement and identify possible barriers to this. -Identifying training options and needs. -Info tour to connect Barton Moss and other groups. -Solidarity session at January Gathering. -Actively aim for more diversity at the next gathering. |
| 5 Year Vision | A deinstitutionalised system of education which teaches people how to think critically. |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | Widespread uptake of the idea in a comprehensive way, |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | Have the course running in six schools; develop networks of alternative education. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | -Come up with a course (or courses) which include practical things like permaculture.
-Introduce the ideas which we want to promote. -Make links with existing projects and unions. |
| 5 Year Vision | Open Borders (completely!) |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | Have a functional underground railroad to let people into the UK.
Successfully lobby parliament to abolish immigration quotas
Migration solidarity education taking place on a national scale. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | Replaced negative language surrounding asylum seekers. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | Show solidarity with groups such as No Borders.
Have held a big protest at detention centre.
Mess UKIP up in EU elections.
Participate in non-party political propagandarising. |
| 5 Year Vision | Equality in society |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | Everyone has the opportunity to paid work that makes them happy and satisfied.
Non-financially rewarded activities are rewarded by society and respected on an equal level.
Private property is abolished.
The “rich” don’t exist. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | Citizens’ income is implemented.
Radical anti-oppression education in all free public education systems.
Lots of action in solidarity with people on the frontline taking the lead from those affected rather than diagnoses of issues.
Free education. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | Transitional pay ratio demands met in lots and lots of companies and large organisations.
All salaries on public record.
Positive discrimination acceptable.
At least 50% representation of women on decision making bodies. |
| 5 Year Vision | For everyone in the UK to receive a mandatory living wage |
| Where do we need to be in 4 years? | Ten communities in the UK are in receipt of the living wage.
Everyone is in the public sector.
Reduce the working week to 20 hours a week. |
| Where do we need to be in 1 year? | Series of wildcat strikes across various sectors focusing on targeting companies who pay staff poorly. |
| Where do we need to be in six months? | Establish a network of groups willing to organise strikes.
Use social media to promote campaigns. Flyer areas widely.
Create networks with existing interesting people. |
Evaluation
At the end of day we asked participants to evaluate their experience.
First we asked them to identify which of the following groups they must identified with:
- New to activism: (1 responder)
- New to this kind of organising: (2 responders)
- Familiar with this kind of organising (5 responders)
- Experienced with this kind of organising (19 responders)
We then asked participants to evaluate “What Went Well” about the day
(Points with an * next to them were made by several responders)
-Structure for day was fantastic*
-Good humoured facilitation*
-Attendance*
-Use of PowerPoint was great*
-Facilitation was great*
-High energy*
-Freedom to choose what was discussed*
-High energy*
-Agenda and rationale clearly explained.
-Process gave space for creativity.
-Good energy.
-Pace was great.
-“the visual spender of the facilitators”
-Facilitation was inclusive.
-The chance to share how we came to be at the gathering.
-Different sized groups during the day.
-Small group discussion and mixing people up.
-Timely breaks.
-Non-controlling facilitation. (several)
-Strategic thinking guided the day.
-Discussions helped structure thinking.
-Chance to establish common ground.
-Food.
-Liked it being just one day.
-Venue (several people)
-Great opportunity to have broad conversations and then focus on the specifics.
-Inspiring brainstorms (several)
-Chance to take positive steps towards proposals.
-Concrete outcomes to discussions.
-No arguments or pointless debates.
-Friendly.
-Chance to contribute to a ‘blank slate’
Even Better If
-More focus on practical steps*
-Debrief of Balcombe*
-More time.
-Some goldfish bowling
-More choice of groups, less random groups.
-More explanation as to how the gathering came about.
-More gathering outreach (including to increase diversity).
-Political issues need to be addressed
-Focus on global action
-The last discussions became rather difficult.
-Fix the ‘next steps’ before discussion.
-Chance for everyone to offer one thing to whole group on any topic.
-No blasphemy.
-No dogs.
-Childcare.
-No ‘whooping’
-More older women present and local campaigners.
-More breaks.
-Training.
-More space for unstructured discussion.
-More focus on current struggles (eg Barton Venue)
-All weekend event would have been better.
-Some difficult behaviour should have been actively challenged.
-Need to discuss existing campaigns.
-Rather than going from general visions to strategy, start from visions that the group wants to work on together and then go from there.
-Space within small groups to look at what’s already been done.
-Less focus on statist solutions.
-Buddy system.
-Some of the stepping stones were over-ambitious.
-Visioning where we will be in five years led to some quite abstract conversations.