Les Ecritures: What could have been brilliant at Netroots UK

Les Ecritures: What could have been brilliant at Netroots UK: "Originally posted on Political Dynamite The Saturday event Netroots UK was a decent event. Sadly, I believe that it goes no further th..."

What could have been brilliant at Netroots UK

Originally posted on Political Dynamite 

The Saturday event Netroots UK was a decent event. Sadly, I believe that it goes no further than mere decency. Netroots UK also failed. It failed in upholding much vibrancy and creativity that UKUncut and student activities have delivered to rock the anti-cuts world and provide power to unions and public to fight against being shafted into paying for a crisis we are not responsible for.

As a grassroots campaigner against the cuts, I am part of a group that felt we needed to creative and innovative to win over our local community and residents on the alternatives to the cuts. We did not achieve so by the usual speech and panel debates, countless committee meetings and the good old let the ‘expert’ speak. We achieved so by engaging with others, enabling the weak to have their voices heard and organising as a fluid group whereby residents and communities can influence decision making. Rather than being lectured on how to organise and being led, we allowed others to lead us and we grew.

In Netroots UK, having a grouping of what seemed to be a well-educated middle class Labour-ites discussing about the Tory cuts in a fairly trade union centric manner fails in capturing the zeal and passion that has rocked the anti-cuts world in the past months.

I believe that Netroots UK would have been much more productive in providing ideas on how us grassroots community activists can help move Labour from the right to the left. It can happen by either working with Labour or challenging Labour. Netroots UK would have been challenging it were to empower trade unions in being creative and reaching out to members of the public and community groups rather than solely representing their members. Netroots UK could have also started the process of unifying the left by aiding with ways to work with the divided left. Netroots UK could have benefitted to highlight the necessity of offline activism and human connections as well as the need for effective online approach.

Netroots UK was decent but it has potential to be great with a recognition that fight back needs to be creative and empowering online- and offline.