Damn this was GOOD! I just got back from a throroughly enjoyable hike with this in my ears. So much to say, but right off the bat, this feels like the most 'useful' episode you've created in the Announcement series - for so many reasons. I've written a stack of random notes in my phone to explore more deeply, but for now, thank you - this was awesome.
Ha that was not at all what I meant. I think it’s more that I’m realising how caught up we can get in the talking about it all and this conversation was such a good reminder that citizenship is in the ‘doing’.
OK, really random coincidence but I just listened to a Podcast yesterday with Audrey Tang, the current Cyber Ambassador of Taiwan that Jon mentions (and I'm assuming the reference on his "Be More Audrey" shirt in the photo above?). It goes pretty deep into the citizen driven approaches that were implemented and worth a listen after this one as it really dovetails nicely and goes much deeper into the execution side of the concepts discussed with Jon.
Ha that is quite a coincidence. I think the bottom-up criticism is related to the opacity of who runs Holdfast, and who makes the decisions around how that money is disseminated.
This was another fascinating conversation and a great addition to the wider Announcement material you're producing. I'm learning a lot - not least how to try to frame the case for participatory democracy, and moving beyond that consumer story.
My frustration is that there's a shortage of political imagination and will to embrace any real change. We can see what the future could look like, and we have the tools, but to get there will require a huge number of enviro-socialist MPs to shift Westminster systems. To make the hand reach down to meet the citizens coming up.
I often wonder where we'd be if the people you've been talking to (like Jon and Immy) were our elected politicians? How do we get them to stand?
Yeah a frustrating chicken and egg that we need that increased citizen participatory democracy, to get citizens assemblies going properly, but to get that in the first place requires convincing the existing MPs and Lords...
Great to hear! It seems like with such radical overhauls it needs a formed idea to be ready in the wings when a crisis occurs. If I recall rightly, that's a case Monbiot puts forward in his book on neoliberalism. With the state of politics globally it feels like such a moment could be on the way so you may hit the timing bang on like you have with billionaire influence + Musk!
(Whilst it's not having wider citizen input into holdfast collective / purpose trust,) I feel ActionWorks + Catchafire volunteering is a way Patagonia tries to build agency from the wider community. Also by giving funding to grassroots orgs that are generally arising from citizen collective empowerment.
(For transparency POW UK I work for sometimes gets grant funding)
This conversation really resonated as I try to grapple (here in Australia) with why so many people have become so disengaged with politics and the decisions that impact their lives and those of their children. I have been attributing it to apathy and complacency (most Australians have had it so good for so long, at least materially). But this is unhelpful because it just makes me annoyed with my compatriots. Yours is a rationale with far more empathy and optimism. I recently joined Regen Melbourne as their New Urban Governance Lead where I am helping to build new entry points for civic participation through the lens of place (city streets, food systems and waterways). I look forward to reading your book Jon. Feeling very inspired. Joel Backwell, Melbourne, Australia.
Thanks for the comment Joel! Really glad to hear this. Jon’s book is great and he has a big range of events and activities to follow as well. Greetings from Normandy! Matt
Damn this was GOOD! I just got back from a throroughly enjoyable hike with this in my ears. So much to say, but right off the bat, this feels like the most 'useful' episode you've created in the Announcement series - for so many reasons. I've written a stack of random notes in my phone to explore more deeply, but for now, thank you - this was awesome.
*tries desperately not to take this compliment as a negative reflection on the rest of the series*
Ha that was not at all what I meant. I think it’s more that I’m realising how caught up we can get in the talking about it all and this conversation was such a good reminder that citizenship is in the ‘doing’.
Yeah that’s exactly why I thought Jon would be a great guest. These ideas point a way forward
OK, really random coincidence but I just listened to a Podcast yesterday with Audrey Tang, the current Cyber Ambassador of Taiwan that Jon mentions (and I'm assuming the reference on his "Be More Audrey" shirt in the photo above?). It goes pretty deep into the citizen driven approaches that were implemented and worth a listen after this one as it really dovetails nicely and goes much deeper into the execution side of the concepts discussed with Jon.
https://jasmi.news/p/doing-doge-right-ft-audrey-tang
Going to have to give this one with Jon a second listen for sure to catch all the details I missed.
As for Patagonia supporting from the ground up, would the 1% program not be an example of that?
Ha that is quite a coincidence. I think the bottom-up criticism is related to the opacity of who runs Holdfast, and who makes the decisions around how that money is disseminated.
This was another fascinating conversation and a great addition to the wider Announcement material you're producing. I'm learning a lot - not least how to try to frame the case for participatory democracy, and moving beyond that consumer story.
My frustration is that there's a shortage of political imagination and will to embrace any real change. We can see what the future could look like, and we have the tools, but to get there will require a huge number of enviro-socialist MPs to shift Westminster systems. To make the hand reach down to meet the citizens coming up.
I often wonder where we'd be if the people you've been talking to (like Jon and Immy) were our elected politicians? How do we get them to stand?
Yeah a frustrating chicken and egg that we need that increased citizen participatory democracy, to get citizens assemblies going properly, but to get that in the first place requires convincing the existing MPs and Lords...
Hopefully I have an episode about this in the works
Great to hear! It seems like with such radical overhauls it needs a formed idea to be ready in the wings when a crisis occurs. If I recall rightly, that's a case Monbiot puts forward in his book on neoliberalism. With the state of politics globally it feels like such a moment could be on the way so you may hit the timing bang on like you have with billionaire influence + Musk!
(Whilst it's not having wider citizen input into holdfast collective / purpose trust,) I feel ActionWorks + Catchafire volunteering is a way Patagonia tries to build agency from the wider community. Also by giving funding to grassroots orgs that are generally arising from citizen collective empowerment.
(For transparency POW UK I work for sometimes gets grant funding)
+ another interesting episode and direction to take the series, thanks!
This conversation really resonated as I try to grapple (here in Australia) with why so many people have become so disengaged with politics and the decisions that impact their lives and those of their children. I have been attributing it to apathy and complacency (most Australians have had it so good for so long, at least materially). But this is unhelpful because it just makes me annoyed with my compatriots. Yours is a rationale with far more empathy and optimism. I recently joined Regen Melbourne as their New Urban Governance Lead where I am helping to build new entry points for civic participation through the lens of place (city streets, food systems and waterways). I look forward to reading your book Jon. Feeling very inspired. Joel Backwell, Melbourne, Australia.
Thanks for the comment Joel! Really glad to hear this. Jon’s book is great and he has a big range of events and activities to follow as well. Greetings from Normandy! Matt