Dave Barter wrote: ↑Wed Apr 21, 2021 7:49 am
I think we have to be careful about demonising XR on two counts:-
1) we are mostly old gits and it’s possible that their message and approach is aimed at an up and coming generation rather than a fading one
2) there has been a massive press campaign to denigrate the organisation. Some may be justified but does it mean we all just go home and let things continue as they are? For all their faults XR keep the climate agenda buzzing
It seems a little bit hypocritical to me to laud the original trespasses and dismiss today’s action. I bet the Kinder crowd were seen in the same light as XR. We need to change the access rights nationwide. Scotland has shown that this can work and land ownership is still an utter disgrace/cartel.
Fully agree about the value of original Kinder Tresspass and this one, hugely supportive of it. I don't see any way of breaking up the land oligarchy in Britain while 'working within the system'.
On XR though maybe I can add a bit of perspective from an 'up and coming generation' - I'm 29 so don't quite qualify as that anymore, I don't think, but I can tell you from my experience in community organising and protest (I am currently involved with the tenants' union movement) that XR are very often also comprised of 'old gits'.
My impression is that they started off attracting a younger and more radical crowd that's better attuned to today's politics - but I think the original contingent of Stroud and Machynlleth hippies and crusties has crowded those people out to a very large extent. I applaud XR to no end for putting climate firmly on the agenda in the way that they did a couple of years ago, but it's increasingly difficult for me not to see them as something like the climate wing of the Lib Dems.
Last event I was at re: the policing bill, the XR speakers covered themselves in glory - one of them sang a self-penned a capella song about overpopulation, and another one got up and rambled about circumcision. I don't think their drum circles and choirs and dancing and fire poi particularly do anything to appeal to young people (neither did their holding up the Tube in London). I actually found it pretty embarrassing to be around them to be honest.
From what I saw anyway, the XR representation at that demo was overwhelmingly people 50+. Granted this is partly down to where I live, but more broadly I do think XR is falling increasingly out of touch with younger people and it's becoming the same old 70s crowd at the wheel again. Seems to me like the 'fading generation' is actually doing a pretty good job of hanging on in there. That's my very very crude intepretation anyway and obviously not true in all cases.
Anyway, agree with you on all points + no disrespect to what they have managed to achive.