What now, Bristol?

As spring finally appears, bringing a sense of hope and renewal, what are the narratives that can unite and motivate those of us pushing for a better world?

Hope Is Around The Corner 8th April, 2026

Nikesh Shukla

Last month, we saw the Bristol Patriots call a ‘unity march’ that saw them marching with neo-Nazis. This seems to have split the Patriots into fourteen thousand different new armies of one, as documented in an excellent piece by my dear colleagues at the Cable. 

A few weeks ago, half a million people took to the streets of London for the Together March against the far right. As we head into spring and Bristol prepares for its summer of festivals, day parties, celebrations, the question I’m asking of myself, and of the city, is What Do We Do Now?

I ask the question because the last few years have seen so many of us participate in protests — against fascists, genocide, war, climate crimes. We have been brilliantly reactive to the dark forces trying to force our world, and our city, into a state of paralysis. 

The thing I’m always wrestling with is: I don’t always want to be against something. I want to stand for something. I know I have been standing for things whenever I’ve attended marches, written or done activism. But that ‘for’ has always been in opposition to what it’s ‘against’. 

I wonder if, in this time of renewal, of hope, of sun and oodles of vitamin D, there is an opportunity. For those of us in Bristol who are progressively minded and want the city, and the world, to be a better place, now is the moment to reframe the narrative. It’s time we fight for something.

Activism is about narratives and action. What narrative do we want to promote? How are we going to go about it? What big and small actions can we take? What power can we leverage? I don’t have any answers. I don’t even know if I’m even asking the right questions. But I am searching for a positive, progressive message to stand for. And I’m sure many of you are too. 

I was talking to my dear friend, the comedian Josie Long, about how she and I both write things that have been accused of preaching to the choir. We don’t, the criticism goes, do enough to reach across the aisle. Instead, we stay in our echo chambers. “The thing is,” Josie said, “You have to preach to the choir. Preaching to the choir makes the choir sing more beautifully.”

We are all making work that can preach to the choir, that can inspire them to sing more beautifully. We can tell stories, we can empower and inspire those on our side to stand up and say this is not the way we want our country to go. This isn’t an intellectual exercise. There’s no need to diagnose the problem. There is no time for whatabouts. This is an emergency. And we have parts to play. Because with the right narrative, we can bring people together.

Years ago, I was in a writer’s room for dear Patrick Somerville, the incredible showrunner who gifted us the TV show Station Eleven. On the door of the room was a quote from Maya Angelou, that I think about almost on a daily basis. “People will forget the things you say or do, but they will never forget the way you made them feel.”

How do we apply that to what this city could be? How do we want Bristol to feel for those who live here, who are new to the city, who have lived here for generations, for the many communities from all manner of backgrounds, for the marginalised communities? What’s important to all of us? What is the narrative that shapes us? What is the message we want to send outwards of what Bristol is and could be? I don’t want another few years of fighting far-right groups who think they know what this city needs, who call it ‘woke’ like that’s an insult and tell people they don’t belong. 

We need to find our common narrative, give it a name, march under its banner, throw posters up, make it part of the fabric of who we are. I’ve seen different versions of it over the years I’ve lived here. A narrative that reminds us that Bristol is inclusive, welcoming, diverse as fuck, anti-fascist. We’ve shown various far-right groups, from the extreme neo-Nazis to the diet racists amongst the Patriots, that their narrative is not welcome here. So, what is ours? Let’s talk about it. Let’s march on it. Let’s make it happen.

Hit me up in the comments with any thoughts on what that narrative should be. 

I am about to commence my hunt for the best veggie biryani in Bristol. I love biryani. I miss it. I miss the different styles, the many versions, the family recipes, the regional specificities. And I know this city has a lot of biryani to give. So next month’s column, I’m going to write about my hunt for the most delicious veggie biriyani in Bristol. Let me know in the comments where I should be checking out.