What now, Bristol?
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.
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 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.
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It’s easy to be conservative because there is one status quo to fight for, the problem of being progressive, there are many possible futures – which one to get behind?
Throwing my hat in the ring, whatevever happens feel that rebuilding sense of community and agency are key to a new way off doing things
I think we need to suggest and get behind something that fixes the problem people feel, but in the right way.
Against people complaining about immigration we can say we need “better integration”, and how well it’s working in bristol.
Against people saying to “drill more” we can say how community solar can actually bring down costs, now.
If they say about “asylum seekers in hotels” we can say to allow them to work, and how they can help with our struggling economy.
I’m sure once people know there are good ways of fixing their concerns, most of them would join in
If people have not heard of the screenings of the People’s Emergency Briefing film on where we are with the climate and nature crisis, then they haven’t been paying attention. Released on 7 April hundreds upon hundreds of screenings are being arranged by community groups across the country. You won’t find this film online or on cinema release.
It features a summary of ten briefings given by academics and scientists in London at the end of November. The short presentations cover topics including food security, tipping points, nature restoration, the economy and national security. Talks were presented to 1200 politicians, policy makers, charities, media, NGOs influencers and some celebs.
It’s hard hitting in showing the challenges ahead for us but does offer hope in all areas if community ambition and political will is achieved.
You have highlighted a particularly delicate dilemma, Nikesh. My immediate (though hopefully considered) reaction may smack of semantics, but we should all be putting our mores to examination and re-examination if we are to keep them flushed of dogma. Maybe it is just not possible to be ‘For’ something without a requisite something to be ‘Against’. Without something to be ‘Against’ but anyway to plaster&coat what we are ‘For’ might smack of the old adage ‘methinks thou dost protest too loudly!’ (Shakespeare). This is how I view the profligate misuse of our national flags on lamposts nationally, for instance. We know the intent, but to imagine that these are manifold local individuals funding and hoisting independently in the name of patriotism is indeed a stretch of the imagination; follow the money on that one ! So Josie Long might have it. Their choir are both ‘For’, and ‘Against’ something, and are well orchestrated, so perhaps it is quite natural that after examining our own ‘echo-chamber’ we apply Newton’s Third Law as to morals, not motion. Apologies for lack of solution, but what we are ‘For’ demands the examination you suggest, and also the diligence and scrutiny it deserves. Thank You.
Get behind the people who are bringing new ways of distributed organising and community to life: people like the Bristol Commons, or We Can Make in Knowle West, or all the brilliant community energy projects (special mention for Ambition Lawrence Weston of course, but also the whole Bristol Energy Coop team).There is so much we do here that has that collective, future-oriented vision. As they often put it at PRSC: We Make Our Own Future. Bristol is full of people doing just that, and part of the job of journalists is to bring out those stories to a wider audience and make their vision infectious.
I think we need to suggest and get behind something that fixes the problems people feel, but in the right way.
Against people complaining about immigration we can say we need “better integration”, and how well it’s working in bristol.
Against people saying to “drill more” we can say how community solar can actually bring down costs, and do it now.
If they say about “asylum seekers in hotels” we can say to allow them to work and contribute, and how they can help with our struggling economy.
I’m sure once people know that there are good ways of addressing their (real or percieved) problems, most of them would prefer this route
I think we need to suggest and get behind something that fixes the problem people feel, but in the right way.
Against people complaining about immigration we can say we need “better integration”, and how well it’s working in bristol.
Against people saying to “drill more” we can say how community solar can actually bring down costs, now.
If they say about “asylum seekers in hotels” we can say to allow them to work, and how they can help with our struggling economy.
I’m sure once people know there are good ways of fixing their concerns, most of them would join in