Tag: revolution

This is the story of a man, of a revolution and how he led it: Saul Alinsky on John L. Lewis

By Saul D. Alinsky, taken f1101461216_400rom the introduction to:  Alinsky, S. D. (1970). John L. Lewis, an unauthorized biography. New York, Vintage Books.  Pages ix-xiv

This is the story of a man, of a revolution and how he led it.

It is relevant to our own revolutionary times.  All great social crises turn on certain common concepts.  One is that progress occurs only in response to threats, and reconciliation only results when one side gets the power and the other side gets reconciled to it.  Another is that the power of organised people is required to defeat the power of the establishment and its money.  A third is that effective tactics means going outside the experience of the enemy, and a fourth is that all issues must be polarised.  These and other revolutionary concepts hold true through all the revolutions of man, no matter in what place or time.

Continue reading “This is the story of a man, of a revolution and how he led it: Saul Alinsky on John L. Lewis”

Five Ways to Live Post-Brexit

by Nick Coke and John Clifton

Let’s get a few things straight from the outset.

One of us voted in, the other out. Neither of us are racist, nor are we members of a sneering elite. We’re not interested in blame, counter-blame or accusation. We agree on this: neither remaining in nor leaving the EU is the answer to all the questions that the people of the UK are asking.

We both live in London although we’re not from London. One of us grew up in the post-industrial north of England, the other in various countries around the world. We have both spent years investing in people at all levels of society because that’s what Salvation Army officers are called to do. We both love Jesus and try to follow him. We both love politics and get involved where we are.

Whilst we voted differently we share a vision of what’s next in a post-Brexit Britain. It is not theory. We know it works because we’ve done it, experienced it, seen people empowered by it, tasted God’s kingdom in it and seen communities changed by it. We describe it here as a picture of hope.

And, of course, hope is an action.

Continue reading “Five Ways to Live Post-Brexit”

Songs to help us march towards justice #RefugeesWelcome

By John Clifton

On Friday evening, some of the Match Factory collective went to see The Last Internationale (TLI), a New York rock band with a political edge, play at the Barfly in Camden – a few doors down from Chalk Farm Salvation Army.  At a time when there is a lot of unrest about the insufficient level of action from the UK Government on the refugee crisis, it was helpful to be in a space which both expressed and cultivated anger.  These were truly songs for the journey, written to be worked out in the justice-battles of everyday life. Continue reading “Songs to help us march towards justice #RefugeesWelcome”