Handbook for rebellion
An Extinction Rebellion Handbook, recently released by Penguin, is a collection of 32 short essays that aims of pushing the message – and the confidence to take action – even further. An accessible text appropriate for introducing the average reader to both the scale of…
Flatpack Democracy 2.0
As faith in political systems and politicians continues to plummet and climate change escalates, an alternative that empowers local people to rescue their own communities is vital. How can politics be reclaimed by the people? Fed up with seeing their valued local services crumble over…
New municipalism in London
London is a crucial site in the struggle for better local politics, because it is a city in which many people have been let down by the failures of traditional economic development. The traditional models are struggling to deliver social and economic outcomes that meet…
‘A rebirth of municipal socialism’ in Birmingham? The Council’s policy of ‘local wealth building’ through new municipal services and local procurement
With amazing creativity in the toughest of times, in 2018 in the UK, they were seeing the first shoots of the renaissance of local government for the many, not the few—the rebirth of municipal socialisme. With the objective to seize every opportunity to develop and…
The “Preston Model” and the modern politics municipal socialism
The local elections in 2018 showed some advances in the modification of the once-called ‘the oldest and toughest plutocracy in the world’, but the mixed results underscored the difficulty of mobilisation around a stale and sterile managerialist model of local government, as embodied in all…
The new municipalism is part of a proud radical history
The article connects new municipalism with its roots by reflecting on the history of citizens taking collective control of local services. Photo: Pixabay
Flatpack democracy: the new English political revolt
While Scotland has blazed a new trail, much of England seems to have stuck to politics as usual. In fact, under the media radar, a growing number of self-styled independents are trying to kick out the big parties and take over the parts of government…
How Flatpack Democracy beat the old parties in the People’s Republic of Frome
On 7 May, a small Somerset town in UK voted against traditional party politics and gave a coalition of independents control of all 17 seats on its council. As the crucible of ‘flatpack democracy’, Frome is leading a small-scale political revolution. Moreover, this idea seems…
Flatpack Democracy
Britain today has a dysfunctional political system. Many politicians are making decisions to meet their own needs or those of their Party, not the needs of the people they serve. This guide is based on what is happening in Frome, Somerset where after years of…