naomimc.bsky.social
Head of Policy and Research at Amnesty International UK. Co-Chair, Scottish Women's Aid. Scottish by choice. I do swearing and tweed. She/Her.
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Yes, totally. And considering that one of his children is transgender makes your head explode.
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Fair enough but that shows their laziness and lack of commitment to actual impact. But yeah, think you're right.
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That's a really important point. On a micro level when I talk to someone who says something racist I try to talk them round and use different tactics to convince. But on a macro level, I'm not justifying Trump in any way whatsoever.
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11. In sum;
We absolutely need to bring people with us and refusing to engage is not a good strategy and tactic.
At the same time, where is the obligation on other groups to change and compromise? Is it ok we're being asked to compromise with a new radical right superpowered by a new digital age?
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10. And if we, progressive activists, do compromise, what and who are we being asked to throw under the bus? We're being asked to accept and compromise with bullying, harassment, violence, intolerance, exploitation, and ultimately facts. That's a hard ask. And will we get thanks and credit for that?
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9. Maybe, just maybe, those who want to inflict pain and suffering on black and brown people, on women, on LGBTQ people need to learn to compromise too? They are being asked to not invade, not burn fossil fuels, not bully minorities, not instrumentalise women's trauma of sexual violence.
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8. Particularly young people have grown up in a digital age of bullying, lies and smears and being told they can't access any levers of power for another 10/20 years while the earth burns. And yet WE are the ones blamed and told to compromise. Maybe others have some responsibility too?
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7. So yes, I accept there is a "purity" problem - which is NOT in anyway a new issue in social movements. And there are lessons and reflections from all this.
BUT
What is the different context we're living in now? Politicians are openly and enthusiastically engaging in mis/dis info culture wars.
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6. Yes, a lot of people believe others beliefs are based on mis and disinformation... In that time social media and tech have transformed politics in the spread of these beliefs. Is this an unreasonable analysis? We have the President of the US mired in disinfo allying with a Russian dictator.
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5. Compare where we were in 1997 when immigration hardly figured in British people's top priorities to where we are now. Have progressives changed or has the whole world changed around us. What are acceptable values and beliefs are what have changed?
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4. We are now in a context where values and beliefs are antithetical to liberal democracy, where opponents literally say that Rishi Sunak as a brown, Hindu, can't be British. What is the compromise being asked for here? People dispute the Rule of Law, where is the compromise to be had?
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3. The Overton window exists and pitting progressives against extremist fascists and racists brings positionality with it. "We don't compromise" but with who? Totally acknowledge the narcissism of small differences but what about the BIG differences.
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2. Progressive activist organisations need to think deeply about where they position themselves on the spectrum; alienating their base who actually DO the work against an apathetic majority. There are opportunities but there are risks too, in pivoting away from progressive aims
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1. I am a progressive activist - I've done the test on the website and it's an unsurprising categorisation. So take that pinch of salt now. But
Progressive movements have ALWAYS had outliers driving change because without them change doesn't happen.
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Let's hope she never makes it to Scotland.
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Addendum; if I have early career staff who need more in-person, I factor that into my management. I don't ignore that as an issue, I price it in. That is management it's not excluding or enforcing a place of work.
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Hybrid working has made me a more diligent and thoughtful manager. I know my expectations and communicate them better. When I want us to be face to face, I think more about why and what we should get out of that time. Being absolutist either way is lazy management.
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Being in an office is not delivering. You might be there and doing fuck all. You might be at home and doing more than is expected. If you're a good manager you know the difference. I've had bad performance in the office in incredible work from people at home, and vice versa.
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I recognise that some jobs are more and less suited to home/office working. But the idea that productivity is linked to office work is fucking stupid. You link work to objectives; if you deliver, wherever you deliver then you deliver.