The Big Questions
The Big Questions is a discussion group that meets about every 2 weeks to discuss ‘big questions’ around political organising and social change.
It came from some discussions between 4 activists who felt that these questions are constantly returned to in informal conversations among activists, but that the chance to regularly discuss these questions in a more structured setting would be useful. Here are some examples of the kind of questions we are thinking of:
How does social change happen?
How do you make a movement grow?
How do you build a movement that is inclusive and not divided along race and class lines?
How should our movements be organised including questions of leadership, hierarchy, accountability etc?
Do we need clear alternative visions of economic, political and social organisation? If we do, what could these be?
What is the point and effectiveness of certain tactics i.e. direct action and particular forms of action such as shutting down infrastructure – what do we want to achieve, and what do we achieve from these actions?
Format
We use both reading and our own lived experiences as springboards for discussion.
We want to keep discussions grounded in the reality of our current situations, and not go too far into abstract ideas or academics.
Sometimes we will stay on one theme for several meetings to avoid feeling the need to cram too much into one session.
We decided early on that we would ensure that most of our readings are not written by white men – that demographic has had quite enough of framing our discussions and having their issues heard throughout history already!
Who are we
Currently it consists of friends who met through political organising around Climate Change, Fuel Poverty, government cuts and other issues.
What’s on this website?
A collection of the different readings and topics that have been brought to The Big Questions and writings and reflections on these discussions.