Ian Manborde: Still Busy (but focusing on writing thesis)

Saturday, 3 March 2018

Still Busy (but focusing on writing thesis)

Dear Colleagues,

I am conscious that I haven't posted anything for far too long, although happy that my time is being spent wisely focused on writing-up my docoral thesis, and getting stuck into the new job at Equity.

To prove that I am up to good things I thought I'd post a brief message, and a small sample of photos from my various travels, not least to emphasise that I am combining travels with a continued focus on activist education, so I am still mining experience for my thesis.

I've been fortunate over the past few months to (a ) start to engage in the unique form of activism which springs from Equity's focus on freelance/gig/self-employed/unemployed activists/members and (b) maintain a link to the more conventional forms of activism in UNISON etc.

This bridge between the conventional and non-conventional forms of activism is fascinating, and is a real plus for some of analysis/thinking in my thesis research.

One particularly interesting experience which relates to the thesis arose during the Ella Baker retreated in Doncaster last month. This episode underlined the inherent tensions and antagonisms which spring from different organising traditions, and perhaps also from the differing appreciations of the politics of organising between community and TU organisers. My thesis is arguing for greater degrees of co-operation between the two - reflecting multiple and over-lapping forms of political mobilisation as a feature of an ecology of movements in capitalist economies.

I'll try and post more over the new few months, but apologies again for what will be period of happy writing/organising/activism, but limited/few posts :)