Is the Moderate Flank Really Effective in Unifying People?

Recent activism in the UK has made worldwide headlines. By bringing cultural treasures into the discussion, it raises new anxieties, and questions about what is at stake.

The visual impact of the soup hitting the van Gogh painting was viscerally shocking to many, including me. On reflection, it reminded me of when the painter Francis Bacon was asked what he would save in a burning house if the choice was between a Rembrandt self-portrait and a cat. Without hesitation Bacon said the cat, emphasising the value of life over art.

With that in mind, the Living Planet Report, shows that animal populations have declined by 70% since 1970. This is mass extinction territory and it is the world that these protestors are trying to draw the wider public attention to.

Regardless of what we think of their action, the post-war boomer generation and my own that have succeeded it, have partaken in this destruction both of the complex web of life on Earth and also the dreams and aspirations of the next and every successive generation.

In this ClimateGenn episode, recorded a few weeks ago with, author, philosopher, and former XR spokesperson, Professor Rupert Read, and his colleague 'Systems and culture change strategist’ Paddy Loughman, we discuss the urgent need for a mobilisation of the moderate masses in what they define as a Moderate Flank.

Social tipping points occur when enough when the force of change can no longer be held back. But what does a Moderate Flank actually look like?