The World Unspun The Long Read: Where is the left?
Dec 3, 2025
A nostalgic tour of vibrant 1980s organising hubs and why physical spaces mattered for solidarity. A look at the decline of radical bookshops, women’s centres and other infrastructures. Debates over identity politics and misrepresentations of left movements come up. Practical examples and tools for reclaiming city space and rebuilding collective organising are highlighted.
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Glasgow's Once Thriving Left Spaces
- 1980s Glasgow had dense left-wing infrastructure like a Women's Centre, six unemployed workers' centres and a Gay Centre that hosted cross-movement events.
- These shared physical venues enabled socialising, fundraising and building organising skills across different campaigns and communities.
Loss Of Shared Spaces Weakened Organising
- The decline of radical physical spaces (from 250 unemployed workers' centres to 18) weakened everyday organising and cross-group learning.
- Shared spaces let groups work out conflicts in person, build trust, and transfer tactics between movements.
Don't Reduce Left Organising To Social Media Anecdotes
- Rosie's critique of Ash Sarkar's Minority Rule argues it misrepresents the left by focusing on online anecdotes and panel incidents instead of everyday organising.
- She warns analysing the left from social media vignettes misses branch meetings, picket lines, occupations and fundraising work.
