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Radical Future - Politics for the next generation

Edited by Ben Little

We have been dubbed the millennium generation, iPods, the lost generation, Thatcher’s children – and told we are feckless, materialist, disengaged and even dangerous. Yet in the not too distant future the under thirties will inherit responsibility for a world full of problems not of our making.

Many of our generation are detached from politics because politics has detached itself from us – we are disregarded in electoral calculations, disenfranchised by the main parties’ relentless focus on middle-aged Middle England.

Yet most of us are concerned about the future, and many are active in single-issue campaigns. This book represents an attempt by a group of activists, journalists and academics to come to terms with the issues faced by our generation, and the kinds of politics we want for our future. We are a diverse group, but in our professional lives all of us work actively for a better society. We believe that this book should stand as a statement of intent, and as an offer to our elders to enter into the debate for our future.

Contributors

Shiraz Ahmad, Joanna Allan, Sarah Baker, Clare Coatman, Kate Crawford, Rowenna Davis, Joss Garman, Jeremy Gilbert, Richard George, James Graham, Noel Hatch, Ben Little, Ben Mann, John Miers, Laurie Penny, Richard Pring, Arjun Singh-Muchélle, Elizabeth Somerville

Published by Soundings in association with Compass Youth

Supported by the Media Department at Middlesex University

RADICAL FUTURE: Politics for the Next Generation

Contents:

Introduction: a generation abandoned by politics Ben Little
My life in elections: a graphic drama John Miers
Networks and the dialectics of generational politics Ben Little
‘Shifting the Objectives’: Interview with Chris Huhne
Rowenna Davis
‘The stakes are generationally high’: Interview with Jon Cruddas Rowenna Davis
The case for direct action Richard George
Adulthood after the crash Kate Crawford
All doled up: unemployment and the under thirties Noel Hatch
An age of distress: cultural causes of mental ill health Laurie Penny
Debt and consumerism Sarah Baker
The mirror effect: the generation of gender Elizabeth Somerville
Identity: beyond the individual James Graham
Still the enemy within Ejos Ubiribo
The brave new world of migration
Arjun Singh-Muchélle and Joanna Allan
Reflections on a New Labour education Clare Coatman
What is education for? Richard Pring
Re-thinking Britain’s role in the world: a global responsibility
Shiraz Ahmad
The power of public spaces Ben Mann
Beyond activism as usual Joss Garman
A radical future Jeremy Gilbert

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