2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source

The last several months have witnessed some of the most exciting developments in British grassroots politics for a generation. While in the immediate aftermath of the May general election it appeared, all be it briefly, that a coalition government of the Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties might be able to articulate a coherently centrist ‘Liberal Communitarian’ agenda that might potentially win broad public support for the medium term, the last few months indicate otherwise.

Top-Shop-tax-avoidance-protests Discontent has mobilised across several groups, including schoolkids, university students, trade unions and, most importantly, passionately concerned members of the British general public from a diversity of backgrounds. The first organised and innovative manifestations of this discontent have been facilitated by networks not organisations.

It has been the student movement, multi-headed in nature (including the occupations movement, the National Campaign against Fees and Cuts, the London Student Assembly and the Education Activist Network) that has mobilised and won political arguments against reforms to higher education and the abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance - not the NUS.

Likewise it is the UKuncut movement and other networked platforms such as False Economy that are making the arguments in both the old and new media and engaging with actions on the ground whom are making the early running against the cuts more generally and corporate tax evasion in particular rather than the unions, although the latter are beginning to now mobilise and will be a massive and vital voice in the months and years ahead.

It is these networks, such as the student occupation movement and UKuncut that utilise zero-cost social media tools and networks to organise and communicate, that are one of the big political stories of 2010. Along with Wikileaks and Anonymous it is these actors that give credibility to the argument that in 2010 we finally saw the internet and the immense possibilities it brings in terms of undermining all the certainties of the ‘Old Politics’.

The vast tranche of Wikileaks documents gives credence to the belief of many cyber-activists since Richard Stallman that with these tools and systems, ‘information wants to be free’, and that in the words of John Gilmore, ‘the net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it’. Just as state censorship in the age of the internet is massively undermined so to the possibilities for social movements engaging in contention at the grassroots level are exponentially increased.

One important aspect of this new politics is what one might refer to as its ‘open source’ nature, just as the Linux operating system and Wikipedia can be built upon by anyone with the capabilities, skills and requisite passion to do so, these movements are constituted in a similar fashion crowdsourcing the skillsets and social networks of anybody who wishes to participate.

Hitherto NGOs and social movement ‘organisations’ have been exactly that, organisations, with centralised bureaucracies and internal hierarchies – a coterie of activists who ‘produce’ activism and a mass membership who consume it. This paradigm can be extended from the trade unions, to the NUS, and might be seen as an equivalent to the ‘closed source’ approach of Microsoft and the Encyclopedia Britannica where only a small cadre of professionals contribute to the code or add to the content of the encyclopedia.

In the new ’crowdsourced’ paradigm the distinction between producers and consumers of dissent is dissolved – there is no organising or membership structure in place, with instead all individuals being potential ‘participants’ within a movement.

Anyone can contribute, hence we have the rise of what has been termed dissent entrepreneurs with such individuals similtaneously performing the old roles of both producers and consumers of dissent – indeed they are much like those who participate in citizen journalism or use content on Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo or Twitter being what Alvin Toffler called ‘Prosumers’ - at once producing dissent, mobilising and faciliating it - while also participating in actions facilitated by others.

An example of this new paradigm might be a student involved in a university occupation, who would participate in a demo organised by the National Campaign against Fees and Cuts, who would later blog and share via Facebook and Twitter content they have watched on the False Economy website as well as their own photos of the demo in which they have participated, before the next day facilitating and organising a flashmob within the UKuncut network.

It is this prosumption of dissent and ‘entrepreneurialism’ that is vital going forward. While the trade unions will prove massively important organisations, individual trade unionists must also see themselves as capable of participating within this multiplicity of networks in combatting the cuts. This movement needs the unions, but it also needs unionists at the individual, grassroots level engaging with networks like False Economy and being dissent entrepreneurs, perhaps even more so.

This new model that is de-centered and networked and possesses the ability to spread virally may well be the big story of 2011 – a year of immense excitement for grassroots politics in our country.

It may well be the genesis of a period where political contention and dissent in general and the anti-cuts movement in particular will broaden to the point where absolutely everyone from kids to students, to parents and trade unionists, will be able to contribute, when opposition to this government, the cuts and systemic tax evasion is no longer confined to Westminster, political parties, the media and political classes, trade union leaders, lobby groups or NGOS but is available to everyone.

A year where the production of this dissent goes truly open source.

http://twitter.com/drkmj/status/16855348392497152 DrKMJ

2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters via @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/falseecon/status/16856263577042944 False Economy

RT @leftfootfwd 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/westmonsterblog/status/16856341733703681 WestMonster

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd 2011: political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/maximmanchester/status/16856357420408832 Max

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @Aar …
http://twitter.com/lisaansell/status/16856365926449155 Lisa Ansell

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @Aar …
http://twitter.com/bitfuzzy/status/16856419554828288 Deb

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @Aar …
http://twitter.com/hali__/status/16857414464704512 Hali Santamas

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/tamsinchan/status/16857420173148160 Tamsin Dunedain

RT @leftfootfwd 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics go open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/joshfeldberg/status/16857686154944514 Josh Feldberg

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/altgovuk/status/16857742559936513 AltGovUK

2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters via @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/cheadlelabour/status/16858071959601152 Cheadle Labour

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/aaronjohnpeters/status/16859529555742720 Aaron Peters

http://bit.ly/dEp4an @GuyAitchison @pennyred latest piece for @leftfootforward
http://twitter.com/geedee86/status/16860320249151488 Gareth Douce

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @Aar …
http://twitter.com/sky_jack/status/16860426776092672 Jack Watkins

RT @FalseEcon: RT @leftfootfwd 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @Aar …
http://twitter.com/aaronjohnpeters/status/16863615873187840 Aaron Peters

2011: Political activism goes open source http://t.co/1GF1l5t @UCLoccupation @piercepenniless @b3nb3ach @danieltrilling @owenjones84
http://twitter.com/bitfuzzy/status/16864071492042754 Deb

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: Political activism goes open source http://t.co/1GF1l5t @UCLoccupation @piercepenniless @b3nb3ach @danieltril …
http://twitter.com/lisaansell/status/16864315780894721 Lisa Ansell

http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/12/2011-open-source-political-activism-progressive-politics/ Love this.
http://twitter.com/brokenofbritain/status/16865309528952833 Broken OfBritain

2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://fb.me/CUMF5fNb
http://twitter.com/andyjameshicks/status/16869836902633472 Andy Hicks

RT @lisaansell: http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/12/2011-open-source-political-activism-progressive-politics/ Love this.
http://twitter.com/andyjameshicks/status/16870057342672896 Andy Hicks

http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/12/2011-open-source-political-activism-progressive-politics/ @imchrisjohnston read this! read this!
http://etonmess.blogspot.com/ mike hartley

We are going to need it – the relentless cutting of services goes on.

Today a 9% cut for universities in one year has been announced (cleverly spun as 6%), with the bigger cut (11%) for the fund to provide financial support for the poorest.

http://etonmess.blogspot.com/2010/12/universities-receive-9-funding-cut-from.html
http://twitter.com/klementiini/status/16871169193938944 Klementiini

RT @aaronjohnpeters 2011: Political activism goes open source http://t.co/1GF1l5t
http://twitter.com/spkirwan/status/16873498664239104 Sean Kirwan

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/aaronjohnpeters/status/16875689445687296 Aaron Peters

2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t via @ shr.lc
http://twitter.com/quitadebois/status/16879502294515713 quita de Boissiere

Political #activism and progressive politics goes open http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8 Anarchy in HTML! RSA animate agrees http://tinyurl.com/2ga47re
http://twitter.com/ucloccupation/status/16880272930770944 UCL Occupation

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/adamramsay/status/16880431970394113 AdamRamsay

RT @leftfootfwd 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics go open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/ntlk/status/16880618197487616 Natalia

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/taxiforsketch/status/16880832715161601 Hannah Sketchley

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://dawnwillis.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/2011-the-year-political-activism-and-progressive-politics-goes-open-source/ “2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: « Dawn Willis sharing the News & Views of the Mentally Wealthy

[...] http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/12/2011-open-source-political-activism-progressive-politics/ [...]
http://twitter.com/__ira__/status/16881583826935808 Ira

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/aaronjohnpeters/status/16881714227843072 Aaron Peters

@sunny_hundal @AnthonyBarnett 2011: The year political activism goes open source @LeftFootFwd http://t.co/1GF1l5t via @ shr.lc
http://twitter.com/mahamhashmi/status/16881906876424193 Maham Hashmi

RT @aaronjohnpeters: @sunny_hundal @AnthonyBarnett 2011: The year political activism goes open source @LeftFootFwd http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/ucloccupation/status/16882063592398848 UCL Occupation

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: Political activism goes open source http://t.co/1GF1l5t @UCLoccupation @piercepenniless @b3nb3ach @danieltril …
http://twitter.com/rayhanhaque/status/16885387280515074 Rayhan Haque

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
http://twitter.com/ucloccupation/status/16885508172947456 UCL Occupation

RT @aaronjohnpeters: @sunny_hundal @AnthonyBarnett 2011: The year political activism goes open source @LeftFootFwd http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/seb_sears/status/16885812213846016 Seb Sears

Interesting read – RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
http://twitter.com/carlraincoat/status/16886960161300481 Carl Packman

"Discontent has mobilised … [without] centralised bureaucracies" – excellent piece on activism http://bit.ly/eos4cn #solidarity #demo2010
http://twitter.com/gertiepink/status/16889323240558592 Rachel

RT @aaronjohnpeters: @sunny_hundal @AnthonyBarnett 2011: The year political activism goes open source @LeftFootFwd http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/ukuncut/status/16893072822509569 UK Uncut

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/splottdad/status/16893094507053056 Paul Kempton

RT @CarlRaincoat: "Discontent has mobilised … [without] centralised bureaucracies" – excellent piece on activism http://bit.ly/eos4cn …
http://twitter.com/nickcdx/status/16893448422424576 Nick Beddow

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/hitchinengland/status/16893702668558336 Hitchin England

2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters via @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/trimble2k/status/16894237773668353 John McDonald

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/jo_osa/status/16894883516129280 Jordan Open Source

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8 #openpolitics
Mary

A few weeks ago, I would never have believed all this, the marches, the protests, UK Uncut, would happen. Many people are still politically asleep,still sure none of this will affect them but so many more have realised the tricks that are being pulled, the lies told.
Think the old organisations, like the Labour Party are now being left behind. Many people in the Labour Party are against cuts but the leadership are still in heads down mode, lets just wait four years and then get elected. I was worried about that feeling that the L/P were needed, but beginning to think, actually they are not. People who are against cuts and who realise there are alternatives will fight against them, whatever their leaders do or dont say. People dont need to be told what to do anymore, so much more energy for organising themselves.
George Osbourne recently said on T/V, it was “just a few troublemakers” If ever someone needs to be made to eat their words, its George.
http://twitter.com/pwongview/status/16895789104107520 Peter Wong

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
http://wp.me/p1as7J-1Y Macc

I for one am very pleased to see a new wave in activism that I can’t recall since I was a child in Thatcher’s britain. However, I have one concern with this new decentralised mode of operation. Beyond the protests themselves there seems to be little opportunity for these organisations to get their members together for face to face meetings. Without these face to face meetings there is les opportunity to build consensus, and though these organisations are making great strides it is vital that they begin to find common ground.
http://twitter.com/teresasmisc/status/16898050207260672 TeresaMary

RT @CarlRaincoat: "Discontent has mobilised … [without] centralised bureaucracies" – excellent piece on activism http://bit.ly/eos4cn …
http://twitter.com/rigbyredact/status/16900226627403776 rigby

nice article about protest technique from left foot forward http://tinyurl.com/34ekqdn #UKuncut
anyleftiwonder

Macc – The common ground should be Labour – and it isn’t. All those months to elect a leader and he has more harsh words for the unions than the governments cuts.
http://twitter.com/ianwardle/status/16903313920368640 Ian Wardle

RT @TeresasMisc RT @CarlRaincoat: Discontent has mobilised..without bureaucracy Excellent piece on activism http://bit.ly/eos4cn #solidarity
http://twitter.com/tonybovaird/status/16905122789457920 Tony Bovaird

Cyber-possibilities for social movements to engage & contend at grassroots level raised exponentially- http://bit.ly/eos4cn Via @IanWardle
http://twitter.com/socialpacifist/status/16909211703189504 Karis

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/trakgalvis/status/16921793738575872 Trakgalvis

2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters via @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/guyaitchison/status/16924056947261440 GuyAitchison

"2011: The year political activism goes open source" – great stuff by @aaronjohnpeters http://bit.ly/eos4cn #solidarity
http://twitter.com/helenic/status/16925911160983552 Helen Lambert

RT @GuyAitchison: "2011: The year political activism goes open source" – great stuff by @aaronjohnpeters http://bit.ly/eos4cn #solidarity
http://twitter.com/heconomicomics/status/16928869529423872 Homo Economicomical

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/slasheduk/status/16929377220558848 SlashedUK

2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters via @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/veganpanda/status/16931857463517185 Vegan Panda

RT @trakgalvis: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters vi …
Richard

Macc, there are possibilities,such as Coalition of Resistance which brings together all the networked prosumers. Next meetinf early in the New Year.
william

OMG. The Labour party lost the election, by a landslide.The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Lliam Byrne, said the money had run out.Any chance of winning an election , in future, means having a credible economic policy.
http://twitter.com/jimrhiz/status/16967605197733888 Jim Richardson

2011: Political activism goes open source http://j.mp/exivZI #demo2010 #ukuncut #P2P /via @aaronjohnpeters cc @mbauwens
http://twitter.com/danmcquillan/status/16967946131738624 dan mcquillan

"dissent entrepreneurs" oh yes RT @jimrhiz: 2011: Political activism goes open source http://j.mp/exivZI #demo2010 #ukuncut #
http://twitter.com/scruffian_peej/status/16968243340124160 Peter J Barnes

RT @jimrhiz: 2011: Political activism goes open source http://j.mp/exivZI #demo2010 #ukuncut #P2P /via @aaronjohnpeters cc @mbauwens
http://twitter.com/pennyred/status/16968293906644992 Laurie Penny

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/andywartrol/status/16971904749404160 andywartrol

RT @jimrhiz: 2011: Political activism goes open source http://j.mp/exivZI #demo2010 #ukuncut #P2P /via @aaronjohnpeters cc @mbauwens
http://twitter.com/mikepress/status/16972069552005120 Mike Press

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://t.co/1GF1l5t via @pennyred
http://twitter.com/thespyglass/status/16973310713667584 Anna Machell

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/edward_dingwall/status/16973554415308800 Edward Dingwall

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
Mr. Sensible

william, the Tories didn’t exactly win it, did they.

It is only because of the Lib Dems propping them up that we are where we are today.
http://twitter.com/martalucysummer/status/16976108805169152 Marta Owczarek

RT @GuyAitchison: "2011: The year political activism goes open source" – great stuff by @aaronjohnpeters http://bit.ly/eos4cn #solidarity
http://twitter.com/charlesbivona/status/16976264321568768 Charles Bivona

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/alan_hook/status/16976698549477376 Alan Hook

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/heathcoter/status/16980345463250945 Heathcote Ruthven

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
Anon E Mouse

The left wing delusion marches ever onwards it seems. All that will happen is that Labour will get the blame. The Tories popularity will increase and Labour will remain in opposition. Nothing will change.

Leave aside the incompetent Labour leader, the useless Ed Miliband, the fact is all this type of drivel does is get the public against the protesters. And rightly so. You have these idiots against the LEGAL tax avoidance of Topshop, just like Ed Miliband did with his inheritance tax so hypocrisy is rife (again). Why aren’t they protesting at The Guardian? Hypocrites.

Then we have Charlie Gilmour, the son of a man worth £90million and they expect minimum wage workers to pay for his education?

This whole movement seems to consist of a bunch of middle class prats who need to do a real days work instead of telling other people how to live their lives.

And by the way that tax is legally avoided so any claims as to what the treasury may be “losing” is bulls*^t and to state otherwise is deceitful. Just grow up and get a life I say…
http://twitter.com/foldfm/status/16985506734678017 Seth Mowshowitz

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/demsoc/status/16994679316815872 Democratic Society

Noted: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/h7Kk5y
http://twitter.com/imchrisjohnston/status/16997475994832896 Chris Johnston

Some very interesting predictions on the future of activism – http://ow.ly/3sfM3 – via @andyjameshicks. Open-source, networked & horizontal?
http://twitter.com/jjarichardson/status/16999372394856448 Jacob Richardson

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/bedroomcreative/status/17031860177608704 phil

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://noel@noeldouglas.net Noel Douglas

Aaron, how is all this different from the Anti-Capitalist movement of the late 90s/early 00′s? I mean we may have not had twitter and FB but we could publish and participate with things like Indymedia and other websites. And these tools are not ‘zero cost’ you need expensive computers/phones/network contracts/broadband connections to run them. I’m not disagreeing completely with you’re argument, it’s just I’ve heard it all before I’m afraid, and as we don’t own or control the net, I’d be loath to say that our movements should be utterly dependent on them.
http://twitter.com/paulbirch99/status/17122876897366016 paulbirch99

RT @danmcquillan: "dissent entrepreneurs" oh yes RT @jimrhiz: 2011: Political activism goes open source http://j.mp/exivZI #demo2010 #uk …
http://twitter.com/tonybovaird/status/17124492727820288 Tony Bovaird

Cyberspace exponentially raises potential of social movements to engage & contend at grassroots level – http://bit.ly/eos4cn Via @IanWardle
http://twitter.com/hitchinengland/status/17127741895741440 Hitchin England

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/trakgalvis/status/17137652067205120 Trakgalvis

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/pyrmontvillage/status/17138040224882688 Pyrmontvillage

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/paulegina/status/17140501438271488 Paule Wendelberger

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/slasheduk/status/17141049646391296 SlashedUK

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/drkmj/status/17141608872943616 DrKMJ

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/sengoku29/status/17141910116241408 田中次郎

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source: http://bit.ly/frgaft by @AaronJohnPeters
http://twitter.com/bristolcivicsoc/status/17156493954523136 Bristol Civic Soc

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
http://twitter.com/strangeronthbus/status/17156953385996288 Corktree

RT @BristolCivicSoc: RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
http://twitter.com/davemellows/status/17185557775908864 Dave Mellows

2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward: http://bit.ly/feEuXV via @addthis
http://twitter.com/aaronjohnpeters/status/17186520335126528 Aaron Peters

http://bit.ly/dEp4an link to yesterday's piece for @leftfootfwd
http://twitter.com/maevemckeown/status/17229958183129088 Maeve McKeown

@aaronjohnpeters blog on political dissent going 'open source' http://bit.ly/dEp4an Does this make me a 'dissent entrepreneur'?!
Chris

@mouse

“Just grow up and get a life I say…”

What a good idea, mouse, why don’t you?
Anon E Mouse

Chris – So you do think LEGAL tax avoidance is wrong then?

Finally. You now have to agree that the LEGAL tax avoiding Ed Miliband* is a hypocrite…

Well done Chris. See, being truthful isn’t that hard now is it?

*And a useless election losing incompetent buffoon who dithers more than Gordon Brown…
http://twitter.com/psychedelicdono/status/17579302153363456 donald james pearl

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
http://michalj.net Michal Jaworski

Great job of framing dissent in categories of consumption.
http://twitter.com/ashourigan/status/17616307646103552 andrew hourigan

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
http://twitter.com/teresasmisc/status/17623334879494144 TeresaMary

RT @aaronjohnpeters: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/1GF1l5t …
http://twitter.com/spsot/status/17715688005177344 Spir.Sotiropoulou

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
http://twitter.com/netrootsuk/status/17861680096616448 Netroots UK

With @NetrootsUK for your New Year's resolutions! RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
http://blog.ucloccupation.com/2010/12/23/what-next-for-the-student-movement/ What next for the student movement? | UCL Occupation

[...] these out to other groups. We need forums to strategise on the way ahead. Online networks have proven their efficacy, but the occupations also demonstrated the importance of a shared space and face-to-face [...]
david robinson

I think it is part of their (political) education for students to be harassed by the police….then they will understand what the nminers had to endure….as Judy Collins sang once ..”It isn’t nice”
http://projectsheffield.wordpress.com/2010/12/26/what-next-for-the-student-movement/ What next for the student movement? | take now or stay the same

[...] these out to other groups. We need forums to strategise on the way ahead. Online networks have proven their efficacy, but the occupations also demonstrated the importance of a shared space and face-to-face [...]
http://twitter.com/psychedelicdono/status/19050899880022016 donald james pearl

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
http://twitter.com/emmadonaldsonl/status/19141018356023296 Emma Donaldson

http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/12/2011-open-source-political-activism-progressive-politics/ – New wave in activism. Good article.
anchoredwunderlust

as well as coalition of resistance, there will be a NINJA/Network X meeting in Manc http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165446950159789&ref=ts
http://www.the-vibe.co.uk/2011/01/01/britain-in-2011/ Britain in 2011 » The Vibe

[...] The impending cuts to public sector funding will affect almost everyone, and will almost certainly inspire some resistance in a usually passive British public. This need not take the form of marches such as those organised to protest against tuition fee rises, and will more likely involve strikes. There is a slim chance in 2011 that several public services simply cease to function. The reaction to the government’s policies has so far been critical enough to suggest that opposition will be even more active in 2011. [...]
http://twitter.com/psychedelicdono/status/21240194514558976 donald james pearl

RT @leftfootfwd: 2011: The year political activism and progressive politics goes open source http://bit.ly/fuHVQ8
http://radicaldandy.wordpress.com/2011/01/02/useful-resources-in-understanding-open-source-protest-and-political-economy/ Useful Resources in Understanding Open-Source Protest and Political Economy « RadicalDandy

[...] Elsewhere I have argued that political participation and protest is beginning to exhibit signs of this same open-source paradigm. [...]
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/01/open-source-consensus/ Networks can be deliberative, accountable and consensual in decision making | Left Foot Forward

[...] like UKUncut and False Economy have functioned in a manner that has been described previously as ‘open source’ behaving in a networked and autonomous manner in making an impact. For such actors there is no [...]
http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/the-role-of-the-internet-and-netroots-in-recent-uk-social-movements/2011/01/16 P2P Foundation » Blog Archive » The role of the internet and netroots in recent UK social movements (with Tunisia update)

[...] 1. Discontent has mobilised across several groups, including schoolkids, university students, trade unions and, most importantly, passionately concerned members of the British general public from a diversity of backgrounds. The first organised and innovative manifestations of this discontent have been facilitated by networks not organisations. [...]
http://twitter.com/aaronjohnpeters/status/123786455628775424 Aaron Peters

@prospect_uk @shivmalik1 and @aaronjonpeters http://t.co/5skblqg5 before even the arab spring!
http://twitter.com/aaronjohnpeters/status/152202387526918144 Aaron Peters

http://t.co/5skblqg5 decent prediction for 2011. One for 2012 – some European countries will not have money coming out of cash points