Have You Heard of The Big One? Plus Two Rare Promises I'm Making to You!

An invitation letter from your faithful (but very quiet) Radical Next Door

Dear Human of Planet Earth,

Hours gobbled up…..#BadlyCrossedMetaphors (Photo by Greg Lippert on Unsplash)

I often put together letters to you on weekends, but the hours I’ve been canvassing for the Labour Party have gobbled up my weekend writing time.

Or so I tell myself.

I’m also working on developing a website to help take my books to market, while polishing my novel for another round of submissions to agents.

But as I transition into new habits and activities, I promise to find a way to keep writing to you regularly - by which I mean anything from once a month to twice a week.

I’m not short of ideas and topics. I just need to carve out the time to pull things together. And I will. Because it’s important to me, and I believe it’s important to you too, because you keep reading.

Thank you!

Now, have you heard of The Big One?

To my beloved UK readers, I’ll be at the Big One in London later this month. I’m clearing my calendar to make my presence felt outside Westminster’s Houses of Parliament. Will you be there too?

Preparations are underway. I’ll be making flags and banners or something like that with friends from CroydonXR on April 16th at Matthew’s Yard. Dancing and singing routines are being taught and practised. (I won’t be dancing or singing, don’t worry!) Knowledgeable people are sharing knowledge in routine Zoom meetings. Curious people are getting informed. Folks are volunteering to act as stewards. Allied groups have agreed to join us and they’ve checked and double-checked that it won’t be ‘an arrestable event’.

Drop me a line below if you’d like to know more about The Big One. I’ll direct you to my Twitter DMs and we can take it from there.

The Big One isn’t about getting arrested, it’s about showing up.

Extinction Rebellion globally has played a big role in raising consciousness and starting conversations about the climate catastrophe we’re on track for.

The Big One is about showing up, but it’s also about gathering and communing - a bit like church. There we share, there we talk, there we exchange, learn, grow, dance, sing, show unity of purpose despite inevitable disagreement on the details …There we discuss People’s Assemblies, where the people can come to informed agreements on the details.

Invitation #1:

There’s room for you. Sign-up and bring your friends.

April 21st - April 24th. Be there everyday, or come when you can, but don’t miss it.

Warm Up with Mikaela Loach’s, ‘It’s Not That Radical: Climate Action to Transform Our World,’ - Save the date: April 11th 2023

This one works for my lovely readers everywhere in the world!

Here’s the blurb to Mikaela Loach’s ‘It’s Not That Radical’:

Written with candour and hope, It’s Not That Radical empowers readers to take action, offering an accessible and transformative appraisal of our circumstances to help mobilise a majority for the future of our planet. Drawing on Mikaela’s years of experience in the climate movement, and the wisdom of many brilliant activists, Loach hopes her book will not only reframe how we tackle the climate crisis but will also show readers what can be done at a practical level, including tips and tools that can be implemented in their own lives.

Just the book to get you excited and hopeful, especially if you’re making it to The Big One!

Invitation #2:

Bookshop.org invites you to their live virtual event presenting author and climate activist Mikaela Loach in conversation with Layla F. Saad, 11 April at 7pm!

How to sign-up?

Order It's Not That Radical before midnight on 10 April, the link to watch this live virtual event will be emailed to you on the day of the event.
Questions? Contact uk.support@bookshop.org

Here’s the link: It's Not That Radical: Event 11 April 2023 (bookshop.org)

Finally, have you added your name to this petition?

I’m sick of petitions but I sign them anyway.

It’s kind of nuts that the Conservative government consistently finds way to undermine their own legally binding position to get the UK to Net Zero by 2050. But it is what it is.

Here’s the petition: Bin the ban on onshore wind (greenpeace.org.uk)

This one’s arranged by Greenpeace. At an XR social event some months ago I met a woman who used to work with Greenpeace, and one of the interesting things she said to me is that Greenpeace’s actions are very much research-based and strategic - so if you add your name, you can be assured they’ll make good use of the power of their petition.

Another Promise

I consciously avoid promising anybody anything. I’ve broken enough online promises as it is.

But aside from promising that I will keep writing to you, I’m also going to promise that my newsletter will not become a constant stream of invitations to upcoming events.

That’s a promise I know I can keep. I’m just not organised enough to write the kind of newsletter that routinely rounds up calendar events and presents them in a timely fashion!

That said, when my writing coincides with an upcoming event you might be interested in, I’ll drop you an invitation if I can.

Will I see you at the Big One? There might be too many people there for us to spot each other? But will you invite a friend to make it so much more enjoyable? I already have - and would you believe, she was already signed up!

With Love,

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Radical,

Croydon,

London,

That patch of earth known today as the United Kingdom

Lat +51.51 Long, -0.118