What can we do about FEAR and DREAD?

Convenor: Annie Fitzmaurice

Participants: Phelim McDermott , Matilda Leyser and one other man – sorry can’t read his name

Summary:

We talked about the Depression in 1930’s USA – one of the best times for artists.

Fear and dread doesn’t help. Can’t see possibilities.

Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened – remembering this helps!

Finding out what’s happening anyway.

Young Tories are canvassing – who votes for them?

The witnesses/the polls are creating realities, the critics are affecting what happens.

Who understands how to play? The Debate – the papers didn’t notice Nick Clegg. What happens when you see possibility....some people are saying, “Now I know he could win I might vote for him.”

The identity of being “against”. And the “ wanting to be on the winning side”.

We’re all going to wait, what to do?

It’s unknown.

In the privacy of the booth. Voting with your heart not your head.

Not discussing votes – privacy, disclosure, open. Seeing your own identity.

The idea of voting tactically, is about polarity, what about another way? Hung parliaments in Europe. In a hung parliament/coalition government, who’s the opposition?

Where has the present system got us??
There’s a lack of freedom in the system of “joining sides”.

PR is a dodgy kind of factional....nothing gets done. Playing democracy not the real deal.

Maybe the time has come that instead of the idea you’ve got to have a “strong leader” – there could be collaborating and then all the other voices heard?

Democracy is f*cked.

The disenfranchised.

FEAR and DREAD.

Facing fear rather than panic. Twin demons – power (what was the other one?? I’ve only written power – maybe it was power and panic??)

Fear is useful to save you from a snake, a man with a knife, as opposed to anxiety which is not useful, but the process of creating anxiety (for example about immigration etc) creates a situation where you can’t breathe in....

DREAD – inevitable???
Like the news on AIDS in the 1980’s, going back to the Thatcher era, reacting to invented demons. The level of debate – childish and inept....
If David Cameron and his team are at the helm......revealing the f*cked up-ness......
Hung parliament.
Do you really want to win....this election, the system could change with whoever wins, some short term pain, in order to get change.
There’s shit to come – our situation financially, worse than Greece.....

What can we do about it?????
Talking around the kitchen table, airing it.
Not feeling isolated.
Losing hope – not losing hope.
Who are the young Tories? Are they allies........
A conversation that can be had.
A Tory praying to cure gay people.......

Waking up to what we do have.
Awareness of our privileges – we’re free to talk about all of this unlike many place in the world.
Hearing the Lithuania woman present at D+D tonight expressing her perspective on our arts funding system (it’s wonderful!).

It’s crucial to value our freedom.

Deciding who to vote for....

The newness of the situation, the most exciting thing may be a hung parliament.................