News / Politics
Bristol Transformed to focus on empowering communities and workers
Bristol Transformed is returning for the third time from Friday to Sunday with a focus this year on political education and empowering communities and workers.
Panels and debates on the agenda include the city’s rental crisis, tunnels and Bristol’s transport system, and what action Bristolians can take against climate change.
Prominent campaigners, writers and politicians are booked to take part in the debates, with a big focus on encouraging different perspectives and getting audiences involved.
is needed now More than ever
Co-organiser Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins said that “since the last festival, “the pandemic has changed all of our lives, revealing the deep inequality at the heart of society”.
“In the face of this, the people of Bristol have made shockwaves across the world, finally toppling Colston after years of political inertia and with dramatic clashes with the police in defence of our fundamental right to protest.
“Now more than ever it is vital that we organise political education that is accessible, inclusive, and representative of our communities, and that opens up possibilities for a collective future.”
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Some of the talks include a panel on transport, exploring whether tunnels and an underground or trams and better buses would be best placed to upgrade Bristol’s public transport network.
Leading the debate on Sunday afternoon is Green councillor Emma Edwards, who put forward a motion to council in March calling for trams and electric trolley cars to be included in any upgrades.
A debate on housing will look at how rising rents in Bristol is making the city “unliveable” for many, exploring how the rental market can be controlled to “serve people before profit”.
A talk on the climate crisis will debate how local people can best take action against global warming, whether through supporting parliamentary parties, organising direct actions, or campaigning for people’s assemblies.
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Bristol Transformed first launched in 2019, as an offshoot of the World Transformed fringe festival at the Labour conference. The second Bristol Transformed was held in early March 2020. This year’s festival however will have less of a focus on Labour, according to Kneebone-Hopkins.
He said: “In the past there’s been a big focus on the Labour Party. This year we’ll focus much more on helping people build power outside of parliament, via community unions like Acorn or workplace unions for example, and encouraging people to engage with their colleagues and neighbours, giving them the tools to make their lives better.
“[It’s about] giving people clarity, allowing them to cut through the confusion in the modern world. This is how the world works. Giving people an understanding of how economics works, and how society is structured about keeping poor people poor and rich people rich. Connecting the dots on why the NHS is getting worse, or why public transport is getting worse.
“These big existential threats like climate change or the pandemic can be confusing and overwhelming. By giving people political education, it allows people to make sense of that.”
Bristol Transformed 2022 takes place from May 13-15. For more information, visit www.bristoltransformed.co.uk
Main photo: Martin Booth
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