editorial Jonny Gordon-Farleigh editor@stirtoaction.com subeditor Grace Crabtree art direction Maxwell Jeffery max@stirtoaction.com advertising ads@stirtoaction.com distribution distribution@ stirtoaction.com founding supporters Lee Hall Ronnie Hall Tim McFlynn Siôn Whellens Use of La Nord typeface kindly granted by Raoul Gottschling
Editor’s Letter —Jonny Gordon-Farleigh, Summer 2024
It’s difficult to know where to start with this month’s UK election. We know that the “death of party democracy” has reconfigured politics so much that the offer of any substantial policy changes to “austerity” is reserved for micro-parties, who are so far from challenging for power that they can only hope to put pressure on a new government. The lack of commitment to ending austerity from the major parties has been described recently as a “conspiracy of silence”, with almost no politicians talking about the scale of budget cuts expected from whoever forms the next government. This level of collusion between major political parties has been described as “cartelisation” by the late political scientist Peter Mair, whose book – Ruling the Void – I review in this issue. Though it’s a theory that was first proposed in the 1990s, it feels that the “cartel party” is now such a strong actor in our political system, that “small, outsider” parties, and alternative visions of how to govern our economy and society, have little chance of disrupting this established power.
Back to this specific election, what can we expect from Labour’s manifesto pledges? There’s muted excitement about Labour’s recommitment to “doubling the size of the co-operative and mutual economy.” But beyond the rhetoric, it really needs to start with a new coalition of partners creating a detailed plan of how this can work in practice. Others are hopeful that the manifesto pledges will benefit the community energy movement, specifically Labour’s plans to establish Great British Energy. This will ultimately come down to ownership design: will it be a state-centric initiative, or could it be an opportunity for a public-common partnership, where there is the possibility for a more democratic relationship between the state and local associations?
I’m looking forward to having these conversations – and more – at this year’s ABCs of the New Economy Festival in Bristol from 10th-11th July.
STIR Issue № 46 Summer 2024 Published by Stir to Action ltd. Printed by Cambrian Printers. Distributed by Ink Distribution. Stir magazine is published quarterly in January, April, July and October. stir toaction.com twitter @stirtoaction facebook /stir toaction instagram @stirtoaction
Featured Illustrators All artwork in this issue is thanks to the efforts of an outstanding group of illustrators contributing their time and talents to support the work of STIR.
andrei nicolescu is a visual artist based in Bucharest. Architect and graphic designer by day, he moonlights as an illustrator, when the inspiration flows. He's dedicated to strikingly minimalist images. andreinicolescu.com phil wrigglesworth is an illustrator, art director, and educator. His illustration practice focuses on debating and discussing politics, progressive thinking and the socially engaged. He is the art director of Left Cultures magazine. phil wrigglesworth.com blane asrat is a designer and illustrator based in San Francisco. She uses experimental scenes, portraits, and layouts, to explore the stories behind our emotional and cognitive experiences. artblane.work rowena sheehan is a freelance illustratoranimator based in Bournemouth. Using her distinctive style, she specialises in projects driving positive change in the world. When she’s not drawing, Rowena is usually off climbing mountains or swimming in the sea. rowenasheehan.com guillermo ortego is a Spanish illustrator and designer based in London. He's been inking comic books and illustrating for newspapers, books and magazines for over a decade. He's recently joined Stir to Action as its first in-house illustrator. willortego.com zara wilkins is an illustrator who aims to bring pixel art into the contemporary and editorial world of illustration. Visit zarawilkins.com or @zaraewilkins on instagram if you'd like to see more of her creations!
lou kiss is an illustrator and designer. Her work incorporates conceptual, often witty ideas with a clean, minimalistic composition. She enjoys working on topics such as mental health, women's rights, and opinion pieces. loukissdraws.com
