solanasaurus.com

Mary Robinson is a human rights activist and the former president of Ireland. Her diary from Davos on openDemocracy is really great. She is the first person in a long time I’ve heard talk about the necessity to connect the World Economic Forum and World Social Forum in some way, and someone like her actually has the clout to make it happen.

At the first WSF I went to in Brazil, there were some enthusiastic French people who set up a video link between the two meetings. The WEF leaders who dared go on were booed by the audience. The organizers were criticized over and over.

I understand the wish not to kowtow to the forces of global capitalism, but a little practicality and and professionalism wouldn’t do the social justice movement any harm. At the end of day, it’s about making real changes in people’s lives more than about winning ideological battles. Perhaps one thing can’t even happen without the other.