What is Plan C?

Plan A = austerity

Austerity is the same policies as neoliberalism (cf. War on Want talk)
Deregulation meant banks could give out more credit to the Global North. This covered for the fact that wages were staying still or falling… for at least a bit.
Long struggles in the Global North and Global South left few ‘safe bets’ for investment other than housing. When housing stopped giving good returns… crisis.

Plan B = “saving” the economy

Government intervention in markets to increase demand and create jobs.
All plans (from Green New Deal to VAT reduction) still centre on profit logic, competition for scarce jobs, etc.
The New Deal came about because of the labour organisation at the time, nor directly repeatable without a similar level of organisation (and also it was built around exploitation of Global South resources, women etc.)

Plan C = the way forward

People are dissatisfied with old political movements because they’re no longer structured to make political gains…
…so there is a need for any organisation that wants to be successful to devise proper strategies and plans to make austerity (a) costly (b) impossible
Proper planning really lacking on the radical left. Plans should be concrete, achievable, flexible plans.
In times of austerity, it’s even more important to address the societal rifts that capitalism creates (race, class, gender). It’s not as simple as just shouting slogans to “unite!”
There’s not a single strategy to move forward. Multiple strategies.
Create antagonistic alternatives, not just mini-utopias – go after the state and appropriate its infrastructure.
Should critique what counts as politics e.g. a creche for October 20th, can’t do politics on the street without considering child-care.
Does the group you’re in have a chance of winning? If not, what group would?
A single-issue campaign, no matter how intersectional its analysis, still isn’t enough on its own. Needs good linking up between a wide variety of groups.
Fears raised about how running public services may play into the Big Society. Solutions: (a) no-one cares about the Big Society, so don’t worry (b) as long as you keep apart from the state terms e.g. commodification and marketisation.

About Plan C