Inspired by the recent revolution in Rojava we could not but fantasise of the potential that the theory of direct democracy holds for the west. Capitalism has worked for the elites, but for the rest of us, the excessive commodification, needless competition and environmental destruction has alienated us from each other, from nature, from that that matters to us and gives us meaning in life. The populous are disenfranchised and feel powerless to change things. The call is always for solidarity but there is never a prescription for exactly how to achieve this, how to unify the various struggles of the precariat. The Left has not managed to come up with a sustainable – or perhaps – powerful enough strategy to convince the masses of their own collective powers to create change, and at the moment it is veering back towards the abyss of party politics. At a time when public space is shrinking and congregation in a public space costs at least the price of a Latte, there is not even room to discuss, think and exchange ideas – and perhaps (!) this is where we need to start.

Stumbling across the idea of Murray Bookchin’s democratic confederalism, based on the pillars of direct democracy, feminism and ecology, that is gaining traction around the world, we discovered a prescription that we feel has the potential to unify the left struggles and return agency to the populous. We are not a Bookchin fanclub, and other than being broadly anti-capitalist, we have no fundamental ideologies. We also have no naive expectation that this is the answer to creating Utopia, but we see it pragmatically as a concept that that provides a promising starting point to inspire ideas, enthuse debate and provide a basis for action.