On the written/visual issue, I sometimes feel the literacy element is a bit overplayed. While there is 30% functional illitercy in the UK, that still leave 70% decent literacy, and local opinion formers will be part of that latter group as well; my experience of on the ground campaigning is that if you dumb down your audience get dumbed down – treat a readership with respect, and they’ll read stuff if they think it has a relevant starting point. I think central Labour material is often at fault like this.

On the age gap, I know what you mean, but never fear – I’m mid 40s as an activist but only 20 in my intellectual development, so that sort of make me in my 30′s.

The risk of course is that this not especially literate audience is not the same not-literate audience that dominates the workplaces we might expect the ‘forward battalions’ of the proletarian movement to reside: retail shopfloors, transport, government offices etc. I think this risk is doubled by the age gap of the LNMF.

There is no one there in their thirties, for example; we’ve essentially skipped a generation.

As to whether all of this will start ideological shifts, no probably not – but as Ricardo from the Morning Star posted on the group last night, there is a big hole in our ability to gather, process and disseminate information – one we need to fill radically. This can be a start to it. My task, ideologically speaking, is to ensure that, because we are internet based, that ‘internet warrior’ issues don’t predominate to the exclusion of real workers’ interests.

For this reason, I see the involvement of the trade unions and the Left parties as necessary.

I’m supportive, just starting exploring

Though not the kind of event I thought might get concentrated on first up, I can see where you’re coming from on it.

My fear, if I have one, is that, despite the initial energies and get-up-and-go (and there really does seem to a lot here) is that this and whatever comes next will be a huge time commitment, and will cost money you as a Forum (or should that be we?) don’t have at present, and that things may tail off and disappoint rather than envervate.

With this in mind can I recommend a funding application to the Amiel Melburn Trust (deadline 02 January, decision 29 January) to cover at least costs, but also potentially ‘freelance fees’ which is a specific budget line in the application form. You are as a group a bunch of excellent wordsmiths and I think you could bash out a crakcing application, with real ownership taken by all of you, in good time for the deadline. See http://www.amielandmelburn.org.uk/ for details. I’d be tempted to pitch a bid this sdide of £10,000 which should give you enough ‘technical’ money and freelancing fees to really pull this first venture off.

Beyond that, and still connecting back to Amiel Melburn (and stick it in a bid), I think it might be worth (maybe via john McDonnell) establishing links with the Holland-based Transnational Institute (http://www.tni.org/), the link to AMT that Hilary Wainwright is both a Trustee of AMT and a fellow of TNI, and Tariq Ali is a Trustee of AMT and supporter of TMI). I think they’d be interested in what might be done at a pan-European level if it was ‘pitched’ right to them. Certailny I think there’s enough ‘scholar-actvist’ feel about this G20 thing to excite them.

By the way, if you’re looking at German involvement, ‘altG20′ will mean ‘OldG20′ to Germans, won’t it?

Nice to meet you last night. I’ll forgive you for overlooking me this one time :p

Just so you know, I have set up the websites I said I would – leftnewmedia.org and altG20.org.

I was wondering if you could drop me an email – I need to set you up with an @leftnewmedia.org email address for PayPal purposes.

Cheers

Kit