In the latest episode of the Labour Left Podcast Bryn Griffiths speaks to the prominent socialist feminist Lynne Segal.
Veteran socialists will remember the huge impact that Beyond the Fragments, published in 1979 and co-authored by Lynne Segal and her socialist sisters Hilary Wainright and Sheila Rowbotham, had upon us. Many of us would count the book amongst those which politically formed us. So, what Lynne has to say on the current political situation is of huge interest.
Making Trouble, the title of the podcast, comes from Lynne’s book of the same title in 2007. So, the podcast starts with a look back at the trouble Lynne was making back in the 1970s and 1980s.
Last year was the forty-fifth anniversary of the publication of Beyond the Fragments and as Lynne points out its ideas and the challenging problems it was grappling with are still as relevant today as the day it was written.
Ash Sarkar, of Novara Media, has recently published Minority Rule - Adventures in the Culture War to grapple with the challenges of inter-sectionality, identity politics and the culture war. The terms may have changed but a quick re-read of Beyond the Fragments confirms that she is re-treading the path of the socialist feminists who went before her. Lynne gives her views on the new publication.
Back in 1979 Lynne and the Beyond the Fragments authors cast a critical eye over the internal workings of the British left. Today, we have a surplus of left projects: our own - the organisations of the labour left such as Momentum and Labour Hub; an emergent green left around Polanski’s leadership challenge; and, those embarking on the unenviable task of starting yet another new left party from scratch. All three of these projects in their different ways are trying to move ‘beyond the fragments’. Lynne drawing upon the ideas of the seminal book asks: what kind of left organisation do we need and how can we avoid our historic failures?
The interview moves on to tackle contemporary issues. Lynne certainly doesn’t duck the difficult ones as there’s a big focus on supporting trans-rights and consideration of her enthusiastic involvement in the pro-Palestinian Jewish Bloc.
On trans rights Lynne grapples with the relationship between today’s trans rights disputes within the feminist movement and the earlier debates between socialist feminists on the one side and the radical or cultural feminists on the other. She also touches on sex positive feminism and seeks to answer the question – why does the trans rights’ debate differ so much between the United States and the United Kingdom?
The podcast looks at the formation and politics of Jews for Justice for Palestine. Finally, we look at the need for boycott, divestment and sanctions as a means to secure a Palestine state. But are we aiming for a two state or single state solution?
You can watch the podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts here, Audible here and listen to it on Spotify here If your favourite podcast site isn’t listed, just search for the Labour Left Podcast.
Bryn Griffiths is an activist in Colchester Labour Party and North Essex World Transformed. He is the Vice-Chair of Momentum and sits on the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy’s Executive.
Bryn hosts Labour Hub’s spin off – the Labour Left Podcast. You can find all the episodes of the podcast here or if you prefer audio platforms (for example Amazon, Audible Spotify, Apple etc,) go to your favourite podcast provider and just search for the Labour Left Podcast
