We are learning in this series on relational social policy that the seeds for the most significant changes in the world are sown not by the state or by private enterprise but by civil society. And not by civil society organisations, but by moral agents challenging the status quo, and building relationships with like minded people. 

This is how we got women’s suffrage. This is how secondary education came into existence. This is the story of equal rights for gay people. 

And it is at the heart of the overthrow of Serbian President Slobodan Milošević.

In this episode of Ratio Talks, Srdja Popović , one of the leaders of the movement known as Otpor, tells us about the strategy and tactics of civil society resistance. 

As Executive director of CANVAS and Practitioner Democracy Fellow at Karsh Institute of Democracy at the University of Virginia, Srdja sits between the growing body of evidence on non-violent struggle and activists in places like Iran, Russia, and Burma fighting for human rights.

Our resident critic Pritpal S. Tamber is on vacation, so his place is taken by Maff Potts from the Association of Camerados. Maff sits behind a movement of people around the world who believe that the answer to our problems is each other. As you will hear, Srdja’s ideas have been a major inspiration for the Camerados movement.

You will hear Srdja talk about the fifth People Power Academy that took place at the end of April. 2024. The proceedings are freely available for Day 1 Learning from the Frontline and Day 2 Technology and Disinformation. For those who prefer to read, Srdja’s bestseller Blueprint for Revolution: How to use rice pudding, lego men, and other non-violent techniques to galvanise communities, overthrow dictators, or simply change the world is available from all good bookshops.

The conversation between Michael and Maff in the postscript reflects their views.

Subscribe to Ratio’s Newsletter here and find out more about the Association of Camerados here.

Ratio Talks is available on Substack and on Apple Podcasts.

Get in touch with us any time by sending an email to hello@ratio.org.uk.

Ratio Talks is produced with the help of sound designer Nik Paget-Tomlinson and creative director Richard De Angelis. The show’s theme song is by Luca Picardi.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thisisratio.substack.com