Move over

Transition is 5 years old – a baby in organisational terms. Could it already be getting set in its ways? 

Our Transition prime movers were people of vision, of integrity; people who had gritted their teeth through the thin times for the environmental movement, the 80s, the 90s who fell gratefully upon Transition as the vigorous viral answer to politics, polemic and prostration. With vision and decision they set the Transition baby on its feet, in their core groups, their steering groups, their front rooms and village halls, they’ve mulled, raised awareness, launched, even time-lined and with true heroism, tried to EDAP.

But what I can see now in the highways and bylanes of Transition is unrest, the kind of fizz you get when someone shakes the lemonade bottle.

The new kids on the Transition block have come in during a period of unprecedented change. They don’t necessarily have any environmental background – may well be less well educated on climate change than their ten year old kids. But they take on the urgent need for change. In fact they’ve seen the fire in the dormitory and they really haven’t time to blame the sleepers or examine the state of their soul before they run for the fire buckets. It should be no surprise to us that they look to Transition Grand Central for a lead. They are focused on change. These are the foot soldiers, the army of people bent on securing a future. They have seen Tahir Square and they dream ...

They have a message for those who hold the reins, who hold back the charge. Move on or move over

Caroline Jackson (Transition Lancaster)