Is XR ready to die?

I'm not sure I've grasped the dependence you are talking about in the article. If we think we can weather more PR storms - then what? If we think we're as powerful as ever - I don't, some people have left our affinity group and covid makes things more difficult - then what? What is the preparation you are arguing for? Looking at some possible negative or positive outcomes, sure, but how does that help without envisaging ways to deal with those possibilities?

Also intriguing is the thought you don't share about what a positive purposeful disintegration would look like. I hope disintegration doesn't happen and think XR is growing up and thinking more about politics, not just tactics, about who our friends and possible allies are.

But central structures are a closed book. Do you (or WWAWWA) mean that people in central structures don't belong to affinity groups or act with local groups or functional groups? I've no idea even how to raise issues for discussion beyond regional level.. Is anyone worried that if the new planning proposals come in, only direct action will be able to stop developers doing whatever they like in so many areas whatever the carbon cost, viz business worse than usual? Nods towards our demands aren't impossible but capitulation by the current government is unlikely in the short term and we need to be prepared for a long game with lots of allies. XR will be more needed in future not less.

I guess part of my point is that it's dangerous for us all to keep our heads down and hope that someone else in some central team is thinking strategically: this easily becomes a self-fulfilling reality, and one we're already fairly far into. The danger being that it makes us more fragile when things start going wrong.
And yeah, for sure most people in central/national teams aren't also involved with AGs or local groups. This disconnect/specialisation makes an awful lot of sense, but yeah that kind of information-sharing difficulty is one of the problems it brings

Thanks! Yeah, I get the impression April's light-handed police response was sort of a one-off. Especially with covid legislation to wave around they'll probably be pretty brusque in Parliament Square...