Dialogue Recording and Synthesis. Blueprint 2025 Release with Dr Lucy Bernholz

Dialogue Recording and Synthesis. Blueprint 2025 Release with Dr Lucy Bernholz

Tamzin Ractliffe|20 January 2025

A Synthesis & Action Framework

We are deeply moved to share insights from an extraordinary dialogue between Lucy Bernholz and Gerry Salole on the launch of Blueprint 2025. This conversation couldn’t be more timely as we face unprecedented challenges to democracy worldwide. You can watch the recording on our YouTube channel. Follow us on LinkedIn to receive future dialogue invitations.

Part 1: Discussion Synthesis

The Current Moment: Democracy Under Threat

The U.S. Context

The United States stands at a critical juncture where democratic institutions face unprecedented challenges from increasingly sophisticated authoritarian forces.

“49.1% of American voters voted for Trump. 48.3% of American voters voted for Harris… There was no landslide, there was no mandate. This is not a 4-year transitional administration… That’s not what they want, and we can’t see it that way. … There is a movement called the accelerationist movement [it’s a buzzword, look it up]. I strongly suggest you look into this, it’s truly horrifying, but they’re heading toward monarchy. That’s what they want. They want strong man leadership, because they see the same planetary disasters we do, and they see the same strength in numbers of the masses and control possibilities of the few. There’s an ideology behind this. There are armed militants behind this… and now they have taken they have people in power in the White House in Washington.” Lucy Bernholz

Key Factors:
  • Growing authoritarianism marked by increased competence and strategic capabilities
  • Rapid capitulation by institutional leadership (corporate, university, some nonprofit)
  • Citizens United decision’s long-term impact on civil society and democratic institutions
  • Movement toward monarchy and authoritarian control via “accelerationism”
  • Not a 4-year transition but potential systemic change

Lucy recommended everyone read the 12 Core Elements of the Logic of International Relations from Stephen Heintz’ paper The Logic for the Future (see page 7). Asked for his thoughts Stephen responded:

“This is really an important piece of work… I am in trepidation about what may occur, starting on Monday, and I don’t think we’re well prepared for it in philanthropy or civil society ……… We think we saw this movie before, but in fact, it’s going to be an entirely new movie… in the last iteration of this movie, the director was inexperienced, incompetent and unwise to the ways of political power. In the four-year interregnum, he has become wise to all of those things. … There will be no adults in the room when fateful decisions are made.” Stephen Heintz

Global Context

The challenges to democracy extends far beyond U.S. borders, with coordinated efforts to undermine democratic institutions worldwide.

Key Factors:
  • Rising autocracy worldwide with coordinated playbook
  • Global oligarchs wielding power beyond nation-states.
  • Lessons from countries that have experienced democratic backsliding.
  • Shrinking civic space globally, particularly in Africa and West Asia
  • Need for learning from those with experience resisting authoritarianism.

“The shrinking civic space globally should be our greatest concern as civil society. The African context is a classic example of the rise of authoritarian regimes vis a vis the rise of youth consciousness on leadership and governance in the continent.” Garang Mzalendo

Historical Context & Systemic Challenges

The current threats to democracy represent the culmination of decades of coordinated organising by anti-democratic forces, combining long-term strategic planning with new technological and financial tools to consolidate power and wealth.

The Long Arc of Organisation

“The right has been organising since 1938’s good society symposium… they foresaw the collapse of society. And the only people that would survive would be sovereign individuals. … “I had the privilege of interviewing Norm Chomsky in 1994 and he said to me, the world oligarchs are organising a slave society where they rule and we all serve. And I walked out of that room thinking he was barmy, but I’m afraid he was right.” Barry Knight

Key Historical Patterns:
  • Long-term right-wing organisation since 1930s
  • Strategic planning for societal transformation
  • Predictions of collapse and elite survival
  • Development of coordinated playbook
  • Systematic weakening of democratic institutions

Digital Dependence

Our complete dependence on privately-owned digital infrastructure creates fundamental vulnerabilities for civil society and democratic action.

“We have to design our protests… We have to design our … whatever the nonprofit form of the 21st century is going to be… so that the individuals who are choosing to take that collective action control those things. …. Our organisations are files in their filing cabinets, and our lives are files in their file cabinets. And so, we must build outside of that, we must organise outside of that, around it.” Lucy Bernholz

Key Concerns:
  • Complete digital dependence on privately-owned systems
  • Need for alternative digital public infrastructure
  • Importance of assembly and association rights in digital age
  • Critical role of digital technologies in organising resistance

Institutional Failure

Traditional institutions and systems are proving inadequate to address current challenges.

“Philanthropy is not actually making the changes writ large that need to be made… those of us who have power don’t give it up easily.” Nina Blackwell

“Civil society writ large (or at least the part I constantly whack up against) is extraordinary complacent, but also paralysed by fear, or the conservatism of hoping their particular org or foundation continues to exist.  So, keep your head down, ride it out, missing the existential nature of the problems facing us, etc.  and I can’t figure out how to get people to pay attention to the scale” Alan Smith

Key Issues:
  • Traditional international systems proving inadequate.
  • Climate crisis demanding new approaches.
  • Pandemic revealing systemic governance failures.
  • Growing wealth inequality
  • Philanthropy’s limitations as first line of response

Civil Society’s Response

The Role of Philanthropy in Resistance
Key Elements:
  • Philanthropy’s role in supporting dissent
  • Need for systemic rather than project-based funding
  • Global spread of democratic decline
  • Importance of cross-border organisation
  • Recognition of existing resources and capabilities

“I suppose I’ve always been within philanthropy, within a tradition of being in perpetual dissent. I’ve always thought that that’s the place that philanthropy needs to be, but even more so now and that dissent really needs to be.” Stephen Pittam

Two Civil Societies

“Philanthropy professionals talk a good game, but we don’t play a good game. We want to be the refs and the players and the coaches and the owners and the audience.” Lucy Bernholz

Key Characteristics:
  • Formal professional civil society showing uncertainty.
  • Informal civil society demonstrating robust resistance.
  • Need to bridge gap between professional and grassroots.
  • Importance of learning from marginalised communities
  • Recognition of existing alternative systems

Power and Trust

“The white people with financial resources on this phone call do not need to start these things. We need to build the relationships, build the trust, put our own selves very uncomfortable and either get out of the way or stand behind and follow a very different kind of leadership.” Lucy Bernholz

Key Elements:
  • Need for privileged actors to cede power and control.
  • Importance of building trust before seeking involvement
  • Recognition of expertise in marginalised communities
  • Challenge of moving beyond rhetoric to action
  • Role of white privilege in maintaining systems

Youth and Intergenerational Work

“Paradigm shift comes when the younger generation is fully engaged… trans generational transmission is critical going forward. Otherwise, the change we dream of isn’t going to happen.” Akwasi Aidoo

Key Aspects:
  • Critical role of youth in driving paradigm shift
  • Need for older leaders to support youth leadership.
  • Importance of cross-border youth collaboration
  • Digital native understanding of new possibilities
  • Intergenerational knowledge transfer

Part 2: Standing Against Authoritarianism:
A Civil Society Action Framework

As global democracy faces its greatest challenge in generations, with authoritarian forces growing in sophistication and coordination, civil society must fundamentally reimagine its role and methods of resistance. The conversation revealed pathways forward through transformation, relationship building, and genuine power sharing.

1. Transform Power Relationships

At the heart of effective resistance lies the need to fundamentally reshape how power flows within civil society, moving from institutional control to genuine community leadership.

Key Actions:
  • Acknowledge and actively cede institutional power and resources to marginalised communities.
  • Build trust before seeking involvement in existing alternative systems.
  • Support rather than lead – follow the expertise of those who have long resisted oppression.
  • Move resources without imposing control or new organisational structures.
  • Recognise that marginalised communities have already built effective parallel systems.

“Our power as white, privileged people is to hold ourselves to account and be deeply brave about it.” Nina Blackwell

2. Build Alternative Infrastructure

In a world where digital systems owned by oligarchs control our daily lives, we must create and support independent infrastructure that serves democratic values and community needs.

Key Actions:
  • Develop independent digital infrastructure outside corporate control.
  • Support existing alternative financial systems and mutual aid networks.
  • Create secure spaces for assembly and association in the digital age.
  • Strengthen local community-based support systems.
  • Invest in public digital infrastructure where possible.

“Isn’t civil society my neighbour, isn’t the civil society the people I connect to… It is connecting not only the like-minded, but practices, experiences, understanding and bringing that together.” Louis Klein

3. Foster Youth Leadership

The energy, insight, and digital fluency of young people represents our greatest hope for transformative change, requiring older generations to step back and provide support without control.

Key Actions:
  • Transfer resources and decision-making power to younger generations.
  • Support cross-border youth collaboration and organising.
  • Learn from digital natives about new forms of resistance.
  • Create intentional spaces for intergenerational knowledge transfer.
  • Step back from traditional leadership roles to enable youth emergence.

“The learning has to flip. It’s the olds, such as myself… who need to be in the listening position and the resourcing position.” Lucy Bernholz

4. Strengthen Community Resilience

The fundamental strength of civil society lies not in formal institutions but in the deep relationships and mutual support systems that communities build for survival and thriving.

  • Support neighbour-to-neighbour connections and mutual aid networks.
  • Build face-to-face relationships and trust at local levels.
  • Learn from rotating credit associations and alternative financial systems.
  • Create spaces for healing and relationship building.
  • Invest in long-term community infrastructure.

“Caring for your neighbour and building a system that keeps you housed and fed and sheltered and safe is a human habit that some of us have been able to offload over centuries, and some of us have had to work hard to build every day of our lives.” Lucy Bernholz

5. Transform Professional Civil Society

Professional civil society organisations must undergo profound transformation, moving from preservation of institutional power to genuine service of movement needs.

On action needed: “We have the resources we are rich. We have philanthropy, we have civil society, we have capacities, intellectual, moral, relational. We need to step forward… Let’s actually organise across continents… Let’s actually activate ourselves. Let us stop funding damn silly projects in short life bursts that really don’t have any effect.” Barry Knight

Key Actions:
  • Move beyond short-term project funding to systemic change.
  • Build radical collaboration across organisations and borders.
  • Shift from institutional preservation to movement support
  • Address internal power dynamics and white privilege.
  • Create accountability to marginalised communities.

“We understand more and more that we need to work collectively, that we need to understand ourselves as an ecosystem… these questions are being answered, asked, and we must continue to do that.” Eva Rehse

6. Organise Strategically for Long-Term Change

In the face of sophisticated authoritarian coordination, resistance requires both strategic clarity and tactical flexibility, building power at multiple levels simultaneously.

“We have to now put on the front foot… Let’s have a working group. Let’s actually organise across continents. We have the institutions. We have capacities, intellectual, moral, relational. We need to step forward. This is a moment to stand up.” Barry Knight

“We need to have some new thinking, particularly around philanthropy….” Stephen Pittam

“Let’s organise, not agonise. Freedom is like taking a bath, you’ve got to keep taking it every day. If we want to change the Suits, we must start on the streets. Also, as a philanthropy professional, I go by this action call by Rev. Martin Luther King: “Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.” Akwasi Aidoo

Strategy wise there seems to be a need to bring together Barry’s point on organising a new narrative, with Lucy’s point on building trust/ finding a new role and networks and Akwasi’s point on intergenerational exchange/ hand overs to the younger generation.  So, what can that melange look like? Seem to be a critical question regard a way forward. Susan Wilkinson

Key Actions:
  • Build international networks while strengthening local action.
  • Learn from successful resistance movements globally.
  • Create spaces for collective strategy development.
  • Focus on concrete action rather than rhetoric.
  • Develop clear shared vision of desired future.

Critical Success Factors

Trust Building

The foundation of effective resistance lies in authentic relationships and earned trust, requiring patience, humility, and consistent commitment over time.

  • Prioritise authentic relationship building over quick action.
  • Invest time in understanding existing community systems.
  • Build credibility through consistent support and solidarity.
  • Listen more than speak, follow more than lead.

Power Sharing

True power sharing requires more than consultation or representation – it demands genuine transfer of control over resources and decision-making.

  • Move resources without controlling their use.
  • Support existing leadership rather than imposing new structures.
  • Create genuine accountability to affected communities.
  • Address internal power dynamics honestly.

Long-term Commitment

Resisting authoritarianism requires sustained engagement and investment in relationship building, infrastructure development, and movement support.

  • Move beyond short-term project thinking.
  • Invest in relationship and infrastructure building.
  • Support emerging leadership over time.
  • Build sustainable resistance infrastructure.

Immediate Actions for Different Actors

For Philanthropic Organisations

With significant resources but problematic power dynamics, philanthropy must transform itself to effectively support resistance movements.

  1. Audit internal power dynamics and decision-making processes.
  2. Create direct funding mechanisms for grassroots movements.
  3. Shift from project to movement funding
  4. Build accountability to affected communities.
For Civil Society Professionals

Those working within formal civil society must bridge the gap between institutional resources and community needs through authentic relationship building.

  1. Build direct relationships with resistance movements.
  2. Learn from alternative systems and approaches.
  3. Share institutional resources and access.
  4. Step back from leadership to support emerging voices.
For Community Organisations

Local organisations, often closest to both needs and solutions, must strengthen their networks while maintaining independence.

  1. Strengthen local mutual aid networks.
  2. Build cross-community relationships and trust.
  3. Document and share successful resistance strategies.
  4. Support youth leadership development.
For Individuals with Privilege

Those with privilege must move beyond guilt or simple allyship to active redistribution of power and resources.

  1. Build direct relationships with marginalised communities.
  2. Share access to resources and networks.
  3. Listen and learn from those with resistance experience.
  4. Use privilege to challenge systemic oppression.

In conclusion

As we face a critical juncture in human history, with democracy under sophisticated attack and planet-scale challenges looming, the transformation of civil society has become an urgent necessity. Success depends not on creating new systems but on:

  • Supporting existing alternative structures
  • Transferring power and resources
  • Building authentic relationships and trust
  • Creating sustainable resistance infrastructure
  • Enabling youth and marginalised community leadership

The time for incremental change has passed. Civil society must transform itself to effectively resist rising authoritarianism and build genuine democratic alternatives.

“If you’ve done it before, then whatever your new idea is, it’s not new. If you’ve done it before, it’s not new. You did it already, right? It didn’t work.” Lucy Bernholz

Reading Resources Mentioned in Blueprint 2025 Discussion

Historical Analysis & Context

Books
  • “Thinking the Unthinkable” by Richard Cockett
  • “The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age” (1997) by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg
Articles & Documents
  • 1938 Good Society symposium Walter Lippmann materials
  • Citizens United Supreme Court case documents (2010)
Fiction & Literature
  • Octavia Butler’s Parable series:
    • “Parable of the Sower” (noted as “happening now in LA”)
    • “Parable of the Talents”
  • Tim Winton’s “Juice” (recommended by Lucy for understanding “AFTER effects of now”)
  • Playground, Richard Powers. Oceans, AI and oligarchs

Current Issues

Documentary/Audio

“Ultra” by Rachel Maddow (podcast recommended by Heather Lord as “Essential listen to prep for this moment”)

“The Banker Ladies” by Caroline Hossein (film about alternative financial systems) (Links below)

Research Topics & Keywords

Lucy specifically recommended researching:

Online Resources

Alternative Systems & Infrastructure

Additional Context

Recent Thoughts

Categories

Posted in , ,