Future Heist

It's not all rainbows and girl boss feminism - in this Women's History Month special for 2024, I take a deep dive into the history of International Women's Day, first founded around 1911, and how working women's needs have not always matched up to the ideals around bourgeois, capitalist, feminist standards. I trace the history of how motherhood ideals and the way in which parenting is structured under neoliberalism means all working people - men and women - but especially mothers - are being taken for a ride by those at the top. A Marxist-feminist take on IWD. The perfect way back into my podcast after having my daughter - and a mental breakdown - in 2021. 

We meet Katie Scrafton, the mental health activist behind the Instagram account @thingsididsober. 

Katie has been diarising her journey with a sober-curious lifestyle since August 2019. By charting her successes and feelings, what she’s getting out of it and what she’s finding difficult, she inspires others. We discuss finding a balance with alcohol, Dry January, how to quit drinking, the effect of the alcohol industry on mental health and the impact of the global pandemic.

Rena Niamh Smith, podcast founder and host, has been sober since 1st August 2017. Sobriety is what she calls “radical self care”. Collective action is what can and does change the world. But that looking after yourself is a really important part of being an activist, to fight for systemic change.

With alcohol so embedded into the society we live in, and the alcohol industry making huge amounts of profit on our hangovers, sobriety is just one way to practice radical self care, and to reject capitalist norms. 

To anyone struggling with addiction, relapse or recovery in alcohol or drug addiction, please search for services in your area. Katie and I had a similar experience of quitting drinking through self help - but just as there are different forms of addiction, there are different ways to recover. Helplines, addiction support groups or 12-step programmes are just some examples of more thorough support that is available. If you live in the UK, the NHS website has a directory of addiction services you can search by postcode. 

The books Katie recommends are:

Read a full transcript of the episode on RenatheJournalist.com.

Follow Katie on Instagram @thingsididsober

Follow Future Heist on Instagram and Twitter @future_heist for episode updates, news and giveaways.

Produced and recorded by Rena Niamh Smith. Theme music by Benjamin Tassie. Artwork by Fleur Beck. Sound engineering by Rena Niamh Smith. Consultation by Ben Weaver-Hincks. Original illustrations by Charlotte Rose Watts. Special thanks to Chloe Vasseghi

Clare Farrell is co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, the environmentalist group who lead huge protests against climate change. Alongside Greta Thunberg, they have helped force a conversation on global warming all over the world through direct action.

Having worked full time as fashion designer for high street and luxury labels, Clare felt so strongly about the fashion industry's damage to the environment, she quit to organise full time with the movement. She is now fashion sustainability lecturer at the University of Arts London.

We originally met to discuss the power behind the movement on 5th March 2020, just before life changed forever due to the global pandemic. Find this first discussion in the first half of the episode, where we discussed the action-based methods of Extinction Rebellion, the campaigns that inspired her to become a full time leader of rebellion, and how to get involved.

We later caught up with Clare, on 15th September 2020, when Extinction Rebellion were in the midst of a national relaunch. We discuss how climate damage has lead to the global pandemic; and the impact of Black Lives Matter on the movement. You can find the update in the second half of the episode. 

Follow Clare on Twitter. Follow Extinction Rebellion’s Fashion Act Now group on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Donate to their fundraising campaign at crowdfunder.co.uk/fashion-act-now. Get involved with Extinction Rebellion from anywhere in the world at rebellion.global. 

Follow Future Heist on Instagram and Twitter @future_heist for episode updates, news and giveaways. 

Find a transcript to this episode here.

Produced and recorded by Rena Niamh Smith. Theme music by Benjamin Tassie. Artwork by Fleur Beck. Sound engineering by Gibran Farrah. Consultation by Ben Weaver-Hincks. Original illustrations and social media editing by Charlotte Rose Watts. Special thanks to Chloe Vasseghi.

Dave Randall is a guitarist and founder of Slovo, and has previously toured with Faithless, Sinead O’Connor and Dido. As an activist, he has campaigned for Love Music Hate Racism, Freedom for Palestine and the People’s Assembly Against Austerity. This year, he released the third album under his band Slovo titled Bread and Butterflies, which he finished under lockdown. In 2017, he authored a book, Sound System, the Political Power of Music. 

We discussed his ongoing fascination with the way politics and music are intimately connected, from the anti-establishment raves of the Thatcher years in Britain to Beyonce’s engagement with the Black Lives Matter conversation. 

Follow Dave Randall on Twitter @davidrrandall and learn more at randallmusic.net. Buy his music at slovo.bandcamp.com

Follow Future Heist on Instagram and Twitter @future_heist for episode updates, news and giveaways. 

Produced and recorded by Rena Niamh Smith

Theme music by Benjamin Tassie

Artwork by Fleur Beck

Sound engineering by Gibran Farrah

Consultation by Ben Weaver-Hincks

Original illustrations and social media editing by Charlotte Rose Watts

Special thanks to Chloe Vasseghi

The Outside Project is a LGBTIQ+ homeless shelter, community centre and support service. We met Harry Gay, Campaigns Manager, and a community activist who has previously worked with refugees and in local action groups. ⁠

Homelessness has been a long-neglected problem for decades. Cuts to social services and growing inequalities have seen numbers rise. Yet the Coronavirus pandemic prompted funding from national and local governments. But what will happen beyond the pandemic? And if funding could be made available now, why was more not being done before to tackle the issues that see people pushed to the fringes of society? ⁠

In this episode, Harry also discusses the particular challenges that see many from the LGBTIQ+ community end up homeless. Discrimination in the home is a particular consequence of homophobia and LGBTIQ+ people face further challenges in accessing homelessness services. ⁠

As well as being a campaigner, Harry is a DJ. As Pride celebrations take place in new and reinvigorated forms around the world, we talk to Harry about the limitations of commercialised Pride, and the Queer House Party, which he set up online with DJ friends to bring people together in these uncertain times. ⁠

Follow Harry on Instagram and Twitter. Follow the Outside Project on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or learn more at lgbtiqoutside.org. Follow the Queer House Party on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Follow Future Heist on Instagram and Twitter @future_heist for episode updates, news and giveaways. 

Read a full transcript of this episode on our website

Produced and recorded by Rena Niamh Smith. Theme music by Benjamin Tassie. Artwork by Fleur Beck. Sound engineering by Gibran Farrah. Consultation by Ben Weaver-Hincks. Original illustrations and social media editing by Charlotte Rose Watts. Special thanks to Chloe Vasseghi

As the Black Lives Matter protests erupt around the world, I sat down with Brian Richardson, a criminal barrister and anti-racist activist. Now a leading figure in Stand Up to Racism, he has worked for the Anti Nazi League and has been involved in the campaign for justice for the Grenfell community..

As a barrister, Brian has only ever done defence - standing up for some of the poorest and most marginalised individuals in society. He is with Nexus chambers with Michael Mansfield, a titan of social justice campaigns in the UK. Brian has authored books including “Say It Loud: Marxism and the Fight Against Racism”; “Tell It Like It Is: How Our Schools Fail Black Children”; and “Bob Marley: Roots, Reggae and Revolution”. 

Brian is my partner, and there has never been a better time to interview him. The death of George Floyd has not just prompted global protests - it has also sparked conversations about racism in workplaces, on social media - and closer to home. 

We sat down to discuss questions such as what is racism? Where does racism come from? What is white privilege? Can white people be anti-racist allies? Is there racism the criminal justice system? And should we remove racist statues?

As with every episode of Future Heist -  resources and action points for activists.

Follow Brian on Twitter @Richardson67B. Follow Stand Up to Racism on Facebook, Twitter, or learn more at standuptoracism.org.uk.

Follow Future Heist on Instagram and Twitter @future_heist for episode updates, news and giveaways. 

Read a full transcript of this episode on RenatheJournalist.com/podcast

Produced and recorded by Rena Niamh Smith. Theme music by Benjamin Tassie. Artwork by Fleur Beck. Sound engineering by Gibran Farrah. Consultation by Ben Weaver-Hincks. Original illustrations and social media editing by Charlotte Rose Watts. Special thanks to Chloe Vasseghi

Dr Megan Parsons is an NHS doctor who specialises in mental health, who works in London.

The narrative around frontline workers has been one of heroism since the global pandemic began. While it is undeniable that health workers have been doing a fantastic job for the sake of us all, the reality is much more bleak. Austerity and government cuts have brought the NHS to its knees even before the crisis began.

As a health worker from a BAME (black and minority ethnic) background, Megan has been speaking out on the injustices in society which cause inequality. The death toll of people from BAME backgrounds has been extraordinarily high. Not simply a matter of genetics, there is a history of exclusion and poverty behind these figures which sees BAME people excluded from top-tier jobs, more likely to suffer poverty-related illnesses and less likely to receive adequate protection.

We sat down to discuss privatisation, health and social care under Coronavirus and why the death toll among people from BAME backgrounds has been so high.

Like this? Follow Future Heist on Instagram and Twitter @future_heist for episode updates, news and giveaways. 

Produced and recorded by Rena Niamh Smith. Theme music by Benjamin Tassie. Artwork by Fleur Beck. Sound engineering by Gibran Farrah. Consultation by Ben Weaver-Hincks. Original illustrations and social media editing by Charlotte Rose Watts. Special thanks to Chloe Vasseghi

Francesca Manning has been a primary school teacher for four years. She is a union rep for the National Education Union, and is active with her local NEU committee in South London. 

As the death toll from Covid-19 continues to rise, parents and teachers are grappling with the UK government’s target to re-open schools to children beyond those of key workers by 1st June.

We discussed how damaging it could be to children to re-open schools too quickly, what union organising has been like under the global Coronavirus pandemic, and how we could reimagine education to better include all children in the new normal of the future.

Follow Francesca Manning on Twitter @EducatingFran and Instagram @rebel_womann. Follow the National Education Union on Twitter @NEUnion and Instagram @nationaleducationunion.

Like this? Follow Future Heist on Instagram and Twitter @future_heist for episode updates, news and giveaways. 

Produced and recorded by Rena Niamh Smith

Tansy Hoskins, an author and journalist based in London. In March 2020, she released a new book “Foot Work: What Your Shoes Are Doing to the World”, an exposé of the shoe industry, and the damage it is doing to workers, consumers and the planet. 

Tansy’s previous book, Stitched Up: The Anticapitalist Book of Fashion, is one of my favourites exploring the political issues in fashion. It’s a 360 degree view of the issues at stake, looking at everything from Karl Lagerfeld to Karl Marx, including sweatshops, branding, the environment and sustainable alternatives. Actor Emma Watson chose Stitched Up as one of her favourite books. 

In her work, Tansy combines environmental concerns with a critique of capitalism and issues facing the global working class, Tansy is at the forefront of not only illuminating the problems facing fashion now, but thinking of how we might build a better future for all. We discussed the book, her background as an anti-war campaigner and how the left can better grapple with the issues in the fashion industry.

Follow Tansy on Twitter and Instagram @TansyHoskins or find out more at tansyhoskins.org/

Follow Future Heist on Instagram and Twitter @future_heist for episode updates, news and giveaways. 

Produced and recorded by Rena Niamh Smith

Sarah Ann Macklin is founder of the Be Well Collective to improve mental health and wellbeing in the fashion industry. A model for 15 years, Sarah Ann has worked for designers such as Vivienne Westwood, and magazines from Vogue Italia to Esquire.

Against the backdrop of a demanding career in the spotlight, Sarah Ann's journey of self-care lead her to train and open a Harley Street practice as a nutritionist. She launched the Be Well Collective in 2016 to bring nutritional education and mental health coaching to fashion models; the women and men that represent society’s aesthetic paradigm, yet off camera, often face the greatest body consciousness, self-esteem and stress-related issues.

The organisation supports models across London through regular workshops and industry events and creates a safe online community of a wider audience via their website, including the newly launched Live Well Be Well Series; educational videos providing scientifically based expert advice and personal insights from influential individuals from the fashion community. The Be Well Collective is endorsed by the British Fashion Model Agents Association and the British Fashion Council.

We sat down with Sarah to discuss mental wellbeing in the fashion industry for young people like models, how she came to create a platform for others, and how to open up the discussion to seek long-lasting change.

Follow the Be Well Collective on Instagram @be_well_collective and find out more bewellcollective.co.uk.

Follow Future Heist on Instagram and Twitter @future_heist for episode updates, news and giveaways. 

Produced and recorded by Rena Niamh Smith