The Open Tribe

As markets become global and social welfare is cut back, many people feel exposed and vulnerable. Too often the response is to become defensive, to turn inwards, to look for comfort in ‘people like us’ – both on the left and the right. Sue Goss argues that the left can only flourish if it is open to difference and new ideas, and that this is possible while also retaining a necessary sense of belonging and solidairty.

Goss has discussed how to think about change in a series of conversations with politicians, academics, campaigners and thinkers. The book draws on these conversations to explore the worlds of politics, work, community and the state. Some powerful themes emerge across each discussion – about the ‘battle for the human’ – a different way of looking at ourselves and at each other – and a set of shared values from which to challenge and rethink all our social and economic institutions.