By Liz Darcy Jones

I was challenged this week by an acquaintance as to who the leaders of XR are and who it’s for… Very serendipitous timing as I’d reached Principle and Value No 6 ‘We welcome everyone and every part of everyone’!

And after joining members of the Green Party, other environmental groups and fellow XR rebels in Newbury in pouring rain to remind the Council that the climate emergency will have an impact on their spending (it was their annual Budgetary meeting) the ditty below emerged. We were a diverse group and my imagination lit up…

‘Who
is XR for?’

‘Everyone.’
‘Too
general, it can’t be done! Nah!’
It’s something I muse
upon. And now I’ll hazard a try
to tell you why…’

Because
XR is you

the
passionate, secret tree-hugger

daring
to start a chant (she’s eighty-two)

Because
XR is me

the
child of three

who
doesn’t understand but likes to bang

his
tambourine and make a noise indefinitely!

Because
XR is her

retired
and studious academic

now
prepared to make a stir

Because
XR is him

who
doesn’t agree entirely with the strategy

and
whose sight is getting dim

but
feels valued (and the endless marching

keeps
him trim)

Because
XR is he/she/neither and LGBT

removes
all labels and yet recognises

each
for who they are – safe and heard in a holacracy*

Because
XR is multi-sized

embracing
every part of you –

yes,
the bits you conveniently forget

and
the lovely parts you’ve not yet met

Because
XR is me

lover
of solitude, pacing my supplies of energy

XR
could be each and every one of us

the
passengers and driver of the bus

XR
could be mankind – man kind – transformed into one ginormous
‘we’
will you join up and help that come to be?!

*A
holacracy is a decentralised nimble form of organisation, flat in
structure leveraging autonomy, see www.holacracy.org