What is the left’s strategy to win? What are we aiming for and how do we plan to achieve it? This raises a cluster of thorny questions:

Coordination and power: the left can pursue formal political power (i.e., government), cultural influence and try to directly intervene in social life. And it can pursue these kinds of power through elections, organising, protests, art, journalism, and direct action, such as mutual aid groups and property destruction. What kinds of power should the left focus on and what means should it use? Should it focus only on, say, winning national elections, or on many terrains at once? And if the latter, should it coordinate its efforts across domains? What would this involve?

Reform or revolution: Our ultimate goal is a radical transformation of society – but should we try to achieve it quickly or slowly, through sudden revolutionary change or gradual reforms? Revolutions are difficult to achieve and maintain, while reforms can serve to stabilise the status quo we oppose by eliminating its cruelest features. Which strategy should the left adopt? Could it somehow pursue both at the same time in a coordinated way?Timeframe: It’s tempting to focus on short-term aims – they’re urgent and usually more achievable. Contemporary culture and politics also tends to focus on the short term, such as going viral or winning the next election. Unless a socialist revolution is imminent, the left needs a strategy for the medium and long term. What should this strategy be? And how can we collectively stick to it in the face of likely defeat or limited success in the short term?