I like this quote from George Monbiot:
"Trouble-making is a costly nuisance, a drain on public resources, an impediment to the smooth functioning of government. It is also one of the only means by which our political leaders can be forced to address the concerns of the excluded, the dispossessed or, indeed, anyone who does not number among their target voters."
This chimed in with reading Paul Robeson's essays in "Here I Stand" where he chides the Gradualists, those who looked for incremental improvements in civil rights through patience and a growth in understanding.
I think the nature of the stushie is really important. I am suspicious of actual revolutions since they seem usually to bring in something worse than the status quo ante. At the other end the doctrine of "always keep a hold of nurse, for fear of finding something worse" just will not wash. These days I am a bit muddled about how to navigate between these extremes. Clarification work needed.
