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Never forget: grassroots activism is a crucial driver in securing positive change
It is not in the interests of the Establishment to recognise the impact protest movements have had on everything from gay rights to ecology, but the evidence shows their role is essential, writes IAN SINCLAIR
CHANGING TIMES: Tony Whitehead (centre) and his partner John Roman Baker (white scarf) during a protest by gay activists outside British Home Stores, Oxford Street, over Whitehead’s victimisation and dismissal for his sexuality, 1976.

THE mainstream political culture — from the media to politicians to academia — often has a hard time recognising the decisive role of grassroots activism and protest in securing political change.

For example, last month the Guardian reported on the latest British Social Attitudes survey, noting: “From attitudes to gay sex and single parenting to views on abortion and the role of women in the home, Britain has evolved into a dramatically more liberal-minded country over the past four decades.”

According to the liberal newspaper, the study suggests “the evolution of liberal public attitudes ... have been driven by profound social changes such as more people going to university, more women going out to work and the decline in marriage and organised religion.”

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