Community, Democracy & Resistance are up for discussion at Goldfinch

Three expert authors share theory and practice of successful community action

10 December 2026, 7.30pm – 9.30pm, Assembly Rooms, High St, Alton, GU34 1BA

Tickets £5 (redeemable against the cost of a book)

Up and down the UK, in living rooms, cafés, baby groups, offices and bookshops, people are questioning what exactly is going on in the world. Why are we facing so many different crises all at the same moment – and what can we do about it?

On December 10th, Goldfinch Books is hosting a panel discussion with three authors who can answer those questions – and share stories of how towns just like ours are taking power into their own hands to build the community they want.

Expert panellists share real-world examples of successful community action

Three authors will be brought together on a panel for the first time to discuss their insights and experiences of direct action, demonstrating that the power really can be with the people – if we choose it.

Eleanor Finley

Eleanor Finley will walk us through her research on social ecology – a framework that both explains why our domination-based society isn’t working for us, and how to do things differently. She’ll share ideas and actions from her book, Practicing Social Ecology, which explores different perspectives on returning power to the people through direct action, popular assemblies, and more. Eleanor is coming all the way over from America, where she is a researcher at the University of Massachusetts, especially to join this discussion.

Eleanor is a researcher at the University of Massachusetts, an associate of the Institute for Social Ecology (ISE), and an affiliated researcher at George Mason University, Next System Studies. She has published numerous articles on social ecology and related themes, such as Kurdish democratic confederalism, energy and environmental justice, and degrowth, and conducted dozens of workshops, talks, and lectures to diverse audiences in North America and Europe. 

Carne Ross

Eleanor will be joined by Carne Ross, former British diplomat and current ‘accidental anarchist’. Carne strongly believes we don’t need to wait for a revolution to begin living differently – we can start now. If your understanding of anarchy is limited to chaos and The Sex Pistols, Carne’s book, There We Are Human Again, will introduce a new way of looking at the word – and the world. He will bring ideas and examples of how to replace our domination-based social and financial relationships with collective decision-making that trusts communities to know what they need.

Carne is a former British diplomat who resigned over the Iraq War, an adviser on diplomacy to leaders of over forty countries and political movements, and a writer and commentator on geopolitics and political change. Carne writes and broadcasts about the deeper structures that shape global events - and how to change them. 

Hazel Sheffield

Hazel Sheffield brings a journalist’s on-the-ground perspective to the panel. Her book, Frontierlands is described as ‘a warming remedy to the creeping nihilism many feel about the places where they live, and their power to have a hand in changing them’ – full of real-world examples of derelict lands and buildings across the UK and the communities who are reimagining them. This is theory in action.

Hazel is a business reporter and investigative journalist. Her work can be found in national and international publications including the Guardian, Follow the Money and the Financial Times. Frontierlands is the product of a decade of research into self-organising communities and economic alternatives in the UK.

The discussion will be hosted by Goldfinch Books’ co-owner Ella Clark, who has the task of fitting all her questions into an hour-long session in the Alton Assembly Rooms, before opening the floor to a Q&A. Books from all authors will be available for purchase on the night and the £5 ticket price will be redeemable against the cost of any of the three books.

The bigger picture

This event was curated by Ella and her co-owner and father Gary Clark, who have been reading these books and more as they undertake their own community action.

Goldfinch Books is currently in the midst of a community share offer that aims to buy and refurbish a building on Alton’s high street to house a bookshop, events space and creative hub that will be forever in community ownership. The idea was borne from a frustration with the constraints and toxic models of business ownership where profits are fed back to a landlord and not into the community that supports the shop. They have been sharing the thought process behind this transition and the development of this share offer in the monthly Goldfinch newsletter and over on Substack.

“Practicing Social Ecology, There We Are Human, and Frontierlands each present a kind of ‘proof of concept’ for Goldfinch 2.0,” says Gary. “Other towns are doing this, and it’s working. But it’s not just about one business or one part of the community jigsaw – I’m really hoping people will come out of the event feeling energised and empowered, ready to start a study group, reinvigorate their mutual aid network, rebuild their residents’ association, or all of the above. It will be great to hear what questions come up in the discussion, and to get the benefit of these experts’ experiences as we develop the Goldfinch Community project.”

NOTE: The Goldfinch Community share offer is planned to go live on 23 October. More details can be found here.