​The Progressive Dilemma​

Across the UK and internationally, we are living through a period of profound political and social imbalance. Power has become increasingly concentrated in central government and dominant economic institutions, while civil society—long a source of creativity, solidarity and democratic energy—often operates in fragmented, isolated pockets. Social movements flare and fade, innovative local projects struggle to scale, and political institutions remain largely unreceptive to the democratic renewal that society urgently needs. This tension forms what can be called the progressive dilemma: a widening gap between the authoritarian drift of national politics and the uncoordinated vitality of grassroots civic life. 

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45-degree mediation - connecting and transforming civil society and the state

45° mediation offers a new way of understanding—and bridging—this divide. It proposes that meaningful, systemic change emerges not solely from “bottom‑up” activism or “top‑down” state reform, but from the 45‑degree space where these forces interact. This is the zone of mediation: an area of intense activity where civil society initiatives, local governance, political parties and state institutions meet, negotiate, hybridise and sometimes clash. In this space, new relationships can form, new practices can be incubated and new progressive directions can take shape.

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Building on Neal Lawson’s original 45‑Degree Change model, the expanded 45‑Degree Change Framework 2.0 identifies four interlocking dimensions that structure this mediating space (see Figure 1).

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• Horizontal assemblages – civil society in all its diversity: social movements, community groups, trade unions, local innovations, universities, anchor institutions and democratic local governance. It is here that new ideas, solidarities and forms of practice continually emerge.

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• Vertical assemblages – the layered institutional world of politics, governance, the national state, platform capitalism, and long‑standing cultural and historical institutions. These structures possess authority, resources and reach, but are also sites of contestation and regressive influence.

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• The 45° mediation zone – a dynamic field where horizontal and vertical forces collide and intertwine. It is here that progressive projects can build power, influence institutions and create hybrid forms of governance and democratic practice.

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• Transitioning times – the temporal dimension of change, recognising that systemic transformation unfolds across different speeds, from urgent climate action to the slower rebuilding of social bonds and democratic culture.

 

Figure 1.  The 45-Degree Change Framework

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​​​​45° mediation focuses on the connective work necessary to build bridges across these domains. It highlights the role of mediating actors—teachers, organisers, public‑sector professionals, researchers, civic innovators and local leaders—who move between civil society and institutions, cultivating shared missions and opening democratic pathways. These mediators draw on what the framework calls the Organic Intellect, an integration of broad social awareness with the specialist knowledge needed to engage and transform vertical systems. 

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Strong mediation​ as connective transformation

For mediation to be strong rather than weak, it must be supported by mediating organisations, particularly at the “middle range” of local and regional governance. These institutions sit between citizens and the national state, providing critical platforms for joint working, democratic experimentation and the shaping of place‑based strategies. Political parties also have a key role: the goal is not to abandon vertical political leadership but to reshape it into a 45‑degree political party—one capable of strategic direction while remaining porous to ideas, energies and innovations from civil society. 

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Finally, 45° mediation recognises that technology matters. In an era dominated by platform capitalism, a progressive, socialised approach to AI and digital infrastructure can support collective intelligence, strengthen democratic networks and help address complex challenges from climate change to public health. 

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Taken together, these elements form a socio‑political ecosystem approach to transformation. Rather than seeing change as a series of isolated projects, 45° mediation invites us to understand—and build—the relationships, institutions and temporal strategies through which a new progressive historical bloc can emerge. It provides both a conceptual map and a practical strategy for connecting the bottom, democratising the top and constructing the middle—laying the foundations for a more just, democratic and sustainable future. 

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