'The Future in our Past: The General Strike, 1926/2026' with Callum Cant and Matthew Lee

In this episode of Acid Horizon, hosts discuss the centenary of the 1926 British General Strike through the lens of their new book, *The Future in Our Past: The General Strike, 1926–2026*, co-authored by Callum Cant and Matthew Lee. The episode traces the historical roots of the general strike from its origins in radical 19th-century movements like William Benbow’s 'Grand National Holiday' to the revolutionary potential of the 1842 Plug Plots. It explores the dialectic between the 'Labour aristocracy'—a privileged stratum of skilled workers integrated into the capitalist system—and the 'vanguard'—the militant, often unorganized rank-and-file workers who drive revolutionary struggle. The 1926 strike is analyzed as a failure not of will, but of leadership: despite widespread grassroots mobilization, the TUC leadership, fearing revolutionary chaos and seeking state legitimacy, refused to escalate or sustain the strike, ultimately ceding power to the state. The hosts draw powerful parallels to today, highlighting how precarious labor—Amazon warehouse workers, food couriers, university staff—has begun to reorganize independently of traditional unions, creating new forms of rank-and-file coordination. These movements, though fragmented, signal a resurgence of working-class agency in the face of systemic disorganization. The episode concludes with a call to action: the future is not predetermined, but built through everyday organizing, even in the most mundane tasks of leafleting, meeting, and building trust—because the next revolutionary moment may emerge not from grand plans, but from the quiet, persistent work of connection and resistance.