In an era of hyperpolitics, the left needs to organise | Letters

Mark Bergfeld and Derrick Joad on Zoe Williams’ interview of the political theorist Anton Jäger

Zoe Williams’ article on Anton Jäger (Meet the man whose groundbreaking book is being devoured by the left, 23 July) reminded me of something that I encounter in trade union meetings: people no longer come to them. But neither do they go to church or the synagogue, nor do they volunteer as the youth football coach. They work intolerable hours or are logged in, like me, writing this from my beach vacation in Greece.

In that sense, I agree with Jäger’s premise that we are in an era of hyperpolitics. Yet, as a trade unionist who dedicates his life to rebuilding the power of working people, I confront a problem that has led me to cave in to hyperpolitics. I co-produced a podcast on cleaners’ work and lives, and have been running an influencer campaign with hairdressers because that is how we get the union message out. People might not attend a meeting, but they will watch something on TikTok or Instagram, or listen to a podcast on Spotify.