Paul Atherton is a filmmaker, writer, playwright, and social campaigner. Until recently, he was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, also known as the RSA.
Established in 1754 to address socio-political issues being caused by the Industrial Revolution, the RSA is without question one of Britain’s most important cultural institutions. A society of Fellows focused on solving society’s most complex problems.
But now its unique mission, culture, and even its archive are being systematically dismantled by the RSA’s own leadership team and Board of Trustees in the pursuit of profit over social purpose. It is a story that is all too familiar to anyone paying attention to what’s been happening in this country over the past 50 years.
Staff have been striking for the first time in the Society’s history, and Paul has been expelled from the Society in extraordinary fashion for daring to challenge the direction being taken by the new leadership.
He spoke to Ben Rubin about what’s been happening.
Paul Atherton’s FRSA Substack: For the Love of Fellowship
IGWB: RSA Staff Vote Overwhelmingly for First Ever Strike in the Organisation’s History