The Experience of 'Keeping Our Cool' at COP 26 - Alun Thomas - Chair of Scottish Mediation

Following on from November’s Blog by Duncan Fraser, we ask experienced Mediation, Alun Thomas to share his experiences of this once in a lifetime event, mediating at COP26.

As an employment lawyer for the last 40 years and a mediator for the last 15, I was absolutely thrilled to get the chance to take part in the innovative civic mediation project that was ‘Keeping Our Cool’ at the recent Glasgow COP26 gathering. As current Chair of Scottish Mediation, I am keen to take every opportunity that comes my way to expand the presence and public awareness of mediation and the benefits that it can bring. That made it very easy to agree to the approach that was made to me by Scottish Mediation by our friends at the Centre for Good Relations to join them, and Place for Hope, in putting together the group of volunteers that was to work on the streets of Glasgow throughout the COP26 conference.

A group of nearly 50 mediators gathered both physically and virtually to work in the space between protestor and police and I found the experience one of the most stimulating and rewarding I’ve had, both personally and professionally for years. The opportunity to work with fellow mediators of all ages, experience, and practice areas was a joy and the collective collaborative experience is one that I suspect will have set the bar for those engaged in mass protests and gatherings for the future. Not only in Scotland but much, much further afield in the years to come. Formal reports and academic research on the work done and the lessons learned are being worked on now. 

All involved will, I am sure, have taken something positive from those COP26 days. Whether that be the observation of the contrast between the hierarchical structures of the various police presences and the much flatter but equally effective organisational methodology of Extinction Rebellion, or, as in my case, the fascination of discussing the ethos underlying the performance of a group of anarchist clowns outside the gates of BAE Systems at Govan Docks. No, I’m serious, there was a small group of clowns who set about their work by prompting reactions from their audience and then hyper exaggerating that reaction into a performance piece. It was on the walk back from the docks that I established that their methodology was firmly and fiercely based in classical anarchist principles and was able to exchange notes with them on my reading of Bakunin and Black Flag from the days when I was young ... just a part of the way in which mediators are able to build rapport with those they work with.

Over the fortnight ‘Keeping Our Cool’ estimates that they spoke with over 1200 people, police and protestors alike, about the way in which mediation can create a pathway for effective civilised respectful dialogue, and they were able to show what we all know, that mediation works!

Alun Thomas