For around 20 years in the UK, there were overlapping subcultures: road protest, summit hopping, squatting, back-to-the-land movements, and free parties. Together, these cultures allowed a generation of people to live, to a large extent, “for free”.
That “free” life was not magical or isolated. It was partly subsidised by what remained of the social safety net — housing benefits, dole money, informal support systems — which played a role in making these ways of living possible. This wasn’t domination or central planning; it was the cultivation of many efforts, which collectively led to significant change.