Many thanks John - good points.
best wishes, george
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George Monbiot's new book "Captive State: the corporate takeover of
Britain" is published by Macmillan, �12.99
----- Original Message -----
From: John Bunzl (by way of Georges Drouet) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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Sent: 22 September 2000 22:39
Subject: [CrashList] Your Guardian Article: Helping the poorest to get
poorer
> Hello George, Interesting article but surely the reason the IMF/WB
> continue to get away with SAPs or some 'spun' version of the same
thing is
> because of the over-arching paradigm of global economic competition
over
> which no nation nor group of nations has control ( i.e. the ability
of
> capital and corporations to move freely across national borders and
> nations' inability to re-regualte them for fear of capital/corporate
> flight. A predicament which forces nations to compete with one
another for
> capital and jobs.) For if the free movement of capital and
corporations
> cannot be controlled, the effects of this are that both those
ostensibly
> 'in control' (IMF/WB/WTO) and those who oppose them are locked into a
kind
> of endless loop of excuses and protest with neither side able to find
a
> way out because they are both, effectively, subject to a paradigm
neither
> can influence. This allows the IMF/WB to claim that SAPs (or whatever
they
> now call them) alleviate poverty and, further, to claim that if they
have
> not worked, it is only because poor-country governments are either
corrupt
> or didn't apply the SAPs rigorously enough or both. The protesters,
> meanwhile, also can't do much else but protest because they have no
> alternative paradigm to offer. (And if they do have one, they offer
no
> secure and responsible method for getting from the destructive one we
are
> now in to the new one.) So it's a kind of stalemate; a stalemate which
the
> book I sent you some time ago ("The Simultaneous Policy - An
Insider's
> Guide to Saving Humanity and the Planet") offers a potential solution
for.
> A list of endorsements so far received follows at the end of this
message.
> In case you need a fresh copy, I'll gladly send one (free of charge).
It
> will be published early next year by New European Publications. On
> another matter, you might be interested in a letter I sent a few days
ago
> to The Ecologist in response to your debate with J. Porritt which I
copy
> here in case they don't publish it: Dear Editor, George Monbiot's and
> Jonathan Porritt's exchange is a microcosm of the dilemmas faced by
both
> sides of the green movement. In their confusion, both largely fail to
> identify the flaws in each others' arguments. George is only partly
right
> in identifying the corporate duty to 'act in the best interests of
the
> company' as the key driver behind environmental degradation and other
> ills. For this ignores the real driver which is competition. By and
large,
> a corporation can only be as environmentally or socially responsible
as
> its most irresponsible competitor. For failure to do so will
ultimately
> put it out of business. But that is also why Jonathan's willingness
to
> engage individual corporations in a bid to improve their
> environmental performance is no solution at all. So our key problem,
in
> fact, is global competition which not only corporations are subject
to,
> but also governments as they compete with one another in a
progressive
> down-levelling of social and environmental regulation in a bid to
remain
> competitive and attractive to internationally mobile capital. What we
must
> realise, above all, therefore, is that global competition is now
beyond
> the control individual or even groups of nations; it is a vicious
circle
> in which, one way or another, we are all locked; a competition which
both
> justifies and buttresses selfish and destructive behaviour; a kind of
> global dictatorship no one is in control of. Capital and corporations
> therefore need to be re-regulated to restore environmental and labour
> protection and democratic accountability. But in a global economy,
secure
> and responsible re-regulation which avoids the risk of
capital/corporate
> flight could, logically, only be implemented globally by all nations
> simultaneously. And that requires unprecedented co-operation. Indeed,
our
> primary task in our quest for sustainability is to find a way of
getting
> from global competition to global cooperation. That, for humanity, is
the
> true meaning and challenge of globalisation. End of letter. I hope
you'll
> have time to read my book and to comment on it. You may also like to
check
> out the Simultaneous Policy campaign website. Look forward to hearing
from
> you. Meantime, all the best John Bunzl. List of book endorsements
follow:
> "I thought your proposal was an elegant idea of how change could
occur.
> Itreflects the core ideas of how to create consensus around change.
This
> isthe biggest challenge that we have"Ed MayoExecutive Director, New
> Economics Foundation"Is it a good idea? My answer is: Maybe it could
prove
> to be."James RobertsonFormer cabinet policy maker and author
ofSchumacher
> Briefing 1 - Transforming Economic Life"It is a good idea. What we
need is
> politicians who will give this issue ahigh priority."Polly ToynbeeThe
> Guardian"Your idea for a simultaneous policy is excellent. . Lets
hope
> that peoplestart to listen to this important message."Helena
> Norberg-HodgeFounder of the International Forum on Globalisationand
> Director of the International Society for Ecology & Culture"It's
ambitious
> and provocative. Can it work? Certainly worth a serioustry."Noam
> Chomsky".the basic concept is excellent. . Let me know what
> develops!"Jakob von UexkullFounder and Chairman - Right Livelihood
Award
> Foundation".well argued and well thought out. It goes against our
bias for
> the humanscale but may be necessary."Nicholas AlberyChairman - The
> Institute for Social Inventions".compelling and provocative. The
structure
> and progression of the [book]fit your argument perfectly."Moises
> NaimEditor-in-Chief - Foreign Policy. USA"Your main theme is a
crucial one
> and I hope it will be heeded. .yourapproach is unusual because most
> authors concentrate on 'what' first andleave 'how' as a secondary
> consideration - or duck it altogether."David GriffithsAuthor of All
This
> and Unemployment Too.".I believe [the Simultaneous Policy] offers a
> prophetic and practicalapproach to the global politico-economic
problems
> of our generation. .Certainly it is one which would appeal to
> Quakers."Stephen WhitingQuaker Peace and Service - London."Bunzl is,
I
> feel, the first writer on the 'sustainable society' to advancebeyond
> rhetoric and grapple with the problem of how such a society might
> beachieved."Dr. Aidan Rankin'New European' (European Business
Review) -
> UK."Your [book] eloquently describes the crucial problems facing the
> worldtoday. It explores the inadequacy of the nation state in dealing
with
> theseproblems and the inability of the United Nations to move beyond
its
> currentconstraints.Simultaneous Policy is an elegant theory which
takes
> many ideas fromdifferent places. We must all work to bring these
ideas
> from theory intopractice."Simon BurallExecutive Director, One World
> Trust(in his personal capacity).".the financial world order has
become
> quite cancerous to both people andthe planet and what is needed are
> intelligent and creative solutionsappropriate to the situation. Your
> proposal to create a level playing fieldfor all that incorporates
> environmentally sustainable policies is just sucha creative
> solution."Richard St. GeorgeDirector, the Schumacher Society(in his
> personal capacity)".we concur with your comprehensive and insightful
> analysis of the challengebefore us. We also agree that social and
> environmental programmes are beingsubordinated to the demands of the
> global economy and that, if there is ameaningful remedy to hand,
yours is
> as constructive as any we've seen todate."Roger DoudnaInternational
> Programme Officer, Restore The Earth Project - Scotland.".the great
merit
> of your [book] is its proposal for a plausible solution tothe many
> questions, whose urgency much of the left seems prepared
toignore."Dorothy
> FriedmannGreen Socialist Network - London."Wishing you God speed in
your
> endeavours to progress our humankind with theSimultaneous
Policy!"Godric
> BaderLife President - Scott Bader Commonwealth Ltd.".the best ideas
are
> the simplest. With a system like this, there's no wayfor governments
to
> wriggle out. All excuses evaporate. It's a system whichunmasks all
those
> seeking to hide behind theoretical impossibilites. I can'twait to see
what
> follows. Well done SP!"Jackie NavarroATTAC - Qu�bec, Canada.".a
fantastic
> idea.a realistic and subtle mixing of sociology, economics
> andpolitics."Georges DrouetAuthor of Non-consommation Contre
> Neo-colonisation"In a time where so many urgent symptoms claim our
> attention, it seems thereis not enough courage nor time to address
the
> fundamental roots of globalpresent problems and viable roads to face
them.
> The Simultaneous Policy is asimple, peaceful, low-risk and clear
> invitation for humankind to jump - intwo steps - from a present spiral
> headed toward auto-destruction, intoanother one oriented toward life,
> cooperation and spiritual growth. To shareis to live."Emilio Jos�
> Chaves".the SP proposal is a practical means of moving toward global
> governance.It should be an effective means of achieving cooperation
where
> anyindividual government that behaves cooperatively will be
disadvantaged
> untilall other governments also do so. .I wish you the best of luck
with
> yourimportant work."John StewartAuthor of 'Evolution's Arrow: the
> direction ofevolution and the future of humanity.'". most original
and
> well-constructed . a great achievement."Barbara PanvelSecurity
Studies
> Network - UK"I am sure that The Simultaneous Policy is likely to be
of
> great interest[as] a way of striving for an alternative whilst being
> integrated in thecurrent economic system..."Suzanne IsmailEconomic
Issues
> Programme Co-ordinatorQuaker Peace & Service - London, UKA comment
passed
> on to me:"Isn't John Bunzl's Simultaneous Policy good stuff?"Lucy
> StorrsWorld Voices UK".an essential contribution to the debate that
is
> taking place at this timeof transition and rapid change in
> society."Dominic DibbleWorld Goodwill - London John Bunzl -
> DirectorInternational Simultaneous Policy Organisation
> (ISPO)<http://www.simpol.org> www.simpol.org e-mail:
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] Drouet - DirectorISPO
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
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