Tips on How to Oppose Corporate Rule
By Dr. Jane Kelsey
[The business takeover of Canada's economic and political systems is
generating a buildup of opposition by both progressive organizations and
individuals.
One of the strongest critics of the corporate agenda is Dr. Jane Kelsey
of the University of Auckland in New Zealand. An excerpt from her book
on the corporate takeover of New Zealand--"Economic Fundamentalism"--was
published in the March issue of The Monitor.
Dr. Kelsey has devised what she calls "A Manual for
Counter-Technopols"--suggestions and ideas for actions that challenge
corporate rule.
The following is a list of some of her proposed tactics and strategies
that could be adopted by Canadian "resistance" fighters.]
* * *
* Be skeptical about fiscal and other "crises." Examine the real nature
of the problem, who defines it as a crisis, and who stands to gain.
Demand to know the range of possible solutions, and the costs and
benefits of each to whom. If the ansers are not forthcoming, burn the
midnight oil to produce the answers for yourselves.
* Don't cling to a political party that has been converted to
neoconservatism. Fighting to prevent a social democratic party's capture
by right-wing zealots is important. But once the party has been taken
over, maintaining solidarity on the outside while seeking change from
within merely gives them more time. When the spirit of the party is
dead, shed the old skin and create something new.
* Take economics seriously. Neo-liberal economic fundamentalism pervades
everything. There is no boundary between economic, social, environmental
or other policies. Those who focus on narrow sectoral concerns and
ignore the pervasive economic agenda will lose their own battles and we
aken the collective ability to resist. Leaving economics to economists
is fatal.
* Expose the weaknesses of their theory. Neo-liberal theories are
riddled with dubious assumptions and internal inconsistencies, and often
lack empirical support. These right-wing theories need to be exposed as
self-serving rationalizations which operate in the interests of the
elites whom the policies empower.
* Challenge hypocrisy. Ask who is promoting a strategy as being in the
"national interest," and who stands to benefit most. Document cases
where self-interest is disguised as public good.
* Expose the masterminds. Name the key corporate players behind the
scenes, document their interlocking roles and allegiances, and expose
the personal and corporate benefits they receive.
* Maximize every obstacle. Federal systems of government, written
constitutions, legal requirements and regulations, supra-national
institutions like the ILO and the UN, and strong local governments can
provide barriers that slow down the pace of the corporate takeover.
* Work hard to maintain solidarity. Avoid the trap of divide and rule.
Sectoral in-fighting is self-indulgent and everyone risks losing in the
end.
* Do not compromise the labour movement. Build awareness of the
corporate agenda at union local and workplace levels. Resist concessions
that tend to deepen co-optation and weaken the unions' ability to fight
back.
* Maintain the concept of an efficient public service. Resist attempts
to discredit and dismantle the public sector by admitting deficiencies
and promoting constructive models for change. Build support among client
groups and the public which stresses the need for public services and
the risks of cutting or privatizing them.
* Encourage community leaders to speak out. Public criticism from civic
and church leaders, folk heroes and other prominent "names" makes
corporate and political leaders uncomfortable. It also makes people
think. Remind community leaders of their social obligations, and the
need to preserve their own self-respect.
* Avoid anti-intellectualism. A pool of academics and other
intellectuals who can document and expose the fallacies and failures of
the corporate agenda, and develop viable alternatives in partnership
with community and sectoral groups, is absolutely vital. They need to be
supported when they come under attack, and challenged when they fail to
speak out or are co-opted or seduced.
* Establish an alternative think-tank. If one already exists, make sure
it is adequately funded. Neo-liberal and neoconservative think-tanks
have shown how well-resourced institutes on the right can rationalize
and legitimize the corporate agenda. The need is obvious for one or more
equally well-supported think-tanks on the left. Uncoordinated research
by isolated critics will not suffice.
* Invest in the future. Provide financial, human and moral support to
sustain alternative analysis, publications, think-tanks, and people's
projects that are working actively to resist the corporate agenda and
work for progressive change.
* Support those who speak out. The harassment and intimidation of
critics of the corporate takeover works only if those targeted for
attacks lack personal, popular and institutional support. Withdrawing
from public debate leaves those who remain more exposed.
* Promote ethical investment. Support investors who genuinely respond to
social and ecological concerns. Expose unethical investors who don't.
Boycotts have proved a powerful force in environmental, anti-nuclear and
safe product campaigns. Companies that ignore social and environmental
concerns can be embarrassed and called to account.
* Think global, act local. Develop an understanding of the global nature
of economic power, and those forces which are driving current trends.
Draw the links between these global forces and local events. Target
local representatives, meetings and activities which feed into the globa
l economic machine.
* Think local, act global. Actively support international strategies for
change, such as people's tribunals, non-governmental forums and codes of
conduct, and action campaigns against unethical companies and corporate
practices. Recognize that international action is essential to counter
the collaboration of states and corporations, and to empower civil
society to take back control.
* Develop alternative media outlets. Once mainstream media are captured
by the right, it is difficult for critics to enter the debate, and
impossible to lead it. Alternative media and innovative strategies must
be put in place. Effective communication and exchange of information
between sectoral groups and activists are essential, despite the time
and resources involved.
* Raise the levels of popular economic literacy. Familiarize people with
the basic themes, assumptions and goals of economic fundamentalism.
Convince them that economic policy affects everyone, that everyone has a
right to participate, and that alternatives to the corporate agenda do
exist.
* Resist market-speak. Maintain control of the language, challenge its
capture by the right, and refuse to convert your discourse to theirs.
Insist on using hard specific terms that convey the hard realities of
what is going on.
* Be realistic. Recognize that the world has changed, in some ways
irreversibly, and that the past was far from perfect. Avoid being
trapped solely into reacting and defending the status quo. Defending the
past for its own sake adds credibility to the claims of the right and
wastes opportunities to work for genuine change.
* Be pro-active. Start rethinking visions, strategies and models of
development for the future. Show that there are workable, preferable
alternatives from the start. This becomes progressively more difficult
the longer you wait to respond to the corporate agenda.
* Challenge the TINA ("there is no alternative") claim. Convince
people--individually and collectively--that there are real and workable
alternatives. Present options that combine realism with the prospect of
meaningful change. Actively promote these alternatives and have them
ready to be implemented when the corporate agenda fails.
* Promote participatory democracy. Build a constituency for change
through alternative information networks and media. Use community,
workplace, women's, church, union, First Nations and other outlets to
encourage people to take back control. Empower them with the knowledge
they need to understand the right-wing forces affecting them and how
they can fight back most effectively.
* Hold the line. The corporate takeover is not yet complete. Social
programs have not yet been entirely dismantled. Unions have not yet been
destroyed. Not all environmental protections have been eliminated. There
is still time, through sustained and co-ordinated action, to hold the
line.
---
Taken from The CCPA Monitor, April 1996.
Articles from The CCPA Monitor
