At 05:39 PM 7/14/99 +1200, Ian Ritchie wrote:
>To: "'futurework'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Jeremy Rifkin - 1-6-99
>Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 17:39:26 +1200
>X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.0.1460.8)
>Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Work, Social Capital, and the Rebirth of the Civil Society:
>A Blueprint for a New Third Sector Politics
>
>Rapporteur: Mr Jeremy Rifkin, President of the Foundation on Economic
>Trends, Washington, DC
***************
I have admired Rifkin since 1990. I still believe that his analysis is
largely accurate.
Rifkin put on an all-day seminar in Vancouver in 1996 for the "Three
Sectors", when he said much of what he says here. He spoke to Provincial
Cabinet. Premier Clark held at least two follow-up meetings, one public,
one with the NDP party -- despite Clark's support, there has been no action
in BC on his proposals, and total silence for 2 years.
Evidently business and unions do not welcome Rifkin's 30-hour work week, etc.
For the past 20 months CDD has advocated Direct Democracy (DD, a SYSTEM of
citizen-initiated referenda), which has been used in Switzerland at ALL
levels of government for 140 years, and which is operating, after a
fashion, in about 26 States of the U.S.A., but NOT at the Federal level in
the U.S.A. And NOT in BC.
So while I agree with Rifkin's main thesis, he seems to lack the TOOL to
make real his solution. I believe that that tool could be DD.
>" . . . Redirecting the political debate to a tripartite model with
>the civil society in the center between the market and government spheres,
>fundamentally changes the nature of political discourse, opening up the
>possibility of re-envisioning the body politic, the economy and the nature
>of work and society in wholly new ways in the coming century."
How does he propose to attain this "Redirecting the political debate to a
tripartite model . . ."?
He does not say.
The only PRACTICAL method I know of is "Direct Democracy" (see
http://www.npsnet.com/cdd/), which allows the PEOPLE to decide those issues
which the elites will not tackle. A citizen-initiated referendum might
activate Rifkin's proposals.
As citizen-initiated referenda could activate many other noble proposals
that favour the public good!
Colin Stark
Vice-President
Canadians for Direct Democracy
Vancouver, B.C.
http://www.npsnet.com/cdd/
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Listserv)
************
>The global economy is undergoing a fundamental transformation in the nature
>of work brought on by the new technologies of the Information and Biotech
>revolutions. These profound technological and economic changes are going to
>force every country to rethink their long held assumptions about the nature
>of politics if they are to adjust to the radical new world being readied for
>the 21st century. In the new era, the traditional political spectrum of
>marketplace vs government is likely to be replaced by the notion of a
>three-legged political stool with the marketplace, government, and civil
>sectors each acting as a check and balance against the other in a new kind
>of tripartite politics. The new political paradigm is going to have far
>reaching consequences, reshaping our very ideas of citizenship in the coming
>century.
etc
