John,
Might I suggest with great respect that many of the weaknesses of the
'Seven Point Action Plan' could be overcome by a reading programme of world
economic history.
For example, you start off with:
>All (?) of the economic relationships that history has seen, up to now, seem
>to have been coercive - force-full - in nature.
The parenthetical question mark is certainly needed because the rest of the
statement is plainly false -- in a seriously big way, too. There have been
several large trading networks that lasted for long periods without the
faintest coercion being involved. Let me mention just one of these: the
Phoenician trading system which connected most ports of the Mediterranean
for almost three millennia. They had no empire and no army and operated
from peaceful and totally defenceless autonomous city-states such as Sidon
and Tyre.
I hope you don't think I'm being patronising, John, but please read your
history books before you come out with such grand plans. Your ideas
well-intentioned but many of them run counter to what has been tried and
tested throughout history.
The truth of the matter is that when coercive empires and aggressive
nation-states have arisen in the past, then trade promptly declines and
large segments of populations suffer great poverty.
Best wishes,
Keith
At 21:08 21/04/00 +0100, you wrote:
>Dear friends, all,
>
> ** 'Creating A Fair, Safe and Peaceful World' : a step by step
>commentary: Part 1 (of 7) **
>
>A little while ago, Bill Bradford (I think it was?) suggested that I offer
>a step by step walk through the 'Seven Point Action Plan of 'The Fair World
>Project' (which is fully reproduced at the end.)
>
>I hope that I don't burden anyone by doing so: here goes.
>
> *********
>
>Part 1 of:
>
> 'The Co-operative Way - A Seven Point Action Plan'
>
>1) Convert competitive, market-based activities into workplace co-operative
>partnerships and remodel monopoly activities as stakeholder co-operatives.
>
> *********
>
>Commentary 1
>
>All (?) of the economic relationships that history has seen, up to now, seem
>to have been coercive - force-full - in nature.
>
>Such coercive economic systems imply the presence of 'weaker' members and of
>'stronger' members,
>
> - where, in each of these micro-economic relationships, the net effect
>is the creation of an abundance of hurts,
>
>and where,
>
> - each of which filters 'down' to those least able to pass the hurt onto
>another.
>
>Thus, in these coercive economic systems, the 'weakest'
>
> - children, the ill, the poor, animals and the planet -
>
>have all taken the 'beatings' that coercive economics (tribalism,
>feudalism, capitalism, state-centred 'communism' and the other
>totalitarianisms - even the 'new' information-age economics) *all* have
>brought.
>
>It would seem, then, that we need to nurture and nourish 'co-operative' (as
>compared to 'coercive') economic units, and hence Point 1 of the Seven Point
>Action Plan.
>
>Accordingly, if we can transform individual economic 'workplaces' into
>appropriate co-operatives (where each *demonstrably* adhere to the evolving
>International Co-operative Alliance's 'Co-operative Principles') then we
>might have some chance of creating the 'peaceful' part of:
>
> - 'A Fair, Safe and Peaceful World'.
>
> *********
>
>I hope that this has helped,
>
>Your Friend in peace, equality and co-operation,
>
>john
>
>*******************************************************
>
>The full 'Fair World Project' text follows: please share.
>
>Thanx !
>
>*******************************************************
>
>
>*** Creating A Fair, Safe and Peaceful World ***
>
>Can we consider that our shared goal is to create a fair, safe and peaceful
>world?
>
>If so, it seems that we need to transform the economic system in which we
>live, so that:
>
>o people, together, are in control of their lives,
>
>o where all work for the long-lived benefit of all: caring for the
>long-lived benefit of the whole global ecology, and all its inhabitants.
>
>To find the way forward, we need to have strategies for the three core
>features of present-day economics:
>
>o ownership of workplaces and knowledge used for profit,
>
> o ownership of land and natural resources, and their use for profit,
>and
>o the practice of money-lending for profit.
>
>To be able to deal with these three, core aspects, we must, first, return
>money to its proper use - as a lubricant of human activity, created by, and
>flowing through, nationally-owned, democratic, public service banking and
>financial systems.
>
>With them in place, we can, then convert workplaces into appropriate
>co-operative enterprises, such that each has respectful stewardship of land
>and knowledge resources:
>
>o ensuring that everyone receives a fair, guaranteed income,
>o ensuring that proper stewardship of the planet is our central task,
>
>This suggests the following Seven Point Action Planš:
>The Co-operative Way - A Seven Point Action Plan
>
>1) Convert competitive, market-based activities into workplace co-operative
>partnerships and remodel monopoly activities as stakeholder co-operatives
>(see points two and five for the funding mechanism to achieve this);
>
> 2) Redistribute the added-value wealth from the workplace co-ops through
>nationally-collected corporate taxation, distributed into local,
>democratically-controlled, Community Banks: and, so, make money and credit
>available for responsible wealth creation and community development (and the
>conversions referred to above);
>
> 3) Maximise necessary service provision (health, education, libraries,
>transport and so on) on a free-at-the-point-of-use basis, retaining money as
>a mechanism for access to discretionary purchases.
>
> 4) Introduce guaranteed income for all, within upper and lower brackets
>and, so, do away with personal taxation;
>
> 5) Abolish money-lending for profit and, so, operate banking as a public
>service (see point two above);
>
> 6) Reintroduce international exchange controls as necessary;
>
> 7) Make capital grants (not loans) to developing countries.
>
>We hope this action plan gives us all a good basis for a practical, moral,
>sustainable and co-operative economics.
>
>Your Friends in peace, co-operation and equality:
>
>The Fair World Project 13 North Road Hertford SG14 1LN (UK)
>
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] (+44) 01992 501854
>
>
