25/3/2015
Walt Whitman: I say that democracy can never prove itself beyond cavil, until it founds and luxuriantly grows its own forms of art, poems, schools, theology, displacing all that exists, or that has been produced anywhere in the past, under opposite influences.
Noam Chomsky: I think the activism of the 1960s had a very definite civilizing effect on the whole society in all kinds of ways. So lots of things that by now are almost taken for granted were heretical in the 1960s.
http://www.alternet.org/chomsky-theres-overt-corporate-effort-indoctrinate-american-children
Margaret Mead: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
The idea of ownership of land and factories is sacrosanct
During the Putney debates the argument against universal suffrage was that it would lead to the end of ownership
Everyone having a say in how the country is run is a lesser ideal than ownership
Today we have the break-up of the NHS and other public services to be given to commerce
Commerce is a higher ideal than public ownership
Then there’s the Building Societies, mostly mutual, these were converted to privately owned banks by bribing their mutual owners
Public housing, Housing Association housing and the right to buy – private ownership is a higher ideal than public ownership
The Co-op Bank – its chairman disgraced so it was privatised – private ownership is a higher ideal than co-operative ownership
We need to turn away from consumerism and ownership and turn towards public ownership, mutual and co-operative ownership and sharing
Instead of measuring ourselves against what we own we should measure ourselves againstwhat good we do for the community / society
There needs to be a cultural change
I was at the London Assembly recently and I put forward the suggestion that a cultural change was needed, I got in a quote from Noam Chomsky but I don’t want to fall into the trap of thinking that I’m the first person to think of this.
Noam Chomsky: I think the activism of the 1960s had a very definite civilizing effect on the whole society in all kinds of ways. So lots of things that by now are almost taken for granted were heretical in the 1960s.
Noam Chomsky described the 1960s as a civilizing influence – that’s the sort of change that is needed today.
I was at the New Putney Debates in 2012 and got talking to two old fellows and told them about my idea for a universal benefit, much like the pension that has no conditions other than citizenship. I said it followed on logically from the notion as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that everyone has the right to life, if so then everyone has the right to the necessities of life which are provided through the money system therefore everyone should also have the right to an amount of money equal to the cost of the necessities of life. They said, oh yes we’ve heard of this before it’s called Universal Basic Income or Citizens Income, there are web-sites about it. Upon looking into it I found that the idea had a long history.
Historical examples – Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman: I say that democracy can never prove itself beyond cavil, until it founds and luxuriantly grows its own forms of art, poems, schools, theology, displacing all that exists, or that has been produced anywhere in the past, under opposite influences.
Present examples
Plethora of political activism
Earth Trek
Art
Music
Poetry
Literature
Science
Religion
Direct democracy needs to begin in all walks of life; family, work, government.
Why does family life have to revolve around a head, why not sit round a table to make consensual decisions?
In your work place, why have managers and owners – the workforce should decide how the business is operated
Government, representative democracy has been enclosed by wealthy self interested business tyrants. Why not have local assemblies making decisions?
Democracy – end of elites
The present culture of competition and exploitation must end and a new culture of compassion, collaboration and conservation must be initiated.
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