Saturday, November 15, 2014







Understanding how it all works - as one!

In all, all is one!

John Courtneidge
15 November 2014





As some preliminaries - the relevant chemistry:


(if needs be scroll down - let this flow over and around you - it's not hard!):

Gibbs Free energy (G)  = Enthalpy (H: internal energy) - {Entropy (S; disorder) x Temperature (T)}*

Energy (of a photon  ie, a pip of light) = h (Planck's constant) x nu (Greek letter nu, the frequency of the associated wave form for that photon)

nu (Frequency of that wave form) = c (speed of light) / (ie divided by) wave-length (Greek letter lammda)

Then the philosophy:


-----------------------------------------

Nothing is, every-thing is becoming.

Love is, however, eternal

-----------------------------------------

Then the spirituality = true religion:

God is:

    Possessions possess

    Pride become proud

    Humility humbles

    Love loves

   God is

-------------

Ps Humility, humus, ground-ed-ness.
 

-----------

 So, bringing it all together:





 * So in any change, the change in Gibbs Free Energy, Delta (Greek letter) G = Delta H - (T x Delta S)

And, given that any change involves an overall increase in the entropy, Delta S, of the universe, Three possibilities exist:

a) A release of enthalpy (eventually as heat, perhaps with some intermediate release of work and light) - this is called an exothermic reaction for which Delta H is negative.

b) An increase in internal energy (stored in chemical bonds) - in which the delta H term is positive but the delta S x T term is larger - so that, over all delta G is negative (see below). This is called an endothermic reaction.

c) (Very rarely) where delta G is exactly zero

This latter gives an exactly balanced equilibrium, since the final, key thermodynamic equation from physical chemistry is:

Delta G (the change in Gibbs Free Energy) = -R (the Universal Gas Constant: note the negative sign: as in  -R not +R) x T (the Temperature at which the change occurs and to which the products of that change return) x Delta K (which is the Equilibrium Constant*)

(* So, for example, for a reaction involving a change of A+B into C+D, K = [C] x [D] / [A] x [B]

In other words, for the change to be significant, (where the concentrations of C and D (ie the amounts of C and D in each unit of volume - that's what the square brackets [C] etc mean)) then delta G has to be both negative and large in size.

Things going up in flames, creating disorder (ie delta H being negative ( ie heat being given out), and delta S being positive (ie disorder being positive so that -delta S is negative) are commonplace destructions - a candle burning out, petrol burning to power a car, or, overall,  money/capitalism/interest-bearing debt trashing the planet.

Life, on the other hand is constructive by creating order out of chaos - *but only* by creating more chaos - an animal metabolises more energy into heat than body as does a photosynthesising object like a tree.

Gaia deals with this, when allowed to do so in balance, by radiating heat into space so that the temperature of the planet stays constant.

Human fear/Money/capitalism/interest-bearing debt however, at present, doesn't live in harmony with Gaia (and all the known facts of the universe = the laws of chemistry (as above).

hence the need - urgently for the repeal of the social acceptance/permission enforced that capitalism continue.

And that the sustainable alternative, Co-operative Socialism* (= true socialism = *not* Marxism!) by implemented.

By Tuesday!

ie, even today!

*For which pls see the plan for Co-operative Socialism in the papers at www.interestfreemoney.org

ps I'll log this in the blog at www.sustainabilitynotcapitalism.blogspot.com

HTH!

Love

john











Love

john

*************************************************************************


Saturday, September 20, 2014

After the Scottish Referendum - making Westminster democratic
John Courtneidge  20 September 2014

The big constitutional change I'd like to see concerns the membership of the second chamber:

    - to one based on direct randomly-selected democracy: one member per constituency, selected at random, serving for three-year terms, with on-third retiring annually.

   - with, as one major task for it being an annual recommendation to the elected house on a Fair Incomes Policy.

   - namely, i) the level of a guaranteed income scheme and ii) a maximum multiplier of that for paid-work income.

That would:

   a) operationalize/implement the message in The Spirit Level (that - greater- income equality is the ordinate public and ecological good), and,

   b )would institute the freedom to be responsible

     - by virtue of the Living Income for All/Living Citizen's Income: which would, i) break the link between paid-work (in l'economy social) and existence, and,  

    ii) allow, for example, voluntary participation in l'economy solidaire: (such as participation in that reformed second chamber: as above), to produce:


Is what we are trying to achieve!


Span the world with friendship
Equality + Equity = Fair

I hope this helps.

For all, the best = equally! = co-operatively!

john

*************




Thursday, September 18, 2014



 Co-operation or war - you decide!

Span the world with friendship!

Capitalism or Co-operative Sustainability* - you decide

John Courtneidge 18 September 2014

 

Co-operatively Connected!
The International Co-operative Alliance logo
Practical co-operation = many minds and hands are better than any of us alone (ie alone, exploited and forced into unnatural competition)!

I'm away at Labour Party conference on Saturday until next Thursday - and my copy of Molly and Richard's book ( Richard Bickle and Molly Scott Cato
' New Views of Society - Robert Owen for the 21st Century') is on its way.

Best - in and for co-operation - for the Common Good!

It's an ICA Principle 7 thing!

(see the ICA Statement in the papers at www.interstfreemoney.org and at www.ica.coop )

john

*ps Blog: www.sustainabilitynotcapitalism.blogspot.com for a blogged archive.

Hope this helps!

***************





We are all sisters and brothers
- see Point 7 in the plan for Co-operative Socialism!


New ICA logo

Worth considering!
Co-operative Socialism- on the map!

A 1995-ish version of a plan for Co-operative Socialism



Page 2 of a 2014 version of a plan for Co-operative Socialism
Page 1 of a 2014 version of a plan for Co-operative Socialism

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Stress, neuro-active molecules, equality needed - quickly!

John Courtneidge
14 September 2014

Elsewhere I've made a mistake:

I see that I'm incorrect: in that I hadn't added in the Helen Fisher/neuro-active molecules material in the following 2008 item:

The Co-operative Movement:  Emotions, Personality and Politics

http://www.interestfreemoney.org/.../Emotions....

So, Googling

"Helen Fisher" serotonin dopamine gives, for example, her 18 Jan 2009 interview: http://www.elle.com/.../helen-fishers-personality-test-3234

Gold (Helen Fisher's 'Builders) - serotonin

Orange (Helen Fisher's 'Explorers') - dopamine

Green (Helen Fisher's 'Directors') - testosterone

Blue (Helen Fisher's 'Negotiators') - estrogen(s - there are three).

(ps The London edition of 'Metro' for Friday September 12, 2014 notes, on page 23:

'New clue to risk-taking'

   "A gambler's decision . ..  influenced by dopamine . . . Canadian researchers said. Dopamine signals increase when risky choices pay off."

pps I haven't found that academic reference - and to know how well it was peer-reviewed - no snarkiness, there, I just don't have access to the literature . . .)

Now:

This fits to Helen Fisher's personality/neuro-active molecules/receptors analysis (above) which, cross referencing to the True Colors labels (see in the True Colors test - in the photos at 'my' FB page):

And:

As an added pair of points:

   a) Both testosterone and the estrogens are steroidal molecules - on the same biochemical pathways as cortisol - the stress hormone.  This suggests that stress influences the right-balance of these two sexual hormones.(explore from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steroid)

   b) Both dopamine and serotonin (if my memory serves well) are amines.  My peroxide/free-radical researches (sadly interrupted by Margaret Thatcher, et al,'s destruction of the academy - through the power of money) dabbled briefly in the free radial chemistry of amines and free-radical oxidation to amine oxides.

My suspicion is that stress involves oxidative, single-electron transfer, free radial pathways which, again, will mickey-around with natural balance of these amine neurotransmitters.

Again, the above is an example of cross-disciplinary (wholistic) speculation which, in the absence of funding and time for me to explore, with others, the appropriate*reliable* literature, needs others to take up.

However, a certainty is that reducing stress, but increasing income equality (see The Spirit Level and The Equality Trust web-site www.equalitytrust.org.uk0 by implementing the plan for Co-operative Socialism (see in the papers at www.interestfreemoney.org - thx Mary!) is the task that we *must* undertake - quickly!

Just as Jesus taught us!

For all = the best! = equally! = co-operatively!

john
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As a final postscript - I understand that Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett are writing a sequel to The Spirit Level on the psychological effects of inequality.

I eagerly await it!

Using the four-quadrant map, my suspicion is that the stress associated with greater income inequality (and greater economic inequality, generally) effectively 'pulls up' the centre of this four-quadrant map, so that each personality type (and recall that we are all mixture of all four, with a centre-of-gravity in one) so that  the four psychotic behaviours (eg narcissism for the Oranges/Explorers) result.

Those four psychoses seem to relate to the four 'Out-of-esteem' behaviours that Carolyn Kalil explains in her book, 'Follow Your True Colors to the Work You Love':

Green: "bitter sarcasm or cynicism"; "immobilization by analysis": page 81

Blue: "wallow[ing] in self-pity", "overly involved in helping others": page 67

Gold: "melancholy, pessimistic and inflexible", "inflexible . . . black or white thinking"; page 93

Orange: "quick-fix addictions", "violence": page 105

I've placed images for these pages on 'my' Facebook page.

I hope they help!

***************:

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

The Chemistry Bit - introduction

John Courtneidge

9 September 2014















This is the age of subtle relationships - hence the power of the key book, The Spirit Level (see The equality Trust website www.equalitytrust.org.uk

There are strong parallels in this to the evolution of our understanding of chemistry: the earliest chemical knowledge was that of strong interactions (ie chemical bonds in minerals, metal, ceramics, etc: ionic and metallic bonds).  Then we learned about chemical forces within molecules: covalent bonds - often as strong as ionic and metallic bonds, but based on sharing electrons, sometimes unequally, rather than appropriating them, as in ionic bonds.

Finally, in the last century we started understanding (under-standing, in awe), the chemical bonds *between* molecules: hydrogen bonds, dipole-dipole interactions, Heitler-London forces.

As that century ended, we (I included) started to look at the role of entropy in directing chemical events: reaction rates, etc.

Sadly, the neo-loberal governments of that time abolished funding for such research - world-wide - in advance of the neo-conservatives ushering in The Age of Stupidity (look, for example at the recent dumpster-ing by Stephen Harper's neo-con government, in Canada, of scientific libraries.

Time for us, outside the monoversities' faux-academy, to help educate our younger generations.

Before it's too late!

Monday, September 8, 2014

Capitalism = Blasphemy, Theft, Rape and Murder.

John Courtneidge

8 September 2014

A while ago a Facebook friend asked that I write about my view that capitalism is, "Theft, Rape and Murder."

First some definitions:

1) I take capitalism to be an economic system that relies on private (ie not state or municipal, or other) ownership of economic resources/the means of production/means of human survival and the use of those resources for private income and accumulation.

Note that I restrict the discussion of capitalism, here, to the economic sphere - while I leave the philosophical and religious spheres (eg that capitalism ignore 'the Creator present within the Creation', as one aspect of the latter and the concepts that, for example, economic resources (or anything) can be owned, or that personal advantage is possible or that accumulation is socially-permitted - and that the two aspects, one passive, one dynamic of ownership and use, may be actively promoted via 'education', training, the law and other forms of concept propaganda.

2) Secondly, I see four economic resources that are not-human economic resources.

Namely:

  a) Land (including frozen land such as buildings, roads, ports, etc) as encompassing solid, liquid, gaseous and not-tangible aspects - fields, the sea, the atmosphere, the electromagnetic spectrum, etc) - which use provides Rent.

  b) The Law (ie human, 'socially' or sectorally-determined 'rules of permissible and not-permissible' modes of behaviour) - of which use provides interest and other forms of 'permissible' theft.

  c) Knowledge (ie frozen knowledge in the forms of tools, machinery, equipment, etc and non-tangible, but possibly written-down knowledge such as patents, agreements, business 'know-how', 'intellectual property', etc) - from which use flow profits (often distributed as share-holder Dividends.

Finally,

  d) the 'ownership' of Position, the ownership of which provides higher-than-average paid-work incomes (usually in the forms of salaries, perks, fees, bribes, etc)

Note from all this that I consider that capitalism encompasses the ownership of economic resources not only by individuals, families, tribes, corporations, etc, but also states, municipalities, etc and not-for-profit entities such as co-operatives, charities, churches,  cults, trusts, etc.

So, to:

There seem to be (at least) two possible ways at this: history and personal.

1) History

  A) Theft:

In terms, say of history, let's take English history as indicative:

The events of 1066 in England and of the subsequent conquests (thefts) by the Norman empire surely are thefts - appropriation by violence.

Subsequently, the Law was stolen - say by Henry VIII's Act of 1545 'In Restraint <sic> of Usury' - which unilaterally 'legalised' usury in England (and thus made interest charging and receiving 'legal' in England for the first time), or the invasion in 1680 by William and Mary (on behalf of the City of London) that created, via the 1684-established Bank of England, fractional reserve banking - by which money is created as interest-bearing debt).

  B) Now, as to Rape:

Rape seems to me to be an act of violence, often with penetration.  How else would you describe, say, the ecocide of the whale populations, the Atlantic Cod populations, the Canadian Tar Sands, Fracking, mining, generally.

  C) And, finally, murder.

While Theft and Rape both leave the victims alive (albeit dramatically harmed), murder is the ultimate 'appropriation of the victim's future'.

How else might you call wage-slavery, or debt-bondage, or the Highland Clearances, or the ethnic cleansing of western Ireland in the 840's or of the Beothic people in Newfoundland, or of the Acadian expulsion (Le Grand Derangement) . . . ?  All are the murders of the futures that the victims might have chosen.

And 1914-18 and 1939-45 as the deliberate murders of millions of (mostly men) the unemployed - just to keep capitalism going.

2)  Finally, the personal:

We came, each one of us into this world 'owning' nothing and we depart (thanks be!) with nothing.

Thus, what-ever we 'have' has been placed into our hands - by Thieves, or taken ap - and self-appropriated -  from the commonwealth/The Creation by ourselves or placed in our hands by God.

In the former case, where's the justification for receiving stolen goods? In the latter, God hands to us economic resources in order to make our contribution to 'the wellness (rather than illness) of all'.

And to 'His' glory.

So, rather than capitalism ('ownership and use for advantage' - Theft, Rape, Blasphemy and Murder) I prefer the concepts of time-limited, socially-agreed 'Co-operative Care-ship', underpinned by a Living Income for Everybody - so that we, all, can make our greatest contribution to the wellness of all.

Hope this helps!

ps The above leads me to the plan for Co-operative Socialism - in the papers at www.interestfreemoney.org

Best = for all! = equally! = co-operatively!

john

******************

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

The origin of TRIP-Up

John Courtneidge

2nd September 2014

My Friend, Jon, asked: 

"Where does the TRIP-UP item come from ? "

Here's the history:

TRIP-Up is an extension of two terms that a fellow Friend and Socialist, Jeffrey Blay* told me on a trip to Milton Keynes, way back in the 90's

(*Our Friend is an even! older democratic socialist than me! - he was given a long-service award at the last London Labour biannual-AGM at Stratford Town Hall in ?2013?) :

So, the first:

   'Let's get RID of capitalism'

(RID = Rent, Interest, Dividends - Dividends being Profits shared out to share-holders)

And, the second:

   'Capitalism RIP'

RIP - Rest-in-Peace': Rent, Interest, Profits.

I added the 'T' (for Theft) since that's what the 'ownership' of economic resources is (even 'ownership' by state or municipal government) and the 'Up', since higher-than-average pay for work seems to correlate with jobs where 'a position of power' is 'owned'.

The evolution of 'that which has been stolen/is owned' is now:

  Rent - from Land (and Frozen land - buildings, roads, ports, etc - to exact Rent);

  Interest - The Law (to exact Interest - usury was outlawed until Henry VIII first legalised it - in England - in his Act of 1545 'In Restraint of Usury')

and

  Profits fro the Theft of Knowledge/Data/Information  (both frozen (embedded in tangible things like tools, machinery, etc) - and fluid/non-tangible/virtual (patents, know-how, etc ie, nowadays, 'intellectual property'),

This suggested that somethings was being owned to provide higher-than-average pay for work: and hence that theft of 'position' (as above).

Now, all this is at variance with our Theology (of The-Creator-present-within-the-Creation / immanence / panentheism) and with what Jesus taught (as render to us).

Hence Co-operative Socialism/The Fair World Project

There's more in the papers' section at www.interestfreemoney.org - key title words are Jesus, Quaker and CCPA Readings.

Thanks for asking - I hope this helps!

For all = the best! = equally! = co-operatively!

john

ps Try as I have over twenty+ years I haven't found a book that says this TRIP-Up this in this way (I wish there was!) - lots do parts . . . except Jesus!

**********************

Monday, September 1, 2014


Why Britain's Establishment is unjust and unsustainable

And the solution!

John Courtneidge 1st September 2014
(Please, also, see my comment and 'TIP-Up analysis', below. Thx!)

Owen Jones' new book, 'The Establishment: And how they get away with it' is available on 4th September:

http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781846147197,00.html

There is a Pre-publication Channel4 piece:

http://www.channel4.com/news/why-britains-establishment-is-unjust-and-unsustainable.

Now . . .

Readers might know that I use a (2% - 10% - 88%) economic/social/power analysis (rather than Occupy NY's 'We are the 99%' - which implies that it's only the owners (thieves) of economic resources that are 'the problem').

Two points:

The TRIP-Up* analysis points out that the 10% (all in round figures) that are paid higher-than-average incomes (usually salaries, perks, enhanced pensions - the Up unequal pay part of TRIP-Up) form the establishment's Praetorian Guard (and often, oddly, have jobs with names starting with the letter P).

* TRIP-Up = Theft, rent, Interest, Profit and Unequal-pay for work

More-over, the 'owners' (Thieves) of economic resources collect different sorts of unearned income as Rent, Interest and Profit (ie the RIP part of TRIP-Up).

And each of these groups *hates* the others - the land-owners (land Thieves) hate paying Interest to the Law thieves and Profits to the businesses that supply them with machinery, fertilizers, etc.  and of, course, those two groups hate paying Rents to the land-Thieves, etc.

And, they all *hate* paying taxes to employ the Praetorian Guard - the Up families . . .

Hence the push away from Corporation Taxes and Income Taxes - towards unfair, Indirect Taxes like Sales Taxes, User-fees, etc,etc.

So, the solution?

Economic equality and income equality.

For more, please see the five CCPA articles 9in the 'CCPA Monitor Readings on Co-operative Socialism') in the papers at www.interestfreeoney.org.uk

ps - I recommend that you read the last of those five articles first.

Hope this helps!

Best = for all! = equally! = co-operatively!

john

******************

Friday, August 15, 2014

Capitalism = TRIP-Up        No more TRIP-Up!

TRIP-Up = Theft, +  Rent, interest, Profit,  + Unequal-pay for work

John Courtneidge

15 August 2014


Diary of DeceitWhen those we trust we can't.
shared Curtis Le Gendre's photo.
This is what the #Brazil gov did on the streets to thousands of homeless to build your #worldcup stadium and create a nice tourist enviroment for you.. #OpWorldCup #OpHackingCup #FuckFIFA

Capitalism is:


TRIP-Up =                         Theft
    of land to provide            Rent
    of the law to provide        Interest
    of knowledge to provide  Profit
and
   of  position*(s) of power  to provide:
                                         Unequal-pay for work

*- paid for by tax-income

No more TRIP-Up!

= Theft, +  Rent, interest, Profit,  + Unequal-pay for work


We can do better than capitalism

We *will* do better than capitalism - to everybody's benefit - it's an equality and sustainability thing!

Best - for all! = equally!
john

Ps for the plan for co-operative socialism = a plan for peace, equality and sustainability through income equality, pls see the papers at www.interestfreemoney.org.uk

Hope this helps!

******************

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

From the album: Mobile Uploads
By MORNINGS
A beautiful letter written by Zelda Williams...
Re:
A beautiful letter written by Zelda Williams...
"My family has always been private about our time spent together. It was our way of keeping one thing that was ours, with a man we shared with an entire world. But now that’s gone, and I feel stripped bare. My last day with him was his birthday, and I will be forever grateful that my brothers and I got to spend that time alone with him, sharing gifts and laughter. He was always warm, even in his darkest moments. While I’ll never, ever understand how he could be loved so deeply and not find it in his heart to stay, there’s minor comfort in knowing our grief and loss, in some small way, is shared with millions. It doesn’t help the pain, but at least it’s a burden countless others now know we carry, and so many have offered to help lighten the load. Thank you for that.
To those he touched who are sending kind words, know that one of his favorite things in the world was to make you all laugh. As for those who are sending negativity, know that some small, giggling part of him is sending a flock of pigeons to your house to poop on your car. Right after you’ve had it washed. After all, he loved to laugh too…
Dad was, is and always will be one of the kindest, most generous, gentlest souls I’ve ever known, and while there are few things I know for certain right now, one of them is that not just my world, but the entire world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence. We’ll just have to work twice as hard to fill it back up again."


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Minimising Harm

John Courtneidge
13 August 2014

In the papers at www.interestfreemoney.org.uk there is a paper (As a PDF) that I prepared for a UK Society for Co-operative Studies event at New Lanark - to remember Robert Owen's contribution 150 years after his death.

It's called Emotions, Personalities, Politics.

In there I develop a diagram that originates in Kay Carmichael's 'A Ceremony of Innocence' (I think - it's about why we cry) and thence to David Donnison's 'Policies for Just Society'.

That diagram suggests that depression is one of the routes from anger - the other two being violence and constructive activity. - and I suggest that anger is, generically, caused by mistreatment (of one kind or another -a key one is explored in another essay 'Money Hurts').

Since capitalism is an act of mistreatment - one that produces innumerable other mistreatments - then the wonder is that so few of us succumb to the ultimate act of self-harm, suicide.

My heart goes out to all self-harm victims, families and communities.

The way to minimise harm is to maximise wellness - and that (pace The Spirit Level www.equalitytrust.org.uk) invollves the income equality plan (also in www.interestfreemoney.org.uk) that I term Co-operative Socialism.

I hope this helps!

For all, in all - the best! = equally!

john

******************
www.interestfreemoney.org
*Where we've come from* The Campaign for Interest-Free Money was launched on 28t... See More

Saturday, August 2, 2014





Truth


1st August 2014

Some years ago on a listserv called Futurework, a participant from Vancouver, I think, suggested that, since the claim that Truth does not exists is a claim to truth, therefore truth exists.

My working principle, as a Friend (Quaker) and research chemist is that Truth is what God knows and that we seek to under-stand.

(The hyphen is important: in that, (instead of capitalism's (false) claim that truth can a) be owned, b) be used/exploited for private accumulation and c) must be wrestled to the ground first (in the act of theft from the Creation/Commonwealth), rather Truth is something that we should stand under - as the upstroke in the letter T, the cross-stroke being Truth - in awe!)

Hope this helps - for all - the best, equally!

john

ps The Truth of the present time is that (pace The Spirit Level - www.equalitytrust.org.uk ) that income equality is good for *everyone* - 'the rest of' the Creation/Commonwealth, included!

Woo-hoo!

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Since Property is Theft, and Use for Selfishness is Exploitation: Then, if not capitalism, then what?

John Courtneidge

31st July 2014


The prelude to exploitation is theft - of Land, the Law, that which God already Knows (Knowledge) and Position.

Respectively, these attempted acts of theft lead to exploitation as Rent, Interest, Profit and Unequal (higher-than-average) pay for work (for which the TRIP-Up acronym serves well).

Two hundred years' ago we recognised that 'ownership' (Theft) of one economic resource, people, was wrong and thus out-lawed (human) slavery.

It's, now, time to re-cognise that 'ownership' (Theft) of *all* economic resources is wrong.

As a Quaker, I re-cognise that the theology that the Creator/God/the Divine is present *everywhere* within the Creation and, thus, that all ownership is an attempt at the Theft of God (our Friend John Bellers made that point succinctly to and for us).

Hence the plan that abolishes 'ownership' and exploitation and replaces those with co-operative careship - for the Common Good of all, in all, by all.

That plan is explored and, hopefully, explained in the papers at www.interestfreemoney.org.uk

I hope this helps.

For all, in all

john

***********

What's going on in the Ukraine

30th July 2014

These are the death throes of liberal capitalism (thanks be) but a death that is morphing the corpse into neo-conservative capitalism/neo-fascism.

Unless, that is, we can be propositional* for a better-for-all alternative . . .

In an Occupy posting** is the phrase, " In stark contrast, US officials have been reluctant to do the same. Is Washington willing to share any object data or evidence to the public."

**http://www.blacklistednews.com/MH17_Verdict%3A_Real_Evidence_Points_to_US-Kiev_Coverup_of_Failed_False_Flag/36871/0/38/38/Y/M.html

(nb False Flag: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_flag)

My experience, out and about, is that "the public" - a significant proportion at least - already knows that it is more accurately described as 'the prisoners'.

And that, as prisoners the only 'freedom' we have is to hold the keys to 'our' cells.

Hence, in my view, the significant level of support that Occupy received and still receives.

Thus, also, the waiting hope by "the public"/'the prisoners', that Occupy will offer a further lead their release from bondage.

I hope that we can respond, propositionaly*, to that hope.

john

* ps Google alerts me to the phrase 'the right to propose'.  I've only had one such alert: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/post-weekend/proposal-royal-seal-how-law-made makes for worth while reading (it's very short).

pps And, lest anyone thinks that my term neo-conservative capitalism/neo-fascism is hysterical rhetoric, look at events in Canada under neo-conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The plan (where-ever it is in plain words - as the counter part to neoliberalism's plan, The Ridley Report (http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/110795) is, quite clearly, to abolish democracy.

************************

Friday, July 18, 2014

Co-operative Socialism - preferable to Anarcho-syndicalism . . .


John Courtneidge 18 July 2014






California's worst drought in 400 years has forced residents to conserve their water use, but Nestle is extracting and bottling millions of gallons from a Native American reservation to export it out of state.

SHARE and LIKE our page US Uncut

http://bit.ly/1mcrxG5
Photo: California's worst drought in 400 years has forced residents to conserve their water use, but Nestle is extracting and bottling millions of gallons from a Native American reservation to export it out of state.  

SHARE and LIKE our page US Uncut

http://bit.ly/1mcrxG5


On 'my' Facebook time line https://www.facebook.com/john.courtneidge I posted:

Ah, capitalism . . .

Or Co-operative Socialism anyone?!


To which:

Kurtis McCartney replied:
Coop Socialism suffers from the same issues with corruption.

How about we live in the moment, clear out the excess and do it in a way that affords opportunity without all of the social justice warrior language.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-syndicalism

On Fiona McMurran's Time line is a thread, to which I've posted:

^Thx Kurtis for the above.

by coincidence we used that Wikipedia page for part of our Bromley Co-operative Party meeting last Monday - both the introductory explanation of what Anarcho-syndicalism is and its history; including the lovely quote from George Orwell's beautiful 'Homage to Catalonia' :

"

I had dropped more or less by chance into the only community of any size in Western Europe where political consciousness and disbelief in capitalism were more normal than their opposites. Up here in Aragón one was among tens of thousands of people, mainly though not entirely of working-class origin, all living at the same level and mingling on terms of equality. In theory it was perfect equality, and even in practice it was not far from it. There is a sense in which it would be true to say that one was experiencing a foretaste of Socialism, by which I mean that the prevailing mental atmosphere was that of Socialism. Many of the normal motives of civilised life– snobbishness, money-grubbing, fear of the boss, etc.– had simply ceased to exist. The ordinary class-division of society had disappeared to an extent that is almost unthinkable in the money-tainted air of England; there was no one there except the peasants and ourselves, and no one owned anyone else as his master.
—George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia, ch. VII
"

(Incidentally, it was reading that book which confirmed me in my democratic socialism at the age of about 14 - and lead to my reading of Hugh Thomas's History of the Spanish Civil War and Laurie Lee's equally-beautiful 'As I walked out one Midsummer's Day'.

If it turns out to be possible, I'll add a photograph of the organisational diagram in that article - which shows a vertical, hierarchical structure (the diagrammatic hierarchical nature being, doubtless, an unintended artifact of capitalist 'cultural' conditioning.

It does, however, highlight the false resistance that anarchists have to Co-operative (ie de-centralised, equalitarian) socialism. And that is the question of subsidiarity and the role of a geographical entity that we presently-call 'The State'.

Photo: On Fiona McMurran's Time line is a thread, to which I've posted:

^Thx Kurtis for the above.

by coincidence we used that Wikipedia page for part of our Bromley Co-operative Party meeting last Monday - both the introductory explanation of what Anarcho-syndicalism is and its history; including the lovely quote from George Orwell's beautiful 'Homage to Catalonia' :

"

    I had dropped more or less by chance into the only community of any size in Western Europe where political consciousness and disbelief in capitalism were more normal than their opposites. Up here in Aragón one was among tens of thousands of people, mainly though not entirely of working-class origin, all living at the same level and mingling on terms of equality. In theory it was perfect equality, and even in practice it was not far from it. There is a sense in which it would be true to say that one was experiencing a foretaste of Socialism, by which I mean that the prevailing mental atmosphere was that of Socialism. Many of the normal motives of civilised life– snobbishness, money-grubbing, fear of the boss, etc.– had simply ceased to exist. The ordinary class-division of society had disappeared to an extent that is almost unthinkable in the money-tainted air of England; there was no one there except the peasants and ourselves, and no one owned anyone else as his master.
    —George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia, ch. VII
"

(Incidentally, it was reading that book which confirmed me in my democratic socialism at the age of about 14 - and lead to my reading of Hugh Thomas's History of the Spanish Civil War and Laurie Lee's equally-beautiful 'As I walked out one Midsummer's Day'.

If it turns out to be possible, I'll add a photograph of the organisational diagram in that article - which shows a vertical, hierarchical structure (the diagrammatic hierarchical nature being, doubtless, an unintended artifact of capitalist 'cultural' conditioning.

It does, however, highlight the false resistance that anarchists have to Co-operative (ie de-centralised, equalitarian) socialism.  And that is the question of subsidiarity and the role of a geographical entity that we presently-call 'The State'.

The theory and practice of the co-operative movement is that 'Primary Co-operatives' operate at the most local level possible, then there are secondary and tertiary co-operatives, with co-operatives that (As Kurtis points out), as with these other 'levels' become corrupted into a (power) hierarchy - with the 'higher' levels being most esteemed (and captured by) megalomaniacs.

This is where both language, diagramming and - especially in view of the evidence in The Spirit Level - see www.equalitytrust.org.uk -  pay and perks are so important.

Put simply: social-decision-making at the geographical dimension of (say) the islands of Ireland or Britain would be best done by all the people of, in one case, Ireland and in the other Britain (England, Scotland, Wales and the associated islands as two 'National Co-operative Commonweals' which may voluntarily associate ('Federate') to a European Co-operative Commonweal an, ultimately a Global Co-operative Commonweal (I have an unpublished article for the magazine 'Chartist' on these lines).

Thus, I don't see Proudhon's Anarchist Confederation of Peasant Smallholdings as enough for sustainability, solidarity and sociability - whereas a global society operating according to the Co-operative Values and Principles in the Statement on The Co-operative Identity (As published after periodic review by co-operators world-wide) - see www .ica.coop and in thepapers at www.interestfreemoney.org.uk - 'The New Vision of Society' (to share Robert Owen's phrasing.

Finally, I'll log this inthe blog www.sustainabilitynotcapitalism.blogspot.com which (along with the IfM site) is an evolving archive.

Hope this helps!

Best - equally! - for all!

john

**********


The theory and practice of the co-operative movement is that 'Primary Co-operatives' operate at the most local level possible, then there are secondary and tertiary co-operatives, with co-operatives that (As Kurtis points out), as with these other 'levels' become corrupted into a (power) hierarchy - with the 'higher' levels being most esteemed (and captured by) megalomaniacs.

This is where both language, diagramming and - especially in view of the evidence in The Spirit Level - see www.equalitytrust.org.uk - pay and perks are so important.

Put simply: social-decision-making at the geographical dimension of (say) the islands of Ireland or Britain would be best done by all the people of, in one case, Ireland and in the other Britain (England, Scotland, Wales and the associated islands as two 'National Co-operative Commonweals' which may voluntarily associate ('Federate') to a European Co-operative Commonweal an, ultimately a Global Co-operative Commonweal (I have an unpublished article for the magazine 'Chartist' on these lines).

Thus, I don't see Proudhon's Anarchist Confederation of Peasant Smallholdings as enough for sustainability, solidarity and sociability - whereas a global society operating according to the Co-operative Values and Principles in the Statement on The Co-operative Identity (As published after periodic review by co-operators world-wide) - see www .ica.coop and in thepapers at www.interestfreemoney.org.uk - 'The New Vision of Society' (to share Robert Owen's phrasing.

Finally, I'll log this inthe blog www.sustainabilitynotcapitalism.blogspot.com which (along with the IfM site) is an evolving archive.

Hope this helps!

Best - equally! - for all!

john

**********

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

All interest charging, receiving and paying is, both wrong and unnecessary:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, 6 July 2014

Dear London LSX Occupy EWG friends


I will not be present on Saturday (19th July 2014, Mayday Rooms, Fleet Street, London) for the specially-called meeting to consider interest-charging, paying and receiving.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My offerings are in the papers section at www.interestfreemoney.org.uk

 - please see the Essay, 'Solving the World's Problems', in particular.

In synopsis:

All interest charging, receiving and paying is, both,

  - wrong: they, both, exacerbate income inequality (ie power inequality) and constitute one of the four contributory drivers (rent, interest, profit-concentrated-as-'private' dividends, uneuql-pay-for-work: these being all time-related 'returns on capital employed') that exacerbate war and other forms of environmental non-sustainability,

and,

  - unnecessary: free-at-the-point-of-use lending systems - such as Public Lending Libraries work quite well as debt-but-not-interest-charging public goods.

I hope therefore that the EWG will issue a statement that interest-charging, -paying and -receiving should be made illegal.

Best - for all! - equally!

john

**********

Friday, July 11, 2014

The conundrum of the moment

Why Occupy is making no progress at present


Re - from my friends:

> Thanks Frank
>
> Great clarification: "rentier capitalism" sums it up. Not just making
> money from money itself but from land, resources and the commons (human
> created and natural), the value of which should be shared communally.
>
> Regards
>
> Clive

But "rentier capitalism" = capitalism

In fact, all [adjective of choice] capitalism[s] = capitalism

Just as red apples = green apples = red-and-green apples = apples.

So:

If you check your dictionary definition for 'capitalism', the short-form can be expanded through observation:

Thus::

capitalism =

  selfish ('private') ownership (Theft) of economic resources (land, law, knowledge, position of power)

+

  use of same for selfishness ('private gain'): to give, respectively  Rent, Interest, Profit, Unequal, higher-than-avergage/median/mean Pay-for work: usually paid from taxes levied on workers

Hence, the Capitalism = TRIP-Up acronym:

         Capitalism = Theft, Rent, Interest, Profit and Unequal-pay for work

ps Each of the capitalists (the land/building owners, law-/bank-owners, knowledge-/business-/workplace-owners, position-owners/often-taxation-paid parasites/P-artists) hate the others): a house divided, not a class in solidarity.

   . . . Until they, as exploiters, are faced by the exploitees (the people as workers, consumers, tax-payers).

   . . . At which point, the capitalists unite together quicker than one individual in the exploited group who says:

          - "But, I! disagree, I! like my (part of the) TRIP-Up income*."

*Be that a small rental income, or a bit of savings-interest, or a little share-income, or other pay-off perk.

At which point Occupy is blocked and co-opted - into another, unreported,  rally, march, sit-in, protest stunt, what-ever.

For each solution to each part of the TRIP-Up set, there is, at present, one Occupy LSX EWG member who is blocking progress: and why the Occupy movement (in London and elsewhere?) is not a movement but, for now, a grumy squatters' sit-down.

That's our present conundrum.

Best - for all! - equally!

john

*************

Tuesday, July 8, 2014



If not Capitalist Corporations - then What?


From a thread at Occupy Economics (6th July) on the non-legality of the (capitalist) for-profit corporation in the US - including a description of its replacement

https://www.facebook.com/groups/372946956055502/918697174813808/?notif_t=group_comment_reply

--------------------

This is all helpful, Robert (Robert Burns),  and thank-you for it. 

Part of the plan for Co-operative Socialism (see in the papers' section at www.interestfreemoney.org.uk) is the proposal that all corporate entities be converted into appropriate co-operatives: worker co-operatives in the creative/competitive-to-be-of-best-service/market sector and community co-operatives in the non-market sector.

(Noting that all these co-operatives have to annually, explicitly demonstrate their co-operative identities by showing themselves to be in compliance with the Co-operative values and Principle in the Statement on the Co-operative Identity from the International Co-operative Alliance - as updated by the Co-operative Movement form time-to-time: the Statement, being a living document - note the 'on' not 'of -' is effectively a democratic Wiki )

(Second note: It is my understanding that, in the Canadian Province of Quebec, these constitute l'economie social and l'economie solidaire sectors, respectively, of the sector that may be termed, l'economie cooperative: Quebec is this parasitised by a capitalist sector, but l'economie cooperative acts as a powerful equalising influence.

This last is the key objective of the plan for Co-operative Socialism - the creation of an economy that is peaceful and ecological - because it is generative of (greater) income equality: since the evidence (completely enunciated in the key book, The Spirit Level, and at explained at The Equality Trust web-site,  www.equalitytrust.org.uk) is that (greater) income equality is generative of all goods - public and private - such as peace and sustainability.

The corporate transformation within the plan for Co-operative Socialism, thus, requires the application of the repeal of the social-acceptance/social-permission of the for-profit (capitalist, etc) corporate form - just as Robert Burns is saying should already be the ase in a fully-Constitutionally-compliant USA . . .

Friday, June 6, 2014

Responsible Economics*

Some web-findings 6 June 2014


At http://www.openforbusinessmagazine.com/stories/socially-responsible-econ is: a great video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hTL27Hs14gw

Responsible Economics*
-------------------------

I'm searching the titled term - partly to consider the term "Responsible Capitalism".

I catalogue, below some initial findings.

however, the pick seems to be the following excellent video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hTL27Hs14gw

at http://www.openforbusinessmagazine.com/stories/socially-responsible-econ with the preamble:

  "Socially Responsible Economics   28-May-2014

   Business Success and Social Responsibility

   Social responsibility offers the possibility for differing opinions. Some see this issue as so crucial they insist investment portfolios of the companies who are part of that portfolio meet certain criteria. At the extreme, others argue (persuasively) that the only social responsibility a business has is to maximize profits for the benefit of the stockholders or owners of the business.

   The latter view was given credence by a celebrated Nobel Prize winner in Economics, Milton Friedman, from the University of Chicago. Using his viewpoint, one can argue that business managers do not possess any kind of special talent justifying diversion of successful business profits to any cause in the community, no matter how worthy or popular"
-----------------------------
 
   So, here's what I've found so far, starting with a search for "Responsible Economics":

a) http://www.paecon.net/

and

http://www.worldeconomicsassociation.org/

And their Young economists Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/521797714546263/

  Thence to:

b) the indicated blog (with posts on 3 June 2014): http://rwer.wordpress.com/

c) Their Journal is http://www.paecon.net/PAEReview/issue67/contents67.htm

---------------------------

The cognate, "Responsible Economics" seems to be more focused on responsible
environmental economics . . . :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_%28organization%29

Or 'Responsible capitalism' eg:

http://www.patagonia.com/us/patagonia.go?assetid=1865

But "Socially Responsible economy" gives, for example:

http://www.scottishlabour.org.uk/blog/entry/a-socially-responsible-economy

But there's also the counter-revolution:

http://www.openforbusinessmagazine.com/stories/socially-responsible-econ

-------------

Now, whether any of the above is helpful . . . * I don't yet know . . .

Best - equally! - for all!

john

* ie promotes an income equal, co-operative socialist replacement for capitalism . . .

Which is what Co-operative Socialism does: see in the papers at www.interestfreemoney.org.uk

**********************

Friday, May 16, 2014

Co-ops growing stronger

Co-ops growing stronger: subsidiarity, solidarity and sustainability

 John Courtneidge 16 May 2014

The Co-operative Group in the UK is being put through the mill (partly our fault, partly attacks by globalised capitalism).

My view is that the solution is in three parts (at least!) - each of which might be of use to the wider Co-operative Movement:

1) Retain as a national co-operative those parts that need best to be at  a national level: CRTG and farms/food production, Co-operative Finance generally (banking, pensions, etc . . .)

2) Set up and/or disburse the retail functions to existing or new regional co-ops; ie subsidiarity.

3) Convert the Consumer Co-operative model for the retail co-ops into a Community Co-operative model - with Boards that are part-elected by the active consuming membership and partly due to representation by the workforce on a truly representative basis (ie perhaps by lot from the workforce rather than by vote). Ie solidarity.

Finally:

  a) Stephen de Vries (the OxfordU academic advisor to Inequality Briefing) said on Monday at the Inequality Briefing meeting that there is no relationship between CEO pay and corporate effectiveness/efficiency.

  b) By contrast, we know from The Spirit Level (see www.equalitytrust.org.uk) that social, national and corporate wellness increases as income differentials are narrowed, and

c) that The ICA Statement contains both equality and equity as co-operative values.

Accordingly, by considering that:

   equality + equity = fairness

(Which may be a fair(!) synopsis), a significant aspect of our route to co-operative wellness contains two essential elements:

  i) That the refreshed co-operative movement adopt the Pay Fairness Commission approach (using randomly-selected  Pay Fairness Commissions to annually recommend to Boards on pay ratios);

  ii) That each co-op carry out ad publicise 'Annual Co-operative Audits' to demonstrate their (our!) fidelity to all of the Co-operative Values and Principles contained in the ICA Statement on the Co-operative Identity (for which, see www.ica.coop and also logged in the papers' section at www.interestfreemoney.org.uk )  ie sustainabiity