The Next Forty Days

As I type this, the scaffolders are marching back and forth along the fast-disappearing scaffolding outside 'my' bedroom window.

This is a metaphor for the next forty days.

Like it or nor, Brexit will happen at the end of those forty days.

We can moan it.

Or we can define what life here, outside my bedroom window, and within, shall be like, after those forty days; as the scaffolder rolls up the green net.

As his co-workers loosen the clamps that hold down the boards and scaffolding tubes, those items get repurposed.

Likewise the old institutions.

Some must be retired, some repurposed, but, for all, life goes on.

So, I propose, Occupy-style, that we mainstream, now, 'What can be, what needs to be, what must be'.

That 'What must be' must be non-authoritarian but not-chaotic.

It must be ecological remedial, socially harmonious, personally nourishing.

I, therefore, propose and request that we institute a forty-day, completely decentralised global discussion to examine the living plan for Co-operative Socialism.

That plan is entirely non-hierarchical, so this proposed discussion could start in any of the following five 'rooms':

  A) The replacement of the ownership of economic resources by time-limited undertakings for 'Co-operative Careship' of those resouces on a 'Better-than-fully-repairing-leases'concept.

   B) The abolition of 'Rent, Interest and Profits-distributed-to-Managers, CEOs and Shareholders' as, both, unecessary *and* harmful.

   C) The introduction of human incomes based on 'A Living Income for Everyone' and, if wished, Paid Work Income between socially-determined lower and upper limits', with as many human needs Community-Provided-and-Free-at-the-point-of-use' (think 'Public Libraries).

   D) A wealth-creating, wellness-creating workplace network organised as appropriate Co-operatives (of which there seem four types), all transparently, and enthusiasically, operating according to Internationally-agreed Co-operative Values and Principles and supported by a not-for-profit-interest-free, community co-operative money, banking and finance system.

   E) A personal and political-structural inversion: from 'What can I, or we, get?' to 'What can I, and we, give?).

   F) A joyful global embrace: of peace and true co-operation, through equality (see 'The Spirit Level' book and www.equalitytrust.org.uk ) as Co-operative Remediation of planet, people and individuals: a global Co-operative Commonweal of national and local Co-operative Commonwealths, 'Thw wellness of all, in The Wellness of All'.

For those who find acronyms helpful, the above is based on the aide-mémoire, 'TRIP-Up'.

ie, The five mechanisms that have existed: but, which *must*, and *can*, be replaced:

      TRIP-Up = Theft, Rent, Interest, Profits and Unequal-pay for work).

Thank-you to the scaffolders for your work!

Now, again, I can see the sky and trees!

And go out and put my washing on the line!

John Courtneidge

Littlehampton

12 September 2019

A Global Co-operative Commonweal! By Tuesday! Not *on* Tuesday!

A piece of pernicious wickedness has come to light:



https://www.quora.com/Why-are-Remainers-so-convinced-that-staying-in-the-European-Union-is-what-is-best-for-the-UK/answer/Barry-McGuinness-1?fbclid=IwAR1EKhl77YIf2VgkYlCZVN1f7nLTarGsQc8jy_gq0hbCNDLZ41iBX_evbuU

The Conclusion states:

   'Whatever its initial driving forces, Brexit is now essentially a coup pulled off by a subgroup of Conservative Party politicians on behalf of tax-dodging tycoons and unscrupulous investors.

   'They have been systematically misleading the British public to hate the EU through a constant supply of anti-EU propaganda and lies. Their only concern for ‘taking back control’ is to rid UK businesses of EU tax laws, financial regulations and employees’ rights. To this end, their immediate objective is to bring about a no-deal Brexit.'

And finishes with

   'They are abusing democracy to create a plutocracy.'




All agreed.


And that is because our Movement, the Labour, Trade Union and Co-operative Movement have allowed it to be so.


That triple alliance has been captured by capitalism and, as such, is the tool of capitalism: just think of Tony Blair, the TUC, and Peter Marks (he who caused the sell-off of our Co-op Bank, our Co-op Farms, our Co-op Travel Agency and our Co-op Pharmacies.

All of these people are in the EU Conspiracy.


Which of them have argued, or even allowed to be argued, the Democratic Co-operative Socialist case for a Co-operative Socialist Brexit?


None of them: they all support capitalism and, thus, support the Remain disinformation campaign.


Such as this internally-contradictory article.


Take just one point: the 'Free Movement' argument. The article shows us a map of the Shengen arrangement area, and tells us that the UK isn't part of it. True. But the article then says that the UK Governments, all capitalist (Blair, Brown, Major, Thatcher, Cameron, May, Johnson) don't control of monitor inward and outward migration.


I wonder how many of these capitalists benefit from this free-flow of cheap labour in the form of cheap nannies, au-pairs, nurses, cleaners, fruit pickers, delivery men, etc, etc.

And that final closing point:

   'They are abusing democracy to create a plutocracy.'


They are not 'creating a plutocracy': capitalism is a plutocracy.


The EU is a plutocracy.


Because the EU was set up to continue the plutocracy, capitalism, in Western Europe, immediately after we had rescued it from Nazism/Fascism in th 1930's and 40's.

Now lets deal with what the article does not speak of.


The article does not speak of the growth and persistance (and close management) of economic inequality in Europe. And here in the UK. And in the Commonwealth. And in the world generally.

All that distress is the cause of capitalism: not just the consequence of capitalism, but its objective.


Capitalism needs distress in order to create fear.

That fear causes selfishness.

That fear causes isolationism.

And that's what the EU is all about: anti-internationalism: a world of regulated movement of people, of tariff barriers and of a Police State:

    An anti-democratic and, thus, undemocratic capitalist imposition:

       The continuation of a capitalist plutocracy.
 

The one that appeared to replace the feudal Norman Plutocracy.


But which never did.


As the resurgence of the feudal core of The Conservative Party shows.


So, what to do?


First recognise that the genuinely progressive movement in this Country (ie, the pre-Blair, pre-Gaitsgill, pre-Wilson, even) Labour, Trade Union and Co-operative Movement was - and is - entirely internationalist and equalitarian.


It (we) opposed the European Imposition in 1974 and we do not see the European Imposition as beneficial now (think Greece, inequality, NATO, etc).


However, the, presently, very few of us who support a Co-operative and True Socialist alternative to capitalism know that, a) better is possible, and that, b) better is achievable.

Democratically.

Not by imposition.


Now, if the Remainers can see any feasible, fast route to an EU that replaces capitalism, Europe-wide and World-wide, then why haven't they done it.


Over forty years.
 

Over forty years of 'peace in Europe' (think Balkans, Turkey, near east, Middle East, the Ukraine, the former USSR generally, all the former 'posessions'/impositions of the feudal European Empires, Africa, Asia, Australasia, the Pacific, north, south, latin America, the Atlanic, Arctic, Antarctic, Pacific, Gulf, everywhere: Misery.), why hasn't Europe led the world to peace?

It's because the EU was founded to continue capitalism.

Which it has done.

Not replace capitalism.

Which it hasn't done.


So, lets continue with the project of internationalist, equalitarian, ecologically-respectful Co-operative Commonwealths, where Co-operative Careship brings about a global Co-operative Commonweal:

   the wellness of all, in The Wellness of All.


Here in the UK first.


By Tuesday!


(Not *on*  Tuesday, as the capitalist Marxists would have us do: wait for Armaggedon.

While we exploit and, so, im-miserate you.

Boo to that!



True Co-operative Socialism!


By Tuesday!)

Saving The World From Capitalism

So, here's the next trade question.

Which goods do we, as a post-industrial society (ie the industrial and manufacturing desert that Margaret Thatcher made: deliberately made, following The Ridley Plan), do we export to Europe?

Or anywhere else for that matter?

And, if any of our customers for UK-made goods requested that we sell to them, will our Government put up tariff barriers to stop them?

Of course not.

So, this scaremongering of no food, expensive food etc is just that: scaremongering.

Unless, of course, globalised capitalism engineers that.

And if it does, we'll know what has trashed us: capitalism.

Capitalism bullied us into the European Imposition (Tory PM Yed Heath did that), capitalism trashed this country (Tory Margaret Thatcher did that).

And, once we'd been beggaried into destitution, the two capitalist Parties did their backer's bidding.

By a) imposing the Blair/Mandleson plot upon us, followed by the Cameron/Clegg Fib&Con 'Austerity'plot on us.

Now, it took a Labour-led National Government to free Europe from right-wing Nazi dictatorship over just six years, 1939-1945.

That same Labour-led UK National Government protected Western Europe from a 'left-wing', Communist dictatorship (by getting to Berlin concurrently with the 'Red' Army.

So it will take us less than six years to free Europe from the latest dictatorship, globalised capitalism.

Because we have the plan that The Labour Party in 1937 had: Co-operative Socialism:

   'The aim of The Labour Party is the establishment of the Co-operative Commonwealth', Cllement Attlee, 1937, 'The Labour Party in Perspective, Left Book Club, Victor Gollanz, and, the same year the Labour Party programme for government.

We didn't manage thst in 1945.

We will in 2020.

Hoping That I'm Wrong

We fellow true co-operators know, that our Co-operative Alternative to Capitalism (the Co-operative Socialist Alternative to Capitalism) *never* gets air-time in 'The Movement'-not.

When, for example, did you ever hear of a Debate at Co-op Party Conference as to whether our Party should adopt and promote the living plan for Co-operative Socialism?

When?

Not yet!

And, then, wait for the capitalist backlash!

On what terms, I wonder?

And Today's Conspiracy Is?

OK, Lets deal with this conspiracy thing:

The Bilderberger meetings are a good example of the capitalists breathing together: co-inspiring one another, just as we democratic and co-operative socialists co-inspire one another.

It's called solidarity: solidarity among the supporters of capitalism (say at the City of London's Guildhall and its puppet, the Royal Institute for/of International Affairs, the RIIA, at St James Square just off Pall Mall: just look at their Corporate membership list: from the BBC, through The Guardian, to Shell, etc, etc).

As Gary Allan says in his book 'None Dare Call It Conspiracy', the conspiracy is to convince us that there is no conspiracy.

So, as the Trade Unions have Congress House, capitalism has its Guildhall, Mansion House, Chatham House (where the RIIA in St James Square is based and which ?instructs? its younger siblings (in New York, for example, the Council on Foreign Relations and, in Canada, which organisation I forget).

Finally, a small book on my bookshelf called 'Conspiracy Theories' (from the same publisher in Hertfordshire that published Robin Ramsey's good book 'New Labour') points out (posits?) that false conspiracies are manufactured and promoted in order to muddy the waters.

In order to obscure the real global conspiracy called capitalism.

Remarkable thing the internet!

Is Co-operative Socialism Anarchism?

Is Co-operative Socialism Anarchism?

John Courtneidge 4 July 2019

It's different from anarchism in that it sees a rôle for each nation State as a Co-operative Commonwealth, not as the abolition of the national State.

The difference as to the present States is that a Co-operative Commonwealth should operate as part of a noncoercive International Co-operative Alliance and according to globally-agreed Co-operative Values and Principles.

As it presently is, The International Co-operative Alliance (www.ica.coop), convenes, about every thirty years, a Committee to review the 'ICA Statement on the Co-operative Identity'.

That last review was in 1995 and the newest added Principle, the Seventh states:

Principle Seven (something like)

'Co-operative carry out activities, approved by their memberships, for the sustainable well-being of their communities.'

The ICA site has a link to this Statement and I've put it, also, on the papers' page at www.interestfreemoney.org

It occurs to me that XR could camp outside the ICA Headquarters and call for the ICA to get on board with this plan for Co-operative Socialism . . .

Sort of Occupy style.

Because if we don't, capitalism will.

T'obrigad!

Hope this helps

Co-operative Socialism and Land

Co-operative Socialism and Land


John Courtneiidge 4 July 2019

Regarding co-operative socialist economics and land:

Co-operative Socialism replaces land ownership with time limited agreements for 'Co-operative Careship'.

The closest to this in the UK is the concept of the 'Fully-repairing Lease'. Co-operative Careship goes further and adds remediation and social purpose to this.

I hope this helps!