Dear F/W friends
There are many calls to define precisely what we want (and how to get it !
).
Reproduced, below, is a motion that has:
* a 'Seven Point Action Plan',
designed to deliver:
* a 'Fair, Safe and Peaceful World'.
I'd be grateful if readers could print, read and share with friends.
Without a plan we will continue to be re- rather than pro-active - and there
are too many people presently being hurt for us to not work for a better
future (if not better present ! )
Many thanks.
Abundant hugs,
john
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Resolution To Welwyn-Hatfield Branch Co-operative Party
"a) That this Branch receive the following document entitled:
"Delivering A Fair, Safe and Peaceful Society -
Money, Work and The Economic Policy of A Labour/Co-operative Government."
b) That this Branch support, or modify before supporting, the aim of
working to create:
"A Fair, Safe and Peaceful Society",
c) That this Branch consider, with modification, or not, as it deems
necessary, the Seven Point Plan of Actionč contained therein.
d) That this Branch forward this Resolution to the combined Hertfordshire
Party Councilč for, possible onward passage to The Co-operative Party NEC."
STARTS
Delivering A Fair, Safe and Peaceful Society -
Money, Work and The Economic Policy of A Labour/Co-operative Government.
Paul Anderson ('Tribune,' 23 July 1999), asks that we create a plan of
action for Labour.
I consider that the goal is to create a fair, safe and peaceful society, and
that the key to delivering such a socially- and globally-ethical society is
the economic system in which it is embedded.
In a phrase, we need to create an economy where people are in control of
their lives: working for the long-term benefit of all. A world, in other
words, where we live in trust and respect both for one-another and the
planet .
Looking back over the past fifty years, we can see that, by leaving the
fundamentals of capitalism in place, each return of a reactionary government
has resulted in the roll back of many of our parents' achievements.
As a consequence, we need to take action that cannot be taken away.
We need, in other words, to find the nineties' equivalent of the NHS -
something that is so universally valued, that it will never be repealed.
To find this elusive step, we have to have find strategies for all three of
capitalism's central features: ownership of workplaces used for private
profit, ownership of land used for profit and ownership of money used for
profit.
To be able to deal with all three of these aspects of capitalism, we must,
first, return money to its proper use - as a lubricant of human activity,
created by, and flowing through, a nationally-owned, community-controlled,
Public Service Banking and Financial System - a 'National Wealth Service.'
With that in place, we can, then convert workplaces into appropriate
co-operatives - each having care, or stewardship of, their land and premises
and all working for the commonweal, ensuring that every-one receives a fair,
guaranteed income - a network of workplaces, which maximise, in William
Morris' phrase:
"Useful work, not useless toil."
Given that strategy, here is a Seven Point Plan of Actionč:
Co-operative Socialism - A Seven Point Plan of Actionč
1) Convert competitive activities into worker co-operative partnerships and
remodel monopoly activities as stakeholder co-operatives,
(see points two and five for the funding mechanism for this);
2) Redistribute 'added-value' from these co-operatives, through
nationally-collected corporate taxation, distributed into local,
democratically-controlled Community Banks, thus making money available for
wealth creation and community development,
(and the conversions referred to above);
3) Maximise necessary service provision (health, education, libraries,
transport (?) etc) on a free-at-the-point-of-use basis, retaining
(initially?) money as a mechanism for access to discretionary purchases.
4) Introduce guaranteed income maxima and minima for all, and, so, abolish
personal taxation;
5) Abolish money-lending for profit, operating banking and financial
services as a Public Service, 'National Wealth Service'
(see point two above);
6) Reintroduce international exchange controls as necessary;
7) Make capital grants (not loans) to developing countries.
In brief, transforming money - from master to servant - provides the way of
converting planet-trashing capitalism into locally-controlled, sustainable,
ethical co-operatives, each operating according to the 'Seven Co-operative
Principles' of The International Co-operative Alliance, all working
inter-dependently to deliver sustainable, 'responsible stewardship' of the
earth - for the long-lived well-being of all.
Dr John Courtneidge 13 North Road Hertford SG14 1LN
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 01992 501854
ENDS 31st January 2000
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