The slogan that has sprung from IMPA, one of the first factories to respond to the Argentinian economic crisis with a worker take-over, is Occupy, Resist, Produce. No part of that is easy. But the rewards are great enough that ailing businesses, usually mismanaged, are still being occupied today. I spoke to a member of…
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Keeping politically radical co-ops politically radical
In my recent review of People Over Capital, I commented that many co-operatives have been set up by radically-minded co-operators, but that they often fail to remain politically radical, or fail to pass their radical thinking onto others. I am interested particularly in trying to develop, over the long term, an interplay between co-ops and…
People Over Capital: The co-operative alternative to capitalism – a review
The reader’s attitude to this book is likely to depend on what they think of the subtitle. Do you want an alternative to capitalism, and do you think co-ops can offer it? People Over Capital is a book of essays on co-operatives put together in 2012 and published by New Internationalist. What makes it interesting…
Lewisham Council plans to make a profit from renters: Besson Street and beyond
Lewisham Council has finally unveiled its plan to re-develop a large empty plot of land at Besson Street, New Cross Gate, within what is sometimes known as the Kender Triangle. The plans are an interesting departure for the council, who instead of building new council housing, plans to build a Private Rented Sector (PRS) scheme of 250…
Is the positive thinking industry built on wishful thinking?
Few people these days would believe in a medicine that could cure all diseases, yet many people, it seems, believe in the mental cure-all of positive thinking. Thinking positively will make you happy, healthy, successful, a good parent, a good daughter, a good citizen, a good employee, a good business person; all the rewards of…
Hegemony and Socialist Strategy – an unfair review
I spent some time reading Mouffe and Laclau’s Hegemony and Socialist Strategy, in part because of its claimed influence on the more insurgent left parties across Europe, including Podemos in Spain. It took time because it is not an easy book to read. By the end, I was not entirely sure it was time well…
Labour doesn’t have a plan, but nor does anybody else I know
This blog post is not a defence of the Labour Party. Months of spinelessness prior to the elections have been followed by weeks of unprincipled positioning by new leaders after it. I see nothing to defend. But it has to be said that their main problem – that they have no economic plan – is…
Re-making activism
This is a post from Cherry Red’s page on Facebook, which I am reposting to make sure it is available outside of the Zuckerrealm. It address two of my interests: (a) sustainable activism and (b) making sure your activism isn’t useless. A lot of it is about learning from the mistakes of others. It’s all…
After Capitalism by David Schweickart – a brief review
This was a book, much like America Beyond Capitalism, that I really wanted to like. I even did like parts of it. Unfortunately I only have time to list my problems with it right now, so I should add up front the corollary that I’m really sympathetic to any proposal for an alternative economic system…
Angry Young Man by Leslie Paul – a chapter by chapter synopsis
I haven’t posted much on the history of political organising but recently someone recommended to me the out-of-print book Angry Young Man. This is the autobiography of Leslie Paul, a founder of the Woodcraft Folk who saw at first hand many of the political movements of the early 20th Century. It is well-written and…