The need for change
Anne Adams believes that capitalism must be reformed or replaced
The movement against climate change is growing in momentum. But behind climate change lies capitalism, as Naomi Klein has pointed out in her book This Changes Everything, one of many anti-capitalist books published in the past twenty years.
It seems to me that capitalism must either be reformed or replaced. There are many organisations that are run for the benefit of the workers rather than the shareholders and which try not to cause ecological damage. Community land trusts, for example, acquire land on which housing such as housing cooperatives of various types may be built for affordable prices or low rent. There are many types of cooperative in transport, food production and retail, banks, manufacturing, renewable energy production and so on. The Mondragon Corporation in Spain, which was founded in 1956, is a very large federation of worker cooperatives with over 74,000 members involved in a great variety of occupations. Community interest companies (CIC) have increased since they started in 2005. Social enterprises that are a form of CIC now number more than 70,000 in the UK, employ about a million people, and add some £18.5 billion to the economy.
Larger enterprises – such as railways, water supply, large-scale renewable energy production, bus services – could be run by municipalities or by separate companies. Money, of course, is one of the bases for all enterprises. At present, this is produced unashamedly by commercial banks when they lend money, at interest, to people seeking a loan for whatever reason. However, this does not need to be so. Money could be produced by government (as it already does by quantitative easing), perhaps regulated by a finance committee to make sure it was used for useful purposes and not for financial speculation. VAT should be abolished, as it is a regressive tax. Taxing labour also needs to stop, as this discourages employment. International bodies – the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund – need reform so that they consider all people’s needs and do not just concentrate on growth for the benefit for the few. A citizen’s income could be paid to all, thus releasing talents and energy for useful work.
When one looks at the billions and trillions invested in fossil fuels, the extractive industries, the manufacture of cars and the extent of tax evasion and tax avoidance it seems as if there are two separate cultures – one concerned with power, competition, money and ruthlessness, and another where cooperation, equality and sharing dominate.
In her latest book Naomi Klein describes how a two-day gathering was held in Toronto in 2015 at which people from many walks of life came together to thrash out a new vision for the future that would enable humanity to continue living on the planet but in a sustainable way, and one in which everyone could benefit. The final document was called The Leap Manifesto: A Call for a Canada Based on Caring for the Earth and for One Another. The values in it seem very similar to the values of the series of booklets on ‘the new economy’ produced by Quaker Peace & Social Witness. Naomi Klein says that similar groups are developing in different parts of the world. These protest movements involve a wide variety of people, including indigenous people who have lived in harmony with the earth for hundreds of years.
Could the concept of a ‘critical mass’ be useful? When a movement for change gets to a certain level the whole thing suddenly changes to a new form. This is what happens when water becomes ice at a critical temperature. The idea of the ‘hundredth monkey’ is similar: if enough people change their ways a tipping point comes and everyone changes.
Walter Wink, the American biblical scholar and activist, in his book The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millenium, presents his thesis as: ‘The Powers are good, the Powers are fallen, the Powers can be redeemed.’ He states that powers – the institutions that run our services and businesses – are necessary, but they can be corrupted. If this happens they need to be confronted, but nonviolently. Walter Wink argues they can be transformed and quotes the radical change of government that occurred in South Africa after Nelson Mandela was released.
Is it possible that if enough people work for change it could happen and instead of working just for profit corporations could work to improve conditions for all?
