Hi Jo
I wrote a response here yesterday buit I think quite of few of my responses over the past few weeks have been tangled up in the spam filter.

I was saying I had found since starting to become actively interested in these matters 3 years ago my own view had changed considerably and the signposts to a critical analysis of the current system seem more in evidence now. Whether this is because my own framework of understanding is more developed or because I am now just fonding what I am looking for because I have a predisposed bias to finding what I want to find I don’t know I was involved in an online discussion about House prices on the Motley fool web site back in Feb 2009, My thinking has changed hugely and its an interesting read both the CLiff Dárcy article and the discussion that follows.

http://www.lovemoney.com/news/property-and-mortgages/house-prices/2325/why-house-prices-will-fall-this-year

I am optimistic that peoples openness to hearing alternative views is increasing, I think people sense something is badly up and although the current culture is for quick solutions in a 2 minute sound bite 101 and thats all you need to know Fox News sort of way. But I think we can provide some of that and I thing Satire needs to be directed at the subject and some poking fun in the great tradition of Radical Etchings and Pamphlets. I suspect these days Americans and Brits alike would struggle to get through Thomas Paine’s Common Sense in one sitting but remember that a lot of people would have got through it or introduced to it by group readings and discussions and that sort of thing whilst difficult to re introduce into modern life can be done through social media. I have tried to do it with a few original songs and poems and by writing to people I am in regular contact with and who I care about.

The idea of Community approaches is well put by Robert Moore in this two part interview with Sue Supriano on her Steppin out of Babylon series. This series helped me to seek out a lot of information I did not have the tools to search out before as my framework of understanding in many of the areas simply didn’t exist.

I posted a link in a Linked in discussion on the Economist, a place I try to provide the other view to the main stream economics and free market exponents some of whom are happy to discuss things and some of who are still pretty shouty, part of what we do does involve kissing a lot of frogs to find our princes though.

I have just read this interesting Blog regarding the true nature of democracy and indeed if it has indeed existed anywhere in the past 6000 years.

http://harmonization.blogspot.se/

The Author gives an interesting interview here to Sue Supriano of Steppin out of Babylon

http://www.suesupriano.com/article.php?&id=111

there are two parts to the interview with Richard Moore the first an analysis of the present trend towards global corporate fascism the second an analysis of dispute resolution type approaches to local community problem solving and bottom up policy formulation.

My take on these things In Music and Poetry,

Illuminati and Glitterati

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skx2oiVT3TE

Let Them Eat Cake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFqmyz2aC5Y

Democracy 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4F-fCiw_Ls

99%

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we7146EvS8s

Baards of Wales Speak Out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNjeBOgGus4

Thanks John & Pat for your responses here and thanks Roger for posting in the NatCAN discussion. It’s really taking off.

Will look into that idea of yours Pat, it’s a new one on me.

Just finished ‘Endgame’ – a different perspective coming from an insider, interesting

Cheers, Joe

Joe – I don’t think David’s blog was in any danger – the argument of trolls are easily spotted by their vacuous inelegance.

On the wider issues and purpose we have to be realistic and to this end we have to accept the provenance and strengths of the evils we face and be pragmatic in the manner and methods we adopt to counter them.

To my mind the first ‘evil’ we have to accept as fact is that our democracy is a sham. A mere label used as a euphemism for control and the husbandry of the bewildered herd of humanity.

This ‘bewilderment’ is a tool of great art and artifice when it’s used within a single species; especially so when that species has the ability to conceive and initiate abstract thoughts. One development of abstract thought is the struggle for power when its aimed towards rewards of bling or the satisfaction of ego it, by definition, inexorably leads to corruption. We can’t help it, like moths to a flame and in the belief our ‘power’ has somehow or other earned us the right we will corrupt the use of that power.

Some will say this is part of our human nature. Patently true, but the bottom line is there has been little emphasis on removing this trait from our human nurture. Instead the emphasis has been one of subjugation to those who aspire to practice and profit from the division. So for this reason I have neither desire or use for the acquisition of power – by now history should have made us aware, while humanity can be fooled it cannot be governed without the legitimacy of the common herds majority approval. And this cannot happen when the political circus is engineered and gerrymandered in order to protect the system and detract from the purpose.

My argument is, do not create a cancer in order to a destroy an existing cancer – by the time it has any chance of being effective it will be as toxic as the cancer it set out to destroy. In this respect the Occupy strategy has got it right – it’s a movement which can gradually agitate into a groundswell and go on to have the fluid dynamics of a tsunami. It has no damming restrictions, no formulaic objectives, no timetables where responses can be countered by the lies of authority and above all it claims no political purpose or ideology. Its only strategy is to get across the message – We do not like what you have done -where your going or how you’re going about it. Our message is simple. We don’t want you to change; we want you out.

This is the tide that pumps terror into their shrivelled hearts.

How about the “PeepNet” replacing the “Internet”?

I followed your link and read “Civil Society Politics – Power to the People” by Vern Hughes and the comments it evoked. There is no shortage of ideas; the problem seems to be implementation.

The key to the breakthrough we all seek is how we communicate. Yes, we have the Internet but it is mediated through government-licensed corporate ISPs. Until we achieve control of the Internet we will remain under the control of the MNCs and the governments they now own.

Each community should, completely independently of corporate-controlled governments, finance and install its own fiber-to-the-home network and become its own ISP. Each community would quickly find that only a small fraction of its network traffic would need to use a gateway to the Internet. People are hungry for local content. It is how we evolved as a species – in small groups.

Each community would create its own “cloud” by sharing sophisticated network software instead of individually installed personal software and build locally-hosted storage arrays on hard drives. Local advertising would replace much of the MNC advertising. People would get to know each other again.

An international network of “CommunityNet”s would quickly emerge to create the world-wide “PeepNet”.

Can market ostracization break transnational corporations? If so what are some examples?

Are you a citizen of a country? Do the rights of being a citizen not also come with responsibilities?

I’ve learned a lot by following the comments and often tweet the appropriate links.

It was quite disturbing when the blog was invaded by trolls who threatened to ruin it for everyone.

Everyone has the right to an opinion as everyone equally has the right not to listen to it, especially when it’s delivered so inappropriately.

I’ve learned from David and those who contribute regularly to the blog that the world economy is in a dreadful mess and that there are varying opinions on how this came to be.

What I was hoping to learn is what activists can do about it.

Those two blogs a short time back – ‘A Way Forward. A modest proposal’ & ‘The Way Forward – Next Steps’ were very encouraging. Like so many, I have no faith in the political system as it stands or the parties that dominate it but I don’t believe that change can come without political willpower and clout.

The logistics of forming a viable political party alternative in the UK seem insurmountable.

David’s idea of getting like-minded people into the European Parliament from every county in the Union does seem achievable and I’ve floated that idea with my own peer group.

Another idea that just came to my attention via LinkedIn is that of ‘Civil Society Politics’.

I contacted the originator and he kindly posted the concept as a discussion on NatCAN yesterday.

http://nationalcan.ning.com/forum/topics/civil-society-politics-power-to-the-people

I’d love to have a comment or two from people who post here regularly.

Cheers – Joe