We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, March 27, 2010

PPPs - Partnership or Plunder?

by Dexter Whitfield from New Left Project [Britain]. The author lifts the veil from some privatization schemes to reveal the realities of public plunder. He concludes his essay with the following:
The global financial crisis has created a unique opportunity to radically redefine the role of government, the public sector and welfare state. But the political neoliberal consensus has electively limited the debate to the budget deficit and public spending cuts whilst curtailing debate on increasing government revenue. There is little vision or ability to think about the future within the main political parties.