One of the central ideas in my new book, The Value of Nothing, is that there are other ways of governing ourselves than either the free market or central government. While there’s plenty of evidence that the state-market dichotomy is a false one, it’s always good to have more data.
Pambazuka News has a fine article on how land-grabs in Africa are being driven by the biofuels bonanza in which the man who I idolised in the early 1980s, Bob Geldof, falls even further from his pedestal. More below the fold. … read more »
Meanwhile, in Argentina, Marie Trigona writes about Kraft’s union busting tactics. The moment you make use of your right to organise is the moment it’s taken away. Marie writes:
Here’s a fine op-ed written be friends at The National Family Farm Coalition and the Pesticide Action Network on how the Obama administration is ensuring that the food system remains firmly in the hands of those who screw it up for everyone else. It’s a status quo we can all believe in. … read more »
African countries aren’t the only ones where you can see land grabs. If you live in Asia, the sport of the rich can also be seen there. In Pakistan, a new website Zamana tells of the larceny happening there, even though the country is already at extreme risk of hunger… Predictably, the World Bank and IMF are up to their necks in this mess. Important reading.
It has been a heartbreaking day. If you’ve only got a minute, please click on this link and sign the petition at the end of it. Normally, I think internet petitions are largely futile, but this time, I think it’s worth taking a moment to do. So, please click and sign, and I’ll explain why it’s worth doing below the fold. … read more »
It’s both a happy and sad time when a victory involves workers winning a pay increase from $10,000 a year to $17,000 – but in this economy and this America, we take the wins where we can. And for the tomato pickers of Immokalee in Florida, this is definitely a win. … read more »
I’m looking forward to The Daily Show this evening – John Oliver was out interviewing the little woodland creatures (or so they appeared) who were part of the protest rainbow today at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh. Undoubtedly, they’ll be made to look foolish (and in all likelihood, they had it coming). It’s sad that Comrade Oliver couldn’t interview folk from inside the G20 building – they are idiots of a far more dangerous stripe. But before I opine about them, a quick thought about what happened outside the G20 today. … read more »
I remember that, nearly a decade ago, the Global Justice movement was under fire for the way it organized. It seemed to be a moveable carnival of activism, known only by its dates (N30 for the WTO on November 30th, 1999 – Seattle, A20 for the Summit of the Americans on April 20th, 2001 – Quebec City, and so on).
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