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IWCA: 'Economic Democracy' Part Two

G

Gyre

New Member
This is intense stuff:


This is the second part of our discussion of the concept of economic democracy (Part 1 available at http://www.iwca.info/?p=10145). Section 1 of this piece is a brief historical survey of the doctrine of economic democracy in this country: how the aims and ideals under discussion were once live factors and mainstream currents in the labour movement, when there was such a thing. We do this to show that we are not pulling these aims and concepts out of thin air: they come from somewhere and are not without precedent. Section 2 deals with nuts and bolts. We survey the theoretical model of a democratic economy as outlined by the Czech economist Jaroslav Vanek, before discussing the two most important real-world examples of economic democracy: the Mondragon group of cooperatives in the Basque country and the experiment with self-management in the former Yugoslavia. We conclude that Mondragon has succeeded because it closely follows the key characteristics of Vanek’s theoretical model while the Yugoslav experiment failed because it diverged so markedly from it, particularly in its interpretation (or lack of one) of property rights.
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http://www.iwca.info/?p=10172

deliberately released at the dawn of the cuts no doubt. Haven't read it yet, very early.

Just thought people might want to have a look at it - it took them long enough.

More debate soon, hopefully....
 
Not sure there was such method in the madness, more a case of various people kicking the ideas about for a while and coming up with the final draft...
 
As you can see from the date I joined I have browsed on here for a long time without posting. So, I thought reading this was a good time to do so.

I was somewhat disappointed that the IWCA had not taken off after reading a thread on here a while back - I felt their perceptive and innovative approach was worthwhile.

I've not had a chance to read this, and I don't always agree with their perspective, but in these miserable times I am glad to see the IWCA are still making a contribution to reviving the left in this country.:)

Cheers.
 
Yes, I would imagine there were some on the left that hoped the IWCA would grow in strength?

Despite some interesting analysis, sadly another left donkey is dead.
 
a correct method of operating in communities, imo, combined with a crippling lack of national/international campaigns - can't help but descend into the void that is the petty reality of localism.

edit: that said, interesting article, and interesting take... i genuinely don't think any other left groups are 'imagining socialist communities' in this way, and in many senses i think it's actually quite necessary (post-Lenin).
 
who cares what the last century left think, they are all salivating about having their man in Tower Hamlets now, the IslamoTrot Alliance continues.
 
Das Uberdog said:
a correct method of operating in communities, imo, combined with a crippling lack of national/international campaigns - can't help but descend into the void that is the petty reality of localism.

edit: that said, interesting article, and interesting take... i genuinely don't think any other left groups are 'imagining socialist communities' in this way, and in many senses i think it's actually quite necessary (post-Lenin).
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I can remeber the SWP calling the IWCA 'parish councillors in bomber jackets' but what is the petty reality of localism?
 
The39thStep said:
I can remeber the SWP calling the IWCA 'parish councillors in bomber jackets' but what is the petty reality of localism?
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if my experience in Preston Respect is anything to go by, alot of traipsing around with insufficient numbers running after the council when they fail to send out rat-catchers, unblock drains, etc etc... all worthy stuff but just not something you can do without subsuming your politics into your action (in such a small organization).
 
well yeah, i think that's what happened in Preston. i also think you need a degree of separation between activity and theory; the skill of 'praxis' is figuring out the best points of intersection.

that's a fairly academic argument, though. point is, i think the iwca's strategy lead to a loss of national/international perspective. took on to big a task all in one. the kind of community empowerment pushed for by the iwca is something the left has to aspire towards, not something its capable of just doing now, today.
 
i never kno what to think of them tbh (and dont jump on me for saying this!!)

speaking to a few people (and i mean ordinary people, not nutters) here i found out some interesting stuff / criticisms of them that ive not really heard off anyone from here. One guy from one of the unions - ie not really in a left group - i met on a demo was saying to me that they pissed off or annoyed a lot of people in blackbird leys because they would stand outside the houses of drug dealers etc and in his words seemed to go in for a lot of "stunts" rather than actual community empowerment. He also said that they seemed to want to behave in quite a hard and macho way (ie telling old ladies who wanted to get involved sort of stuff like "stand back well take care of this" etc.) according to him they also behaved in quite a sectarian manner (whats new tho, for the left?!?) i havent seen them in any anti cuts meetings or demos and i havent met or spoke to anyone from the organisation, which tbh i was surprised at, because i expected them to be more involved in that sort of thing.

the stuff the guy was saying might have been bollocks tho, but they dont seem to have done much since winning a few seats a few years ago. i dont particularly want to believe it, because a lot of people i have a lot of time for have either been involved in or are in the iwca.
 
Worth looking at the Oxford site and what residents had to say rather than some old soured lefty.Nothing stuntish about working day to day in the community , getting elected and then having national resources form the Labour Party bussed in to try and take back the seats. One of the cllrs was a woman and as far as I am aware the effective protests outside dealers homes and anti social behaviour were both emen and women and well recieved by the community.

The way in which they worked to tackle street robbery in Birmimgham is a salutory lesson to the left.
 
The39thStep said:
Worth looking at the Oxford site and what residents had to say rather than some old soured lefty.Nothing stuntish about working day to day in the community , getting elected and then having national resources form the Labour Party bussed in to try and take back the seats. One of the cllrs was a woman and as far as I am aware the effective protests outside dealers homes and anti social behaviour were both emen and women and well recieved by the community.

The way in which they worked to tackle street robbery in Birmimgham is a salutory lesson to the left.
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aye, agree with that :cool:. im not saying what he says is absolutley true and as i said loads of people on here i have tonnes of respect for are involved, or have been, in the iwca
 
ahh ok so perhaps i have actually met them, but dont realise it :) wouldnt surprise me. so the stuff that that guy was saying about them could have been bollocks then? i havent met any of them so dont really know what to think tbh!
 
'that's a fairly academic argument, though. point is, i think the iwca's strategy lead to a loss of national/international perspective. took on to big a task all in one. the kind of community empowerment pushed for by the iwca is something the left has to aspire towards, not something its capable of just doing now, today.'


what you actually mean is it wasn't sexy and the students weren't interested...
 
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