[Campaignforrealdemocracy] Greetings from Project 2012 to International Students Movement!

[Mark Barrett]

Dear International Students Movement!

This is  just a quick note to introduce you to "Project 2012" and the
Campaign for Real Democracy (CRD); which are about building a strong,
effective coalition for democracy and civil rights in the UK, EU
and beyond between now and 2012.

Today I was happy to hear from one of your group, Mo, about your plans for a
global action in November for emancipatory and free education for
all. Personally, I am very interested in how local, consensus based
democracy here in the UK can bring about an educational and political shift
in modern society. As I said to Mo today, I am a believer in the African
proverb that says "it takes a village to bring up a child" and would like to
see each community take control of its own affairs, responsibly, and for its
members to start looking after each other and the environment. There is no
reason why a different political economy, and a different kind of
productivity cannot take shape with an emphasis on community structures,
and, in a sense, each local area being a democratic school for people of all
ages. Is there a possibility for unity between our groups on these terms?
Surely there must be!

Our concern is, effectively, how to build a movement for Zapatistan, ie
bottom up, local and **really** democratic, political economy or
constitution (here in the UK and elsewhere..). Our core belief is about the
need for democratic control of resources - where we live, where we work,
where we study, and of course in other institutions too. With this principle
in mind we are investigating and debating ideas about how to nationalise and
then decentralise public services such as LVT or Land Value Taxation (as a
means to socialise land values, ie economic rent, and remove
other, regressive taxes on productivity), debt/mortgage cancellation,
monetary reform (democratically owned banks and power of public credit)
while ensuring at the same time that a movement that embraces genuinely
democratic processes (such as those practiced, for example by Climate Camp)
emerges with these kinds of ends in sight. At the same time we have been
considering what a post-capitalist political economy might  look like in
terms of what Marx called superstructure. Following this we have focused -
through ongoing debate and consideration - on the need for land and
buildings to be collectively owned at the local level, and for the linked
reconstitution of capitalist society so these peoples' buildings and
collectively owned landscapes can operate effectively as local parliaments,
banks and welfare/benefits distributors. There is no reason why this
thinking should not extend to education, indeed it must if we are to be
effective. So, I would welcome you to contribute your ideas (on what free,
emancipatory education means to you) to the Project 2012 discussions
(see google group below) so we can learn from one another and hopefully
create a strong movement for an ecological, direct democratic and community
focused society; one in which ideals are recast so that everyone everywhere
can be a liberated student, planetary citizen, and  worker too.

More info on Project 2012 and our new, Campaign for Real Democracy (CRD)
project can be found at http://groups.google.co.uk/group/project2012 and
www.newsov.org There is also some background info in a 2006 statement made
by some of us on the need for a "Campaign for a 21st Century Constitution"
(or C421) at http://www.peopleincommon.org/C421.html

Maybe some of your members will be interested to make links with us; as I am
sure some of our members will wish to do so with you.

Best wishes
Mark Barrett
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