Re: Global Alternative Economic Programme

[Chris Burford <cburford@xxxxxxxxxx>]

At 09/09/01 23:01 -0500, Andrew Hagen wrote:

> Raising the possibility of increasing global GDP would be a tempting
> carrot to wave in front of the capitalist donkey. The global justice
> movement has a wider agenda, however, not necessarily incompatible with
> growth, but potentially forgettable when placed next to it. It is
> crucial to continue to call for the worldwide legalization of union
> efforts, the installation of democratic norms in all countries, global
> justice, and similar measures.
>
> Even setting aside potential objections about the inclusiveness of
> Global Keynesian demands, would I offend anyone if I suggested that
> "Global Keynesianism" is not a very marketable "brand"?
>
> I'd like to suggest the phrase "Global Development" to stand at once
> for global justice, sustainable development, global Keynesianism, debt
> relief, and free but fair trade.
>
> By doing so, the IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO will have to take a
> stand against "Global Development."
>
> That would be good P.R.
>
> I offer to help if you need it to write an action statement.


Please do write an action statement as soon as possible! If anyone can
write a better one, let them please do so!

These lists work on the nem con principle: if no one is against it, you can
do it. It is  possible that with the countdown to Washington on 29th
September mail about this could snowball. Obviously Michael Perelman may
have views and suggestions about this.

If necessary another list can be created with another list server free
within a matter of an hour, for inner or outer circles of interested
people. The limiting factor is only the need for consensus and information
for everyone who wants to be in touch to keep in touch.

But we could use this list to test ideas and for people to copy them out to
other people on other lists and other networks. I suggest that for this or
similar threads there is an understanding that the posts can be copied out
to people who could help, including those who could help by criticial comments.

I agree about the PR question and the brand name. We cannot tell which
brand name will catch which constituency best, because of course they have
contradictory interests. But this could provide the challenge to the rule
by the present servants of international finance capital.

I had wondered about "The Alternative  Köhler Programme" because that would
contribute to undermining the confidence of Horst, make him look silly, and
tacitly raise the question of global state power. But Gernot may be too
bashful, people would not get the umlauts or the pronunciation right, and
anyway Gernot does not seem to get his posts coming to the list by email
but only via the web. Also his email address is beyond my powers of deduction??

But "The Alternative  Köhler Programme" for a couple of weeks would catch
the attention of the leading economic campaigners who are shaping the
agenda and the confrontations for Washington, and the journalists looking
for a new peg to hand their story on.  Polite non-violent mockery is
crucial to some of this. Campaigners need a text quickly that they can pick
up, to hold not just the moral but the economic high ground in the
confrontations. Yes, a million dollars golden handshakes to all willing
participants from the other side (sorry about the typo late last night)

*If* this gathers momentum, as I think it might - there is bound to be
another piece of bad economic news this week - among the people I would
like to see comment on this - *including if necessarily critically" to iron
out objections, are people like Patrick Bond and Doug Henwood. There are
many others who I do not know, perhaps lurking. I would like to see the
ideas copied to marxism lists if these marxists will not comment here,
becasue it would be best if there is no objection from marxist-influenced
people to what may come over as a neo-Keynesian programme. The
contradiction with anarchism needs to be handled firmly but sensitively.
The contradiction with the Greens ditto - a global development programme
should enable humankind to have much more power sensitively to minimise the
impact on the environment and remedy existing damage.

Someone needs quickly to do an options appraisal on setting up an
alternative seminar in Washington at the end of the month. The IMF/World
bank meeting has been cut to Sat 29th and Sunday 30th. People may have kept
their diaries open however for the previous week (or was it the following
week as originally scheduled?) There will be spare time and spare hotel
accommodation and seminar room space at knock down rates. (GW University
will also have a lot of unused rooms!). My guess is something like a
seminar of the most informed global activists/strategists in person on the
weekend of Sat22/Sun23rd which gives enough time to decide how much these
ideas, and publicity linked around them, can feed into the build up for
weekend 29/30. Meanwhile a sense of the momentum can very quickly be
established through the internet. Rooms, speakers, publicity, chair, organiser.

A large conference trying to get major global consensus needs to be
pencilled in for after this month obviously. If it is to reconcile
different opinions, it will need to be funded substantially (capitalists
have a lot to gain in the short-term from this programme, and governments
even more) and it will need a chair-person as pleasant and as skilled as
Nkosazana Zuma, who has just chaired WCAR.

I have a very busy professional agenda in another field in the next few
days, and may not be able to post much till Saturday night at the earliest.
Please go for it, Andrew. Please would any other reader who thinks they can
contribute, go for it, network, and accelerate the positive feedback
process. None of us is being arrogant about this. None of us will know at
the end which contribution was decisive, but the ruling authorities are on
the brink of being unable to govern in the old way. This is a crucial
moment when the situation is both economically and politically unstable. If
we do nothing the world economy will grind into a profound recession with
perhaps half the world's labour force unemployed or underemployed. The cost
in child mortality is already measured in thousands of deaths a day.

Apologies for typos. All, or perhaps rather key parts, of this post may be
copied to people of good will if they may be willing to help (but I suggest
to key individuals rather than promiscuous copying until we have a more
polished statement - which BTW certainly does not have to wait for me.)

There is a multitude of people wanting answers. We have the outline of a
viable answer. The empire cannot refuse to parley.

The other side is bankrupt. We only have to articulate and communicate
another way of doing things, fight the battles, and we have won.

There is a world to save and to win.

Please go for it.

Chris Burford

London