tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419301238810150113.post7379234357378150134..comments2023-06-07T16:22:03.048+01:00Comments on AngloNoelNatter: More Mutualist NotesAnglonoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419902987152111536noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419301238810150113.post-68749331954088827172009-01-26T03:32:00.000+00:002009-01-26T03:32:00.000+00:00Charlie, I'd agree with you about it being problem...Charlie, I'd agree with you about it being problematic to mutualise the public sector at the moment. Indeed, I am more inclined to want public utilties state owned (including the retail banks which, as Larry Elliott says in today's Guardian, were more like public utilities back in The Bad Old 70s), with plenty of worker and consumer reps on their boards. After all, corporations which take over former publicly owned utilities and services do not want greater competition- just a chance to rake off mega-profits from the monopoly positions they hold.<BR/><BR/>In fact, 'Mutualise The Corporations' would be a much better slogan, along with 'Abolish Corporation Tax- And Abolish The Corporations'.Anglonoelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04419902987152111536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419301238810150113.post-71442595189676030062009-01-26T02:55:00.000+00:002009-01-26T02:55:00.000+00:00Noel, interesting post.Another admirable aspect of...Noel, interesting post.<BR/><BR/>Another admirable aspect of Swiss society: direct democracy, voting on which proposals become law, rather than always leaving it to politicians to decide. For those who would insist that referendums would lead us to Nazi Germany (seriously, people have used this argument!) should take a look at Switzerland. Only recently proposals aimed at making it harder for immigrants to become Swiss citizens was rejected.<BR/><BR/>Here in the UK, we have a cooperative movement of sorts - building societies, credit unions, and worker cooperatives. All will be thriving even in the recession - the banking crisis led to greater deposits in building societies, the credit crunch has meant greater usage of credit unions, and I expect that there will be an increase in worker co-ops as employees decide to take over enterprises rather than be made redundant.<BR/><BR/>Mutualisation is problematic when it occurs in the public sector, however. Workers in Scottish Water know that attempts to turn the utility into a mutual will be merely a step towards full privatisation - no surprises for guessing that the Tories and the CBI in Scotland are the ones arguing for mutualisation...Charlie Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12770820928636046622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419301238810150113.post-38540731358218499442009-01-25T01:47:00.000+00:002009-01-25T01:47:00.000+00:00I keep picturing the image you gave me the other d...I keep picturing the image you gave me the other day — that we've passed the tipping point and we're all Wile E Coyote who's walked off a cliff but doesn't realise it yet.<BR/><BR/>That Noel. A bundle of laffs! (Actually, I think it's brilliantly accurate.)Madam Miaowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10237951918529887305noreply@blogger.com