Monday 18 October 2010

Co-operatives Index

1. Thinking Outside The Box, argues that there is an alternative to Reformism and to the Maximalism and Economism of the “Leninists”. Thatcher's strategy was to make a strategic attack on Labour via the Trades Unions. Workers have to make a strategic attack on Capital, by developing their own Co-operative property, democracy and state.

2. Marx and Socialist Construction, argues that Marx's view of how to develop Socialism from the bottom up has nothing in common with the top down statist conceptions of the reformists and Leninists.

3. Communities In Control, looks at the basis of the White Paper, and argues that the development of Co-operative Communities with a direct participatory democracy, contains within it the logic of workers creating their own democratic and state forms as an alternative to bourgeois democracy and its State.

4. How Long Will We Have To Put Up With This, examines the revelations about the poor standards of healthcare provided by the NHS, and argues that there is an alternative to both pleas to the bosses state to remedy them, and to telling workers that only the revolution provides the answer.

5. Financial Crisis And The Marxist Response, examines the role Co-op Finance can play in providing an alternative to Money Capital.

6. The Insanity Of Capitalism, looks at the attitude of the Populist Right to housing for the poor. In answer to the stories about people receiving large amounts of Housing Benefit to live in expensive London houses – because capitalism has failed to produce sufficient social housing - it argues that the labour movement should press forward with Co-operative Housing to provide workers with housing and jobs.

7. The Chance Of A Lifetime, examines the message of the post-war film of that name.

8. Porn Free, looks at how Co-operatives are already being set up spontaneously in important sectors of the economy, and the role that the Internet and new technology can play in facilitating such development.

9. Nationalisation, Workers Control, And Workers Ownership, examines why Marx opposed calls for the first two, and saw the solution in the last, through the establishment of Worker Owned Co-ops, and Workers Self-Government.

10. The Alienation Of Labour, argues that alienation is not simply a result of the alienation of Surplus Value from the Worker, but is ultimately due to the alienation of Man from Man.

11. How The local State Deals With Workers Housing Needs, is a brief look at the reality of Council Housing.

12. Walmart, Capitalism And Child labour, looks at the opportunities for the Labour Movement arising from the Development of Capitalism in India.

13. Oil On Troubled Waters, examines the economics and politics behind the LOR dispute, and why only a political solution can provide a way forward.

14. Can Co-operatives Work Part 1, 2, 3, and 4, sets out to debunk the myths about Worker Co-ops, by examining what Marx, Engels, Lenin and other Marxists actually had to say.

15. Co-op Facts, is a summary of some of the data relating to the significant economic role that Co-ops have in all parts of the world.

16. The International Co-operative Alliance Open letter To The G20, shows how Financial Co-ops provided an alternative to the chaos caused by Financial Capitalism.

17. The Economics Of Co-operation Part 1, 2, and 3, provides the economic case for Worker Owned Co-operatives.

18. Pirates At Bay, asks about the implications of Internet File Sharing.

19. For A Vestas Co-op, argues that more militancy and demands for the workers to be exploited by the bosses state offered no solution. A Political solution based on workers ownership of their means of production was needed.

20. The Left And Vestas, examines the positions and demands adopted by the left in relation to the Vestas dispute, and argues that they were all totally inadequate.

21. Beware Of Greeks Bearing Gifts, argues that workers should not support bureaucratic solutions such as High Pay Commissions. Workers can only exercise control over the pay of bosses when they own the means of production, and themselves employ the bosses.

22. Us Healthcare, The NHS and The Left, argues that the model for healthcare reform in the US should not be the bureaucratic, inefficient and poor quality NHS, or any other model based on State Capitalism, but should be one based on Workers Co-operatives.

23. Healthy Debate, looks at what is wrong with the NHS, and with the Left's support for State capitalism.

24. Cut And Run, looks at why the Capitalists set up the Welfare State, why it is inadequate, and why Marxists should fight for an alternative.

25. Marx And The Post Office, shows why struggles such as that over Post Office privatisation, will have to be fought over and over again, unless workers break out of pure industrial struggle, and fight for a political solution based on them owning their own means of production.

26. Red Tories, examines their apparent conversion to the idea of Co-operatives, and concludes it is nothing new. Nor is it anything to do with the Marxist conception of developing Worker Owned Co-ops.

27. Too Much Pupil Power, examines stories about schools under the control of students! It argues that schools should be under the ownership and control of teachers, Parents and students.

28. The Plebs, looks at the history of the Plebs League, and the lessons it has for building an independent working-class education system, under workers ownership and control as an alternative to State Capitalist Education.

29. Pandering To Backwardness, argues that to change workers consciousness it is necessary to stop accommodating to backwardness, and to change the material conditions which shape it.

30. In Need Of A Stern Education, examines the attitude of Marx to State Education, and his call for an alternative.

31. A Stern Education, follows up the previous post.

32. Core vote, examines some of the ideas that shape the Left's strategy, and argues for an alternative.

33. Change Or Just Short Changed, asks why if the Liberal-Tories believe in the right to recall MP's, shouldn't workers have the right to recall and replace the bosses?

34. A Greek Tragedy, examines why the Greek Strikes are going nowhere.

35. Feeling The Pain, argues that Greece is just an emblem for Western Europe, and more militancy can provide no soluiton.

36. The Home Guard 70 Years On, looks at what it meant in terms of the idea of a workers militia, workers self-government, and the role of Marxists like Tom Wintringham.

37. Liberal-Tories Continue To Undermine the economy, examines the decision of the government not to continue support for the Computer Games industry. It argues that rather than relying on the State, workers in this important and dynamic area should set up Worker Owned Co-ops to combine their efforts, and get the support of the Co-operative and labour Movement.

38. Big Society, Big Con, argues that rather than promoting a bottom up radical re-organisation of production and society, the Tories Big Society is the same top down control that simply seeks to cover its Cuts programme, and to determine which groups of volunteers will be allowed to provide necessary services on the cheap.

39. Mondragon Co-op Increases Employment 400% in 20 Years, examines the success of the Spanish Co-operative Federation, and its move into high technology areas.

40. Lusty ladies, is a copy of a report from the Bay Area Co-operatives about a Lap dancing club that has been taken over by its workers.

41. Super man, is about the recent Conference of Worker Co-operatives that took place in Berkeley, and where the tie up between the US's biggest Union the United Steel Workers and the Mondragon Co-ops, to establish worker co-ops across North America was announced.

42. Fighting The Cuts, is a report of a contemporary meeting on the subject, and why workers need a political solution based around developing worker owned property.

43. The lessons Of UCS Part 3, argues that although, UCS partly succeeded in sectional terms, it failed in class terms. Only had workers moved from occupation and workers control to actual workers ownership, could it have provided a long term solution that would have given an important lesson for the class.

44. Why Won't The Unions Fight For Control Of Our Pensions, looks at the role of the Banks and finance houses in ripping off workers pension funds, and how they use it to extend their own control over Capital. It argues that workers control over their funds would be a powerful tool in establishing worker owned property. The TU leaders will not fight for it, because their own position depends on a continuation of Capital.

45. Worker Co-operatives And Pensions, asks why workers pensions are so poor in the UK compared with the workers pensions at the Mondragon Co-op.

46. Sham Rocked, looks at the further bailout of Allied Irish bank by the Irish State, and puts forward alternatives based on workers ownership of the bank.

47. Pensions – How dare They?, examines the Hutton Report into Public Sector pensions in the light of the revelations about how workers pension funds are being ripped off by the City to the tune of two-thirds of the deposits!

48. All In This Together examines the massive pay rises received by bosses, and examines what Marx had to say about why Co-operatives showed that bosses were not needed.


49. The Importance Of Generalisation looks at how ideas become accepted the more their existence in material reality is generalised.

50. Cameron's Speech On Public Services, looks at how the Left's attitude to the State has changed since the 1970's, and how it has been led into this situation, as a result of its opposition to the establishment of Co-ops and reliance upon industrial and electoral reformism, at a time when the working-class has been in a weak position to win such struggles.

51. Why The NHS Cannot Protect Our Health looks at why the Capitalist State developed the Welfare State as a means of heading off Co-operative, independent, worker-owned provision, and why that means it will never adequately provide for workers needs. It shows how current changes in the NHS provide an opening for workers to put forward their own alternative to privatisation.

52. Workers Power manifests Its Superiority One Again looks at the continued outperformance of worker owned firms against private Capital, even during the dowturn.

53. State Capitalist Attacks Its Workers Pensions Again looks at the real reason the Capitalist State cannot provide decent pensions for workers, and why they are so bad compared to the pensions provided by workers themselves through the Mondragon Co-ops.

54. Enterprise Zones, examines the previous history of this Tory Policy. It argues that if Labour Councils are to pursue them, they should work with the Co-op Movement to ensure that Worker Owned Co-ops are given preference in setting up on them.

55. Lessons For Labour examines the lessons of the May elections, and argues that Labour should reinforce its alliance with the Co-op Movement.

56. The Street That Cut Everything shows that the BBC Programme of that name distorted the facts about how workers could provide independently for their needs without reliance on Capitalists or their State.

57. AWL Up To Their Misrepresentation Again examines the way the AWL misrepresent Marx and Engels views on Co-operatives, the State, and reformism.

58. Capitalism And Care looks at the failure of both private and state capitalism to provide workers with adequate social care, and argues it is rooted within the concept of alienated labour. The answer lies in worker owned and controlled provision.

59. The AWL's Idiot Reformism looks at the AWL's idiotic response to the Southern Cross Care Home scandal, in which they call on Cameron's Government to nationalise Care under Workers Control. It agrees with Trotsky that such Control can only arise in a situation of Dual Power in society. In the meantime, it can only be achieved by Workers Ownership via Co-ops.

60. Why I Don't Oppose Grayling's New Private University argues that the Left's advocacy of State capitalist Education as an alternative to private capitalist provision is at odds to Marx's position. Marxists do not advocate either private or State Capitalist control and provision of Education, but independent workers education.

61. Set Up Workers Defence Squads To Defend Our Communities, argues that it was the spontaneous, independent action of workers in their communities to act co-operatively in setting up defence squads during the riots, which had provided protection when the Capitalist State could not.

62. Stand Up Say It Loud, I'm Working Class And I'm Proud argues that we could learn something from the Black Power Movement in the US, in proclaiming that we are proud to be working class, and that we are able to stand on our own feet to provide our own colelctive, co-operative solutions rather than being dependent upon the Capitalists and their State.