Local Parliaments

Over the past two years the Coronavirus crisis has given rise to a great deal of reflection on the spectacular ability of the corporate 'powers-that-be' to erode civil rights in democratic countries. A world-wide precedent has been set for: the tracking of people’s movements at all times; the suspension of freedom of assembly; the military policing of civilians; extrajudicial, indefinite detention; the banning of cash; dumbing down of the news media; censorship of the Internet; compulsory vaccination and other medical treatment; and the classification of all activities and destinations into the expressly permitted and the expressly forbidden. We have seen the closure of all theatres, places of worship, community centres, schools and colleges, accompanied by the replacement of journalism with false propaganda. These measures have established the state's sovereignty over our minds and bodies, creating a brave new dystopia.

In Village Democracy John Papworth (1921-2020) makes a powerful plea for local people of all walks of life, wherever they happen to be, to prepare the ground for local democracy so that they can effectively counter the dystopian forces presently at large in the world.

"This is the backdrop of our plea for village democracy, for assemblies consisting of local people who will devise their own means of taking local decisions on local matters. Any attempt to establish them will no doubt be strongly resisted by those in whose hands power is now held: it is resistance which will be deployed in a variety of ways. But first, what is it they will be resisting?

"These new forms of authority will need to be what are in effect new parliaments, local parliaments, peoples parliaments, nothing less. As a kick-off there is nothing at all to stop any group in any community setting up its own local assembly and distributing offices among themselves. In the nature of things at present much of such activity will seem unreal and involve an element of role-playing, but it would be role-playing with a difference.

"Such changes cannot be expected to be implemented overnight; ideas travel at their own pace, time is needed for them to gain acceptance and for people to establish local structures which can cope with the consequence of the breakdown of central authorities' functions. It was the authoritarian Fabians who coined the phrase 'the inevitability of gradualness' and some such element will surely be operative here. But let us not ignore that human affairs are in crisis and that crisis elements are likely to impel some major adjustments very swiftly indeed. A breakdown of food supplies, for example, will necessitate its own emergency measures as a matter of course. Any local governmental role-playing will have as its long term aim to assume for the village assembly real power to make decisions, with proper elections and other procedures that ensure the supremacy of local democracy. The role-playing would involve a powerful element of radical education as members sought to discharge their duties.

"It is not difficult to conceive an elected local education officer tackling the present school authorities on what is being taught and how money is being spent. Or on why there is so much emphasis on teaching computer skills but none on how to grow food. On why there is no instruction on the dangers of junk foods and why they are dangerous to good health. On the lack of instruction in hand skills such as carpentry, tailoring, leatherwork and so on.

"Another elected member for finance might be making it his/her business to question local banks about the quality of their services, their profit margins and their loan policies; he/she would also be to the forefront in promoting local credit schemes, local pensions and savings banks, and a local currency; whilst a Member for Positive Health would be campaigning local doctors to promote fresh, organic food, and sound dietary practice. The embryo assembly would be constantly concerned to educate by example as well as precept how a new order of local control of local power would operate and in what ways local power could be established and entrenched. Not least it would become a beacon of light and hope against a backdrop of ever deepening crisis, where the likelihood of a collapse of centralised controls is not just a remote possibility, but an event already beginning to unfold."

Like so many socially committed individuals over the course of the past century, John Papworth predicts total breakdowns in finance, food supplies and civil liberties. Like the Guild Socialists before him (See What Everybody Really Wants to Know About Money), he argues passionately for radical decentralisation of power as the only answer to the emerging crises in politics, trade, ecology, and international affairs. Over his lifetime, unnoticed and almost entirely unremarked, fundamental changes in local government have been steered through the same centralising forces (See February Blogs, e.g. The Bradford Revolution). The above paragraphs are full of highly quotable quotes that cry out for informed debate by ordinary people everywhere, especially those entrusted with the care of children.