For a long time I've wondered about green politics - whether the view that socialism is a luxury, the real priority is to sort out the environment - is correct. I tend as I get older towards a dystopian view of the future - so I lean towards the view that environmental politics are the most important issue.
Of course there shouldn't really be a conflict between them - environmentalism ought to be socialist, about sharing resources.
Having "the rich boys" staying has had an impact on my thinking - together with a post I saw the other day on Facebook. What one sees with the boys in microcosm is the fact that if you give people the opportunity to take more than their fair share - they will. So, for years the West has been helping itself from the communal plate, and leaving less behind for the rest of the family. This is a result of a capitalist system that has enabled people to take more - and offers no protection to others (I mean people who live outside the wealthy nations). Now, the cleverer outsiders have taken us on, and will beat us at our own game - we will be left with the scraps - fair enough, it's our turn I suppose. But the real problem for the environment is capitalism - a system that does not believe in sharing resources - so perhaps capitalism needs to be re-shaped, re-constructed (I cannot believe it can be destroyed, although that might be desirable) and put under democratic control so that the environment can be protected.
This only leaves the problem of trying to get the genie back into the bottle. "I can't believe a great huge powerful capitalist system like you once lived under restraint and regulation. How on earth could you do that?"
"Ha!" laughs capitalism, scornfully - "watch and learn miserable mortal!"
And capitalism goes back under regulation and as soon as it gets there we stick down ever more legislation to stop it menacing people and behaving unjustly... dream on!
Of course there shouldn't really be a conflict between them - environmentalism ought to be socialist, about sharing resources.
Having "the rich boys" staying has had an impact on my thinking - together with a post I saw the other day on Facebook. What one sees with the boys in microcosm is the fact that if you give people the opportunity to take more than their fair share - they will. So, for years the West has been helping itself from the communal plate, and leaving less behind for the rest of the family. This is a result of a capitalist system that has enabled people to take more - and offers no protection to others (I mean people who live outside the wealthy nations). Now, the cleverer outsiders have taken us on, and will beat us at our own game - we will be left with the scraps - fair enough, it's our turn I suppose. But the real problem for the environment is capitalism - a system that does not believe in sharing resources - so perhaps capitalism needs to be re-shaped, re-constructed (I cannot believe it can be destroyed, although that might be desirable) and put under democratic control so that the environment can be protected.
This only leaves the problem of trying to get the genie back into the bottle. "I can't believe a great huge powerful capitalist system like you once lived under restraint and regulation. How on earth could you do that?"
"Ha!" laughs capitalism, scornfully - "watch and learn miserable mortal!"
And capitalism goes back under regulation and as soon as it gets there we stick down ever more legislation to stop it menacing people and behaving unjustly... dream on!
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