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VISIONS AND VALUES

"Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful" - Paulo Freire


OVERVIEW?

All radical politics is about values.

This Site reflects the constant evolution of ideas around Devolve! from its modest beginnings as a Midlands regional movement, through to a much broader concept of devolution (the four tenets), on to a recognition of human groups as dynamic 'beings' in which individuals play complementary roles (organic democracy), forward to an understanding that empowered Civil Society (networks of all social groups) could be stronger, more rewarding, less destructive of the environment, than either the State or the Market.

[N.B. Entries on many Pages reflect different stages of our evolving ideas.]

Throughout this development we had assumed a titanic yet ongoing struggle between positive/co-operative and negative/antagonistic values within the flow of history.

The Futures Project (below) attempts to come to terms with a growing understanding (shared by others) that a human dominated ecosystem may hit the buffers this century.

In addition to the concerns of many others: "Can 'we' turn it round?"; "How many humans will be left?"; "What will be their quality of life?"; "What prospects for other life forms?" ...we have two further questions in mind: "How can human-scaled structures (peoples, tribes, bonded groups) best survive?" and "Which values (memes) will come through to inherit the post-transition World?".

Despite our claim of an 'integrated' approach we have not yet fully integrated ongoing 'timeless' values struggle (see Vision and Strategies below) with a strategic response taking in all aspects of these transitional times. Could this be where you come in? The Futures Project (below) takes the form of an invitation to participate.

 

Devolve! Futures Project - responding to the crunch

This Project has been launched to confront all aspects of the most urgent issues facing us in the coming decades. Predictions for this century and beyond range between the most extreme poles of pessimism and optimism. The aim of the Futures Project is to reject both these extremes in favour of a (hopefully) more realistic set of assessments and strategies.

We start from the premise that our future may best be faced within the potentials of devolved networks of co-operation, developed within Civil Society.

Due to the inevitably wide ranging nature of this project a number of 'Aspect Groups' are being encouraged to investigate particular areas of concern within the wider project. Working briefs for the first six (only) are given below:

  1. The Communications and Resources group, aiming to support all aspects of the project. This group will seek out and supply to other groups information from many sources and will also communicate outwards any reports or proposals issued by those groups.

  2. Re-connection with the land as our foundation - both in our intellectual/emotional approach to life and, to whatever extent possible, in practice.

  3. Challenging modern individual isolation with the tools of small-scale community organisation and mutual support - leading on to efforts to achieve local empowerment.

  4. Developing alternative economies of sharing and exchange - and the structures that best enable these.

  5. Supporting and encouraging cultural and group cohesion: from the levels of traditional peoples/nations to distinctive provinces/sub-cultures right through to bonded groups, whether historical or intentional.

  6. Envisioning contingency plans/structures to cope with any early stages of social dislocation - including mapping a contingency gography and outlining confederate decision-making chains.

SPECIAL NOTE. Our consensus at present is not to publish to Web the Futures Project documents. This is partly because many may find even thinking about the deeper issues facing us confusing and/or distressing ... and partly to require potential respondents to be active participants from the start, rather than consumers of information.

To request Futures Project documents use the contacts given on our Getting Involved Page.

Ongoing Values Struggle - "power to the people"

We believe that there are four dimensions to meaningful devolution: territorial, democratic, cultural and economic devolution.

As a result of recent thinking in the various working groups and other projects around Devolve! - from very local democracy to space geography, from tools for new collaborative economics to the pluralist politics of confederations, from a recognition of human types to a new emphasis on civil society - a more inclusive vision and strategy is being developed.

THE VISION

°    All those in a geographic area, regardless of their interests/values. e.g. a residents association.

°°  Based on shared values or interests. e.g. a craft association. Sometimes no specific location.

THE EIGHT STRATEGIES

  1. Recognising and supporting the aspirations and visions of existing movements for full territorial devolution (based on history, distinctive culture and identity) as cultural or 'Homeland' projects aimed at winning hearts and minds but not yet as practical politics: until the democratisation of society outlined below is substantially advanced.

  2. Opposing any additional tiers of bureaucratic government decreed or dispensed from above. Also opposing directly elected 'regional' assemblies as undermining both empowered local governance and the pluralist principle that power and responsibility should always be built from below.

  3. Making re-invented local government the starting point of future devolution. (See Very Local Democracy Page.)

  4. Local government re-connected to the people. How? Through our own micro organisations (residents, traders, faith groups etc) confederating into structures of Very Local Democracy [VLD] capable of holding elected councillors continuously to account, and of making responsible partnership with them for very local and local governance.
  5. Supporting moves to make the most senior officers in local authorities both accountable to elected members (no more delegated powers) and removable by democratic decision ... while recognising the dedicated contribution of most officers and employees to implementing the policies of their councils.

  6. Further developing the new economic tools now becoming available to empower local communities and partnerships and also to overcome the catch 22 of local authority economics.

  7. Supporting all efforts and campaigns to draw down specific powers from Westminster to local level. This process is essential to reverse 150 years of centralisation that has stripped the cities, towns and districts of England of the means to solve their problems.

  8. Encouraging and supporting confederations of local authorities as they evolve into Functional Sub Regions (whether focused on counties or conurbations) capable of effective administration within their areas and also of mobilising support against central dictates where appropriate - for example, airports we can learn to live without and green belt/flood plain housing developments.

 

Other Pages in this Site develop and explore these themes.