Introductory
words by Eduard
In order of the three topics:
the intended focus of material among the three
topics will be divided along the lines whether the material
- exposes and provides examples of the form of
Trojan Horses used by the corporatists to expropriate
(privatize) publicly held assets into private ownership,
(frequently at little or no cost to the new owners). (See Corporatism
- Usurping Democracy)
- provides a model by which citizens are able
to resist or challenge the privatization of public assets,
(See Reigning
in the Corporations) and
- provides examples by which individuals and
communities are empowered to build and multiply sustainable
community values to the full benefit of the wider commons
inclusive of Planet Earth. In short examples of
"thinking global, acting local"! (See "To
Know:" Fostering & Multiplying Community)
Examples of corporate-friendly
citizen-unfriendly Trojan Horses would be organisations like the
WTO (World Trade Organization) and IMF (International Monetary
Fund), who together with their Canadian hand-maidens, our
Conservative and Liberal governments, (and the up and hopeful
Greens under Jim Harris' leadership) advance through stealth and
the back-door means to i) "de-regulate" the commons and
ii) "re-regulate" Canada as private, for profit and
under corporate control. Specific methods of privatization
include iii) P3's (Public-Private-Partnerships), iv) government
downsizing, v) outsourcing, and vi) economic and vii) security
harmonisation, sometimes called viii) deep integration with the
US.
Mulroney, Chretien, Martin and Harper's
advancements of "free trade" rules" all include the
double standard that privatization of public assets is allowable,
while the nationalization of private assets into publicly held
assets is expressly forbidden. Under these rules, when the
former high seas were under the control of pirates, it would be
against the trade rules to bring the high seas under international
control and access!
Lastly, among the means of privatization listed
above, there are no easy demarcations between one nor the
other. For example, by way of metaphor, what are the
differences among pork-barrelling, Trudeau & Mulroney's
patronage and the sponsorship scandal? Or are they but
political attempts to draw differences (where none exist) in order
to try and criticize one without drawing attention to Tommy
Douglas' axiom that if we are mice, why would we continue to
change blue cats with red cats and then back to blue cats as our
leaders?
In the same way, different euphemisms are
advanced when either the liberals or conservatives, together with
their corporate taskmasters wish, through double talk, advance the
privatization of public assets without drawing attention to what
they are doing.
Perhaps Benito Mussolini's words say it
best. "Fascism should more properly be called
corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate
power."
Back to top
|