2014-07-18
Arthur Rosenwald
We see ourselves as a movement towards a better world, but 80% of Australians see us as an extremist single-issue party. Most people, including some of our own, are afraid to move away from the “steady as she goes, don't rock the boat” approach. By contrast, most Greens are convinced that changes to our way of life need to be made, but hope that we can achieve them by holding the balance in the Senate, putting pressure on the ruling government.
I don't agree: we cannot be satisfied with our efforts until we actually get into government in our own right. Along the way we need to convince the electorate that major systemic and attitudinal changes are necessary. Real and effective measures to combat global warming and achieve economic and social justice will not happen unless we can curtail or control the power of large corporations and banks, which profit from the status quo. Many of us will agree that the run-amok capitalist system, with its emphasis on economic growth and private wealth, is the root of much of the misery in the world; that it controls most governments, including ours.
We know the world is running out of resources, water, clean air and food. And the number of people is still growing. Too many have neither a house nor sufficient food. What should that mean for us? We happen to be part of the “rich” 20% or so, with plenty to eat and all our luxuries. We use some 80% of the world's total resources. We know in our hearts that we have to share these resources, and create less greenhouse waste to stop global warming.
I believe that The Greens are, at present, the only worldwide party in a position to find another way to do things; a way which does not destroy nature and is not based on greed. A way which shares the world's resources among all its inhabitants.
How do we get there? Personal effort: “Change the world, start with yourself” becomes more true and possible by the day. Most of us are already doing things — riding our bicycles, growing trees, conserving and recycling waste. And we can vote with our feet. The BDS (boycott, divest and sanctions) campaign is growing around the world. If we agree that the big banks and other corporations are the targets, it's simple to shop at the corner store rather than the big supers and put our money into community banks. The Greens have a policy of supporting small business. We can all participate in this and make them the core of our economy, rather than let multinationals control it.
Party effort
We must show a different direction to a world where love rules rather than money — and we need to show people concrete ways of doing it. This means designing and building an entire economic system which runs on fairness, small business and co-operation.
I would like us to think about starting a number of projects, or businesses, both non-profit and for-profit, possibly along co-operative principles. The projects would include training. A kind of “Green Army” direct action plan outside of government. They would be organised by Greens member volunteers with expertise and/or spare time, and financed by donations and crowd-funding.
The workforce can be anyone willing to work and get work experience and training, including seniors, the unemployed and the asylum seekers who are allowed to do voluntary work. The projects themselves would be aimed at helping society — eg, house maintenance, gardening, social help, house-keeping, child minding, bus and taxi services. More ambitious programs would be actual sustainable projects in the form of house building, energy production, manufacturing, repair businesses, food growing. We have an excellent publication called “Regional Resilience: Food security and the future of regional WA”, and I propose that we get some or all of these projects going right now.
There is no reason, for example, why farmers markets and food hubs cannot be set up with our assistance. Product labelling could be started by us for goods sold at independent shops. We could help build an oil mallee power plant. What about crowd-funding a solar-powered desalination plant?
All these things are good, but we must not lose sight of the big picture: telling people why and how a Green government would do things differently and how we would pay for it. In doing that we have to keep an open mind, be prepared to consider other alternatives, and adjust our own, often fixed, ideas.
Arthur Rosenwald is Pearce-Hasluck member since 2013. Arthur would love readers to contact him with responses to this article: artrosen@iinet.net.au
Image: Arthur and Trudy at a demonstration for asylum seekers on February 14.