Info, news & debate
Commons economy
The future of land ownership: interview with Oli Rodker of the Ecological Land Co-op and the Landworkers’ Alliance
This week we’re talking with Oli Rodker, founder director of the Ecological Land Co-operative and the Landworkers’ Alliance, about his work, and how we might change the nature of land ownership in the UK, where 0.06% of the population own 50% of rural land in England and Wales, according to the Country Land & Business …
Living together 4: how to turn a row of terraced houses into a housing co-op
This week we’re talking with Rick Watson, who has been a member of Fireside Housing Co-op in Sheffield since 2010. They’ve purchased and co-operativised 5 adjoining houses on a terraced street.
My mutual credit journey (and how you can join in the fun)
I often trawl the web just speculatively looking for new people or new ideas, clicking on links from interesting sites. TEDx talks are a favourite. A few years ago I came across an intriguing TEDx talk by Professor Jem Bendell called ‘the Money Myth’.
Living together 3: company limited by shares – Martin Prosser of Sunflower Cohousing
This article is the result of a discussion with Martin Prosser of Sunflower Cohousing in France. It’s the third in a series of articles about setting up alternative, co-operative living arrangements – cohousing, community land trusts, housing co-ops, intentional communities etc.
Taking the food sector from corporate supermarkets: interview with Maresa Bossano, co-ordinator of the UK Community-Supported Agriculture Network
This week we’re talking with Maresa Bossano, who is the co-ordinator for the Community-Supported Agriculture Network in the UK.
Co-operative smartphones are coming: Nithin Coca interviews the chair of KDIM Co-op
You can get yourself a co-operative phone and broadband provider – the Phone Co-op. But you can’t get a phone made by a co-operative – not in the UK, anyway. Nithin Coca reports from Indonesia on a co-operative in Jakarta producing low-end, cheap phones for their home market.
Living together 2: community land trust – interview with Monica King of Bridport Cohousing
This is the first in a series of interviews with people involved in setting up alternative, co-operative living arrangements – cohousing, community land trusts, housing co-ops, intentional communities etc. A group of us in London hope to gather information to help us start our own project.
Would you like to be a smallholder with the Ecological Land Co-op?
As we prepare our smallholder application process for our next sites in East Sussex, the Gower and Somerset (all going well with planning permission!) we would like to find out some more information about our potential smallholders.
Join the Land Justice Network national gathering on 18 August in Sheffield
The Land Justice Network national gathering is your chance to learn about their work campaigning for land reform and to together help plan next steps.
Living together 1: exploring the options for starting a cohousing project
My partner and I have decided that we want to sell our house and come together with other people to create some sort of cohousing / community living project. But how many other people? And where will it be? Will it be a new-build project, or will it involve converting or combining an existing propery …
‘Homegrown well-being’ and alternatives to corporate drug companies: interview with GP Simon Lennane
Another of our interviews, first posted on NonCorporate.org, with people working on providing alternatives to multinational corporations – this time in the health sector.
How the corporate banking system transfers wealth from the poor to the wealthy, without anyone noticing
Herman Daly has been one of my heroes since I read Steady State Economics as a young man. I’m re-posting a blog article of his, originally posted on the website of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE) in the US, because it’s a simple description of how it concentrates wealth …
What does the future look like for community energy? Interview with Jon Hallé of Sharenergy
On the NonCorporate blog, we’ll be interviewing people who are out there building a non-corporate economy on the ground right now. We’ll be finding out exactly what they’re doing, what they’ve achieved, what problems they face and what they’d like to see change – and we’ll be asking them how we might co-ordinate the non-corporate …
Announcing the launch of NonCorporate.org – how to move away from multinational corporations
We’re pleased to announce the launch of NonCorporate.org – our sister site, dedicated to helping people move away from multinational corporations (MNCs) for everything they need.
You’re invited to the Ecological Land Cooperative Summer Gathering
We hear from Lauren Simpson about plans for the Ecological Land Cooperative Summer Gathering & AGM taking place on 14th July on the beautiful Gower Peninsula.
Public debate on capitalism: what happened and what I learnt
You may remember that I was invited to take part in a public debate in London recently (see here) about whether capitalism is ‘the best system for a sustainable future’. I was asked to deliver the ‘no’ position.
The two roads to serfdom: how neoliberals misrepresent Hayek
I recently went to visit a friend in Germany by train, and as I packed my bag, I looked around for a book to throw in, to read on the way. The one I plumped for was the Road to Serfdom by Friedrich von Hayek, Mrs. Thatcher’s (and Ronald Reagan’s) guru.
Campaign launched to build a ‘new economy’ through a practical programme of workshops, mentoring, and live crowdfunding
We talk about making ‘communities stronger’ and creating a ‘fairer economy.’ But these approaches are still struggling to significantly impact our society and economy
Public debate featuring yours truly: is capitalism the best system for a sustainable future?
If you’re in London on April 18th, there’s a public debate you might be interested in, upstairs in a pub in Tooting. I’ve been asked to put the case against capitalism. There will be initial presentations, rebuttals, questions from the audience, and then a summing up.
Lords vs commoners: week of action for land rights, April 14-22
Land ownership in Britain is one of the most unequal in the world. This is a call out to groups and individuals all over the country who think the time has come for us to have more control of our land.