Solidarity and mutual aid are key for a better future for all of us.

In this blog, I’ve stressed the importance of solidarity, not charity and working at the grassroots to build community wellbeing, provide work and housing and combat climate change through cooperation and mutual aid. These are some of the groups I’ve come across who are actively doing this work. They serve as an example of the positive change people can make in their communities. Here is a quote from The Solidarity Economy Coop which explains why a solidarity economy is necessary:

“Why do we need a solidarity economy?

Whether we understand it or not, the economy is present in all parts of our everyday lives. From the moment we wake up in the morning, we make economic decisions that affect not just us, but the world around us. How we feed and clothe ourselves, where we live, the work we do, and the things we buy all have an impact. As the threat of climate change looms, and we become more aware of how the things we produce and consume can harm people and the planet – from child labour and worker exploitation in the name of fast fashion to the growing amount of discarded plastic in our oceans – it’s clear that something major needs to change.

Whilst it’s positive to see more and more people taking personal action in the areas they care about – like ditching single-use plastic or cutting down on meat consumption – we believe that unless there is a genuine transformation of our entire economic system, it won’t be enough to combat the devastating effects of pursuing profit and growth at any cost.”

The Democracy Collaborative - building community wealth - https://democracycollaborative.org Cooperation Jackson - building a solidarity economy - https://cooperationjackson.org

Solidarity Economy - Growing a solidarity economy for the UK - https://www.solidarityeconomy.coop 

Streets Kitchen - solidarity not charity - https://www.streetskitchen.org

Community Action Groups Oxfordshire - 70 groups across Oxfordshire community lead climate change action - https:// cagoxfordshire.org.uk

Sustainable Hackney - support for local environmental organisations - https://sustainablehackney.org.uk/hackney-fixers 

Carbon Co-op - energy efficiency and tackling fuel poverty - https://carbon.co-op

The Food Works - empowering people to take care of each other - https://the food works.org/community/

Rootstock - investment society for housing coops and worker coops - http://www.rootstock.org.uk

Mutual Aid - setting up food coops across the UK - https://www.mutual-aid.uk

Union Towns - worker-led community powered organising - https://www.uniontowns.org/ 

Clean Slate for Worker Power - building a just economy and democracy - https://www.cleanslateworkerpower.org

Open Collective - building a just economy and democracy - https://opencollective.com

Kaths Place - foodbank in Deptford, London - @PlaceKaths (Twitter).

Platform 6 Coop - crowdsource in cooperative development - https://platform6.coop

Lets Change the Rules - building a more democratic and sustainable economy - https://letschangetherules.org

New Economy Coalition - network of organisations building a future where people, communities and ecosystems thrive - https://neweconomy.net

Incredible Edible - growing local food sustainably - https://www.incredibleedible.org.uk

The #Tories are flushing the UK down the toilet.

I haven't posted on here for a while partly because things are so dystopian and reading the news at the moment is hard work. The situation in the UK seems to deteriorate by the hour, and with the wars, in Ukraine and Yemen, it's pretty bleak elsewhere. Covid is still raging through the population and all protections have been dropped. The NHS is on its knees. I'm the only one in the village still wearing a mask. If it was just covid that would be bad enough but the cost of living crisis continues to damage the lives of millions.

Food banks are already running out of food, inflation hits 10.1%, and this is before two massive hikes in the energy price cap in October and January, which is expected to hit two-thirds (I suspect more) of the UK population. Bills could be as high as £4666 in January. Next, we have the sewage scandal in England. Privatised water companies are being allowed to pump billions of gallons of raw sewage into our rivers and the sea. At peak holiday time many beaches on the South coast and Devon and Cornwall have alerts that tell people not to get in the sea.

Then of course there is the elephant in the room - the climate crisis. England and Wales have been hit by a drought and there are hosepipe bans in the South and Yorkshire. It's hardly rained here in the past few weeks. The water companies are losing billions of gallons of water due to leaks because of underinvestment in infrastructure whilst their executives get massive bonuses, and, as We Own It reported:

"The private companies that were supposed to bring in investment to our water sector instead took out £72 billion in profits and loaded up the water companies with over £50 billion in debt."

We also have the obscenity that is the Tory leadership campaign. While Boris Johnson holidays abroad and at chequers, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are trying to out-fascist each other to appeal to the 0.3% of the population who will pick the next PM. They gibber about crushing unions, cutting taxes, and growth, growth, growth - none of which are the answer to our current problems. See also this on proposed charter cities - it's important.

As I write this, RMT members are on strike today. Other unions representing transport staff, postal workers, and bin collectors are also on strike. The postal workers and college lecturers are set to join them soon and nurses may be balloted on industrial action. A new campaign - Enough is Enough - has been set up by the RMT, CWU, Acorn, and others with 5 demands:

1. A real pay rise
2. Slash energy bills
3. End food poverty
4. Decent homes for all
5. Tax the rich

I've read that over 400,000 people have signed up (including me) and I hope this initiative will lead to a political movement that can bring about some real change, given that Labour is still failing to offer effective opposition.

Forty years of neoliberalism including privatisation, deregulation, and lower taxes on the rich have led us to a point where our economy is heading for a collapse. I do hope that angry citizens will spray No. 10 with raw sewage but please wait until Truss is in residence!

I could write a lot more but I'll finish with this. Richard Murphy has come up with proposals to get us out of the crisis we are in and I recommend you read them.