Smelws LOWER SHAW FARM Autumn/Winter programme of weekends: 5 — 7 Oct: Rough'Woodwork — Creative Carpentry. 19 ~ 21 Oct: 34 Cowley Road, Oxford — - Walking Weekend. 7 9 Dec: Peace OX4iHZ — Tel: 0865-245301 Weekend. 4 6 Jan: Winter Cele— bration. £25 with concessions available. Wholefood meals. Send //M s.a.e to Lower Shaw Farm, Shaw, GREEN LINE is part of the \\\\\\ii‘l near Swindon, Wilts; or tel. international green movement. EWDEHOUSING CO—OP would like 0793 771080. It reflects the concerns of the to hear from people interested in alternative consensus which is living and working together in a COMMUNES NETWORK magazine is 'rejecting most of the norms of éhi rural setting near Oxford. All produced by and for people — capitalist industrial society ages welcome. For more informa— involved — or just interested as well as the established tion please write to us c/o in living and working collectively. 10 issues, 50p for 1, ideologies of right, left and Ferry House, Meadow Lane, Oxford Costs £5 per ‘ centre. The greens are far from OX4 4BJ or telephone 0865 249168: For further information send SAE exclusive: greenness is a per- to: Communes Network, c/o Some RESIDENTS WANTED for performing spective rather than an ideology. People in Leicester, 89 Evington arts/crafts community; goats, Anarchists, socialists, pagans, Road, Leicester LE2 10H.

- poultry, large garden near Christians, feminists, gays, Swindon. Excellent environment RECON NEWSLETTER, contact magazine punks, hippies, vegans and so ‘ and fellow “wk.“ for children. vegetarian, non- for Buddhist ecologists on all rub shoulders. . travellers. Two 1st class stamps il- smoking peace activists preferred. Contact Groundwell Farm, Swindon, to 45 Parsonage Road, Stockport Thanks , Richard! Wilts; phone (0793) 721111. SK4 4JW} PAMPIfiET: describes what the IN DOWNTOWN Gloucester, Greens are Green Line has benefitted for green rare. Frustrated, alone (adult— . objectives of an autonomous 2% years from the considerable group might be, and suggests how wise) green carpenter needing artistic talents of Richard Pro but no. .0 an Eco—branch might evolve gently contact. tt. It is difficult to 'over- into a green group. 19 pages. intellectual. Likes friendship, the state his contribution to Price: just 2 x 2nd class stamps. rapping, sounds, fayres, gather— magazine, particularly the Prom Mark.Kinzley, 7 Gaysham Ave., imfi. HEME,cm1mymmjmhfi covers he has designed for all t. Road, Gloucester. \\ .. Gants Hill, Ilford, Essex IG2 6TH. David, 9 Blenheim the issues to date. But with . . . 'Green Anarchist' making more R -‘.-_\\\w;-_-.u Predatory man is destroying he has tot demands on his time, the world and himself! A vegan make a Choice - and leave us.’ Britain could sasllyfeed itself and So our style will change to a and have plenty of land for wild- degree. And we'd like to hear from anyone within striking life. recreation, trees and other the distance of Oxford who would like ‘energy- crops’ which obviate to help on Green Line: typing, need for nuclear pov'ver. editing - drawing, pasting up, A vegan diet is healthy, cheap. you.name it, we need it. A few attractive and convenient when hours a month would make all . the ‘ you know how. Send 20p for difference. \i l . full information to:

.1 r- _ . Vegan Society lGLl, \-. w" .1. Deadlines ‘ 47. Highlands Road. '

.t l-I' Leatherhead, November 1. All \ Next issue out .. ..i. Surrey. K22 8N0 articles in by October 6, news ‘ “ .... 13 please. h.‘ and shorts by October -.'-'--M\.u-.. a. -Iflv-..‘. Subscriptions ‘IN OTHER worms E" BOOKSHOP Tel:663889 .A year's GL (10 issues) costs £4 ' Open: Monday to Saturday 9.30 to 5.30 Overseas.rate £4.50. g u? Widest West of Bristol \ when range0 books on politics. feminism, ecology a. .... nuclear issues, therapy. health 8: healing, Bulk Orders 3-373" -?-?*-.i.\.\\_~)t. Line ~ adverts! gay liberation, fiction & poetry. 5 cepies of an issue for £1.25 Beautiful cards for all occasions & badges post free. 10 or more copies to postcards Green CHILDREN’S BOOKROOM. only_20p each. Standing orders CENTRE. S—or—R for special INFORMATION on request. BROWSE Trade terms too. COFFEE 8. MUSIC WHILE YOU events only.' BOOKSTALLS CAN BE TAKEN TO Mention replying MEETINGS, CONFERENCES, FAIRS IN IDEDKDN'& CCHWNVMALL Back Issues 38 Mannamead Road. Motley, Plymouth. SIX ASSORTED for the special Nail order -.a speciality! price of £1.50 post free. PageZ Four articles from.different directions finding

_ — _ m _ fl _

similar answers _

w ”IHIHHu't m _ _

_ m — _ m — _ _ —

.— _ _ — _ — _ —

CHANGE ‘1.-—-_."—:' THE SYSTEM I FOUND THIS very hard to write, but_have some very the electoral process. strong feelings and thoughts which I wanted to We, the people, don't need the state. It disempowers explore. I would like to stress that these are and divides us while maintaining those with economic only my personal feelings at the present time, and political power, and that power is derived from ’feelings that have been bounced around with other the competitive hierarchical view of the world. women and EEE' ‘Writing this has made me even.more wary of the isolating, one—sided nature of this For me, alternative politics is about your way of form of dialogue, but it did help somewhat in life — not party politics, which is a power game clarifying my thoughts. where people {usualLy.men) fight it out to have the For me, I feel there's a connection between veto over the direction of society. One can organise anarchism, feminism and the green movement, and politically without having to be a "party". It has that's in the way'we organise, whether it be to be a movement of and from the peeple, involving organising for effective political action or us in the process of empowerment. Energy needs to be organising our personal, domestic lives. Anyway, eroded and drained from the central bureaucracy, so the personal is political, isn't it? And for me, that decisions affecting the direction and quality. anarchism, that word and idea which conjures all of a person‘s life are made with their direct kinds of negative and fearful images, is liberating. involvement. This involves giving space to people to allow them to explore their own understanding of the It's the means and the ends argument. If we want world. It's an ecological process that understands to live in a world with a holistic, ecological the need for diversity and tolerance, through approach to our relationship with each other and and collective organising and decision— the natural environment, then surely the process of making. getting there should intimatehy refleCt that. Eberyone involved in working for social change is In a decentralised society with a federation of involved in different aspects of society, has come autonomous communities and tribes, there is no need from different social and political backgrounds for the tentacles of the state, and I don't feel withgdifferent ranges and depths of eXperience and of we‘ll get there unless the state and its power base education, formal and informal, but it's the way we withers away at the same time. relate to people in organising our daily lives that reflects what we are working towards. _I go by experience from a long time ago, but I do feel that delegated power corrupts. At the age of 9 I was put in a position of authority at school as It's the way we organise team leader, and stood in for the teacher while he'd gone out of the class. I took a point off a girl It seems we have to work out new'ways of organising for talking (as I was supposed to) which resulted in that will challenge the unquestioning belief in the her getting the cane.because at the end of the week necessity of the state and break its hold on our she had three minus points. She pleaded with me to hearts and minds, and for women to come into their forget that last point, but no, the rules had to be own. They should be the antithesis of hierarchical obeyed; and I felt even then how that position of methods because hierarchy and its intrinsic value power had separated me from the rest of the class in system is the very method that has put the world on some unconscious way. this road to disaster. And it’s the hierarchical, competitive system that supports the functions of the state which in turn perpetuates the hierarchical Delegated power corrupts system through the bureaucratic institutions of law, It deeply affected me, and I have never forgotten it. education, military and.government. That then gets I vowed at the time that Iwould never accept a legitimated every few years through the fallacy of prefectship if offered at the next school. When

page 3 that occasion arose I was even more unshaken in my divisions created through hierarchy are being broken belief and watched in horror as my friends, now down over common ground. Connections have now been prefects, were unthinkingly dishing out discipline made to the whole of the nuclear fuel cycle with and enforcing the arbitrary rules in order for them attention increasingly focussed on the British to obtain their sixth—form privileges and respectaL multinational RTZ and its illegal apartheid bility for university — something they had moaned supporting uranium mining activities in Namibia; to , about in_their earlier years. They had changed racism; to supporting miners"wives; making . through their complianee. For me, that model of connections with women in prison and others who have unquestioning obedience to hierarchical authority at 7 come against the arbitrary powers of the police, and school was the rehearsal for fitting in with the with the movement for a nuclear—free and independent demands of the state-and the maintenance of the. * '- Pacific. Who knows what will happen during the exploitative unjust society we live in. By not womens' action of September 20 — 30, but many more ' ' challenging it the model was reinforced. women will be empowered with that infectious, positive, We're at a very experimental, exploratory stage, liberating.energy. but I feel we must be aware of the links between Hewever, the personal change necessary for collective hierarchical structures and the role of the state processes to work ideally, comes slowly in practice in perpetuating and maintaining the divorce from our because we — men and women — have so much condition— spiritual and physical connection with the earth and ing to overcome. But that change is part of the the cosmos. Conforming to the hierarchical struc- process, and I do feel that if new structures for tures entails the deveIOpment of the ego. Women have organising our collective lives are going to come been less pressured than men-to develop their egos about, they have to deveIOp from the base of true because of the role this patriarchal state has collective decisionrmaking and cooperative working given them. Therefore women are more likely to practices.[] take the lead in working on the antidote and are Sigrid Shayer closer to it. If there was.a matriarchy before this era of patriarchy, then.maybe now is the time to develop a self—regulating balance between the sexes, which also involves looking at our sexuality and the develOpment of green feminist By working cooperatively/collectively, one's' relationship with the world and peeple changes, "P and with that comes a change in one's self. The urges to dominate, butt in and control have to be subdued. By really listening to others and helping them express their thoughts and feelings, everyone me is learning, and people regain their direct SOCIETY connection to decisions that affect their lives. One is working for the group rather than legitimising I LIKE the questing liveliness of Green Line, but. and strengthening one' s position in the pecking from whence comes its pronounced whiff of 19th order. ' 'century political polemic? Perhaps there is a failure to grasp something of On equal terms considerable importance to what it is seeking t0'do; We're all caught up in this chain of Oppressive a supposition that the mass society in which we now relationships and it does seem necessary, initially, ‘live is a moral entity subject to moral considera— to organise autonomously for a'while in the tions and responsive to moral postulates. groupings of sex, race and class that this society Since most Eco Party members and those, even those, has divided us into. Eventually then we can break who promote green groups, appear to suppose that this down the divisions and work together. By coming is the case, it thus becomes of considerable import— together separately each grouping is allowed the ance to define and promote what one believes is the space to express their ideas and feelings and correct moral approach. develop their skills and needs in a supportive, more_understanding and less oppressive environment. Shall it be , or anarchism, or , PeOple don't have that additional pressure of or liberalism, or not? Or what? Shall it be Overcoming that ingrained expectancy of the worth, Christian, Buddhist, Feminist, Vegan, Taoist, or role and skills of another group. what? One can go on and on, but once a stance is adOpted then all sorts of consequential matters We have to meet each other on egual terms before we become important. can truly work together effectively: otherwise the same old patterns of relating perpetuate themselves. Is the stance to be based on a hierarchical Organising Separately is far from being divisive, structure? Can such a structure in any case be it's a healing process — we're all working towards avoided? And since by definition all other stances the same ideal. can scarcely fail to be unorthodox, if not heretical, how can they be incorporated without the dangers of Greenham seems to demonstrate the power that can a split? How to preserve the crucible of the one come from creative autonomous organising and living. true faith in the fires of controversy and discord? ‘Support groups are spread throughout the country taking Greenham everywhere. Although the issue of And so we are back where we were, I mean where we Cruise and peace has been denbunced by some were more than a hundred years ago, worrying feminists as diversionary and middle class, it's ourselves about structures and barricades, about that Open collective discussion and decisionrmaking orthodoxy and heresy, about loyalty and betrayal, process among women, which is both anarchist and about the need_for a strong central voice and how feminist, that has enabled the links in the chain to combine it with the need for unambiguous local to Cruise to be increasingly exposed and acted upon. autonomy and so bn. All old stuff and Quite beside It has brought more and more different kinds of the point of our present predicament. women working and organising together, because.the For despite whatever we may assume, or whatever we may be encouraged or conditioned to assume, a mass__ 11the power of community in both politiéal and 1economic matters. entity."- H for profit Every community, of let us say a_mere 500 adults, needs to have its own community council elected by its members. Each council needs to regulate economic affairs within its area, run its own school, organise ots own finance centre for banking, insurance, pensions and so on, appoint its own police, run its own clinic and' other items of social furniture and so on. Where any single task is beyond its reSources, such _ Has running a secondary school, it will be free to ork in association with other local councils, i 91the noneexistant or 1. ways assuming that such a step involves no ' in neither casefifl a:-, surrender of its own dec131onrmak1ng prerogatives." ,_;{*The long and the- short of allthis is that the I’V'revolutionI towards peace, wholeness and decency is not up there at Westminster nor at the next Eco "Party Conference (and another spate of quite the most eminently immaculate resolutions), nor in the next Green Gathering, or in the next international c'pring vereeadi to m1nd, but since they are congress for peace, friendship and love all round; exceptions it may be more worthwhile to focus on it is quite simply here, for each one of us, on our the general drift. doorstep. When Jesus said, "Love thy neighbour," he surely ‘§§, be advanced? supposed each one of his hearers hadia neighbour,- -I want t .suggw. the langua e seemora11ty can It is noteworthy he did not say, ”Love thy fellow only be addressed with anyh‘“ :izen of the Roman Empire." This is a challenge moral social entities, as dist_fict fr adare not duck. 7.. entities. iThis item is already'too long, and I must reserve Moral entities by their nature are bound to be small. the question of how we go about restructuring the 1s that there are stark physical whole basis of our_life in society so that power unit of society i.n which realLy does emanate from the base and really does the member5e11 moralflme ure of their control the tep, to another occasion. and' relationships Here I would only observe that in the unprepitious observed, you cann, Gandhi wisely circumstances now confronting us we will get nowhere withoutecommunity, if we simply go to our neighbours and say, ”Let us We may thus define a community as: form a community." The shortest distance between two points is seldom a straight line, especially .A social unit in which the re1ationships personal where obstacles are apt to be mountainous, and the task of community building will require.far more tact, diplomacy, persistence and genuine human good will than has ever been displayed in the to-ings and fro—ings in the Chancelleries of the great mean is that such forces oan.only Operate w1th1 powers. E] John Papworth the constraints of the commun1ty s consensual moral judgement. the society there are no such constr II'i’i'E-Fnits_ for Simple reason that within the last century and a half the mass society has effectively destroyed community. That is what a mass society 1;, an without THE ent1ty BREAK YSTEM Let us be that only .an organically structured clear “ LIKE HOARI PROPHETS very much alone in the universe, 'Y= :al pressures, and __ __ ”7 Greens have preached the visiOn, the ideal of what a future ecological society could _be like, alternative enclaves have been constructed and blueprints proclaimed. The ideas are there, the thought is there, and in small—scale pockets the practice is __a1so there. What is missing is the means of social - — transformation or how any of this might come about’ and unpopular as IOn a meaningful scale. about the task of re To be realistic, this means how the power structures not ta ?1ng""" which govern our exploitative world can be broken, o provis1on ythe recognition of the necessary unity of destruc— of a monthly bowi of soup from a community stockpot tion and creation for change. This does not entail for the elderly and the indigent, desirable however a rigid revolutionary ideology to be adhered to and these may be. awaited; it means a tenuous theory of social change, of 'revolution', to give We need now tobreakupthe masssoc1ety before it I think necessarily direction, to be discarded, amended and.used only destroys us, and one way to do this is to reassert page society. But this belief is itself part of the problem, part-of the illusion, and stems from a limited critical perspective.

Firstly, we are not Simply trying to make a better world, but fighting actual death and Oppression now. Ahd secondly, we are fighting a System whose material base is also its means of social control, and there —. ‘— I“ ——.— — are those who will not allow that — system to be cast —— —_ * _ —_ aside. We have u— been sold a democratic con — * that'we' h —_ _— a — Can talk people round and a achieve substantive change —. —— — —- —_ by —— gaining support: but not only have —_ those above _ —. closed their ears to the arguments below, but by .— * —— — _ attempting liberal democratic — reforms we talk — u— — — .— ourselves _ back into the system which — is itself the .— _ I“ *lllllh _ problem. It is attempting to separate the cause and effect, when in modern they have become' * * ~ “- united to the M degree that the end i§_the means, and the only possible end is of everything.

' The walls must go I am not simply talking of revolution rather than reform, but of struggle for liberation now, since "mm only that can free us from the system, its masters and its inevitable consequences. Capitalism and the commodity system, both sides of the Iron where useful. We must look at how social control is Curtain, has the strangle-hold and provides the' maintained, who maintains it and in whose interest; barricade. A leviathan, it suCkS up everything and' and how it can be undermined and by whom. IMy spews out its own self—justifying double—speak ' ,suggestions are tentative, and if some of what I say ideology under the invisible controls of our seems unfair, my views result as much from rejection businessmen, our generals, our politicians, and of my own past opinions as from others'. other "defenders of the public interest". Its exploitative and dangerous nature is undeniable; it Let me first look at an existing green position. threatens.to destroy us all and our_world in'war or Roger Hallam wrote in a letter to Green Line (GL24): coo-crisis, every day it kills physically in the ”I'm sure I speak for many readers in saying that Third World and mentally in the slavery of our every side of the barricades is the wrong side." factories, and reduces life to the sedentary image I'm sure he does, but he also speaks of what he. consumption of the universal peep—show. To talk of would like the world to be like, and not of what it introducing any trulyGreen perspective in terms of is; he is re—stating the ecological ideal and liberation into this is simply to attempt the prescribing a course of action from it. His impossible: to make the prison self—sustainable. statement reflects much of what is inadequate in The walls themselves have to go, and their Green thought; the denial that there is an 'enemy‘ defenders. When we challenge them, the kid glove is and the refusal to initiate conflict, supported by replaced by the Water cannon and the pistol; though a strict Gandhian consistency of means and ends. ours may be a satin—padded cell, try to break_out It is a rejection of any class~based politics, of and they make_stark_your prison walls. the control over everyday lives and the powers that govern them and conflict with them. In practical terms, what activity results-from this'5 The pyramid of control perspective? The ecological ideal of a nonviolent. So by the very definition of liberation struggle and.harmonious world is taken, and any action _ there is an.enemy and a means of control. inconsistent with it is denied. Useful work is put Capitalism supports a pyramid of competing and into creating viable alternatives to existing meahS‘ hierarchical interests which now stretch from and structures, but this does not in itself threaten London to Johannesburg, from New Yonk to the slums the power structure: the state will wither away by of Rio (which is worth remembering for those who self—sufficiency alone,aas Gandhi desired. sympathise with SWAPQ or the ANC and yet condemn Similarly, Green ideas are communicated in a variety violenc_e on picket lines or in the City of London; of ways, although these often appear a long'way nonyiolence as another Western luxury). I exploit from public preoccupations._ But what these by_my consumption of offered.goods, but at the tOp activities amount to is a general waft of social of this pyramid are those who control, who make consciousness as if, with the good ground, ears. conscious decisions, who use their ”invisible would be Opened, the rough ground recdgnise the handsfl, and who will pay others to maintain error of its ways, and society evolve into a subservience. -They are ultimatehy ”the enemy" __ i harmonious ecological pasture. Evolution, not' since they will not deny their interests; and down revolution; co—operation, not conflict: that is the the pyramid lies a whole range of relative exploi— ideal and that is how to manifest it. Thus Greens tation which must be broken apart. The miners, for_ campaign to change peeple's minds in order to example, represent an exploited group with the change the system — somehow these newefound opinions choiCe (or.none)'of a.life's illnpaid labour or will evolve into a new—found reality. the'dole under the con of the work ethic; they ' should be supported for that alone, and recent that What lies at the heart of this is the belief 'wildcat actions give the best sign of individual without conflict, without violence, we can.make rejection and defiance.r But the exploited are now ourselves a better world. ‘We campaign to make _ not only the traditiOnal "workers", but all those incremental or profound change in the nature of our who are_"proletarianised" by the rule of the_two— page 6 questions.which the system cannot afford to have sided coin of the commodity system and wage labour. put. Why should I do their work today? Why should How then is control maintained within this I obey my teacher, my parent, my boss, my union structure? Capitalism has developed into a circular leader, my politician? The answer may simply be system where the ideology, the culture, the value— "To survive"; but this leads to the rejection system, has become the material reality and vice necessary for affirmative action. Paolo Freire has versa. The two complement and perpetuate one done pioneering literacy and cultural work in another in a cycle of material production and Brazil towards what he calls "conscientiZation"; reproduction. Thus the means of social control has the individual understanding,_defining and acting both a material and ideological angle — ideology upon their own world. -This is his pedagogical in the sense of defining life and its possibilities,1 cultural action for revelution; we too must what the situationists call the spectacle. By the continually question and subvert our culture and nature of the material system we must work to its assumptions. survive; through the pervasion of the "spectacular” This can be done by questioning in pesters, leaflets, there seems no other possibility, and perspective by speaking, and by juxtaposing the spectacle and what we "want”. So the ' this in effect becomes the unanswerable question so as to expose the system, through separation from our commodity control and the contradictions. But above all this and in our goals, becomes desires in material life can be done with drama — unavoidable, emotional and and the means of social both the material problem intellectual - with street theatre, "guerilla and so in one sense it is, control. ”That's life,” theatre” (anywhere may be a forum), and other forms of a world defined by but only within the confines of direct action. These questions may at times who profit from it, and any attempt to over— those seem rude or patronising, but they must be asked this must recognise both the material turn in order to see beyond the advertisement to the conditions and the spectacle which complements it. selling of images and the profit and control it engenders, beyond the "right to work" to the acceptance of slavery for survival, beyond parlia— energy mentary to the facade which shrouds the Angerinto ruler; and to move towards saving ourselves and the always be made to bring both ’Thé attempt must earth and making our own decisions. In any town, rejection of this system and positive action against a small group can do so much towards this. it, in ourselves and in those we meet, leading ultimately to struggle. To preach peace and nonviolence is to bring rejection but may also Not by their rules the end of the nonviolent road bring pacification; This provides one side of the coin, but the material amid an exploitative often seems to be passivity aspect remains; for many, to reject is to starve. can only be viewed within structure. Nonviolence The rejection must lead to positive action, to is the context of the necessary struggle; anger struggle, but always within the subject's control. necessary to bring forth the love we want, and it Direct action may take two forms: rebuilding our it is a question of channeling the anger, converting lives, and confronting the hostile power. Alter- - to energy the energy that can cause change. native ways of life and survival are already being NOnviolence may often be exactly what suits the created and must continue to grow; they can provide ruler. the necessary basis but remain within the capitalist context and rarely directly threaten it. So the groups conflict must be built and faced through direct Self-controlled action in existing struggle and the creation of the Ultimately what we lock for is autonomous struggle new. At present much of this remains at the by self-controlled groups with a critique of the symbolic level. During Reaganis visit, thousands power structure and its means of control; a rising went to Trafalgar Square to hear preachers, some of the subject where nothing remains outside itself sat down in front of an empty embassy, and a handful — where people make up their own minds beyond the went to Lancaster Heuse and vainly attempted to images and the defined possibilities. This comes affect the Summit. That Saturday there were the from praxis — critical thought leading to action — 250,000 or more people in London, all against and and this must be aroused in every struggle against Bomb, and I saw Reagan drive past smiling have outside control and from every street corner. The waving; the Summit was a success. We could miners' strike is a struggle against control of stepped them planning international death and work and the conditions of survival, a basic clash changed something directly; instead we asked them of interests which broadens with every conflict, nicely and played the numbers game under the control going beyond the slave-bound "right to work". of CND — "a successful, peaceful demonstration". Such conflicts should be supported as the threats action is undemocratic. It is to power and the rejection of material slavery they Some may say such — control are; it is from such conflicts that real change is anti—parliamentary; yet over our lives — is direct action. This action can born. be taken into all spheres of life, and individual action can grow. The Angry Brigade, whose strategy I don't endorse, wrote in a communique: To reject is to starve "To believe that our struggle could be restricted to the channels provided to us by the pigs, WAS on But how to achieve this praxis? Like LeniniSts THE GREATEST CO .” a picket—line, Greens often present a neatly packaged manifesto marked "policy and ideology" The law is their protector and no substantive which sits on the Shelf for the cenfused political change in the power structure may'come within its shOpper to consume. Possibly the ecological soft— limits. We have to step playing their game, by sell has its purpose, but in itself it is no more their rules, in every.part of our lives, or we than that; another ideal, another ideology. .To conform to their structure and play right into . subvert is to question; to continually pose those the1r_hands.[] Mike Hancock

page 7 A second fallacy is that we can always change II IIIIIIIIIIII something or somebody for the better by fighting or force. If we perceive something_as wrong, and try m ' B m . to resist it, we give it mental energy and it ’ in' ‘ mull I becomes even bigger in our lives.. Most of us do not E II InflI. ."I -- yet understand the laws governing the principles of I C I I I! creativity of thought. That is why we are creating dangerous imbalances. Those who do understand have consistently advdcated a non—judgemental, non— critical attitude — a way of looking at life that accepts what is, without resisting. Resistance leads to persistence. What'we accept, I_We have power to improve. Allied to this idea is the truth I IIIIIIIIIIIII WillIIIII that each person on the planet is doing the best they can in the moment, given their upbringing, III!II conditioning, culture and personal awareness. Arguing with someone' s beliefs is a waste of time ll"mull" lllllllllllllll”Ill and only causes conflict. All we can do is to say IIIIIll'lullltnlmmmm our truth, and if it is of'a high life—enhancing IIIIIII content it will make a greater difference. 'We canit change other peeple — we can only change ourselves.

IIIIIIIIIIIII . So.

I NOW TOTALLY ACCEPT EVERITHING AND EVERI SITUATION III IN MY LIFE. ALL STATEMENTS ARE EQUALLI TRUE. THE ARMS RACE has not occured in a vacuum. The present worldisituation stems from centuries of I NOW FOCUS ON THE BENEFITS OF LIVING IN'A PEACEFUL trends of thinking and behaviour. We humans are AND HARMONIOUS WORLD. only now beginning to realise how powerful we are — EVERYTHING I THINK, SAY AND DO MAKES A DIFFERENCE. our thoughts and words influence our deeds and the deeds of others in our own and future generations. I AM Now OPEN To HIGHER TRUTH. This is known in.Eastern. philos0phies as the law of Karma, and in the West as the law of cause and Governments conduct "defence" for us because we think effect — "as ye sow, so shall ye reap. " 'We have that we can be badly hurt and are powerless to defend generated the present dangers by believing, prepa— ourselves. we have such a fear of death that we pass gating and acting upon several serious fallacies. it on up the pyramid until our governments serve us I will outline a few and suggest to the reader some up with the ultimate death.maohine. 'The only way remedying thoughts which, if repeated and integrated_ , down is to take back our power, take bask our fear, into the conscious and unconscious mind, will serve and to look at the best fortified fallacy of the lot: to change the context of perception, and thereby the fallacy that death is inevitable. ultimately the experience of the physical world, for Some readers may find the suggestion that death is the better. 'not inevitable as outrageous - even heretical! The The first fallacy is that man can control nature. truth is, however, that we- chose to be here, we Wbmen.know that we can't so they don't try. All choose (consciously or often unconsciously) our peOples who live in harmony with the earth-know circumstances, we choose cur fate, and we choose how that the earth will feed, support and nourish us if and when to die. Death is not God with a big fly- we resPect the balance of life. Our Western culture swatter. Death is not a punishment. Death is not has since about 1500 AD concentrated en maiea the end. Death is merely a change of focus of dominated, yang, linear, analytical, reductionist existence that most of us have experienced and ways of thinking that have created great technologi— forgotten dozens of times, and that we can.have aay cal progress and, in parallel, .a serious loss of time we want. If we fear it, we give energy to it — contact with the yin qualities of intuition, we have given nuclear energy to it now — enough to receptiveness, feelings, love, and a holistic destroy all of us fourteen times over} Mass para— approach to our lives and prupose. (See Fritjof noia. I defy any reader to prove to me that he or Capra — ”The Turning Point". ) A new awareness is she will die (don't try too hard p1ease:— postéhumous growing that sees more interconnectedness in all awards are never quite the same, are they?!). ‘IIan phenomena and that is more responsive to natural alive right now, and I can prove that very simply. rhythms and planetary needs. Thoughts which help If we face up to death, and also face up to the real create this awareness.include: Opportunities of life, we do not need to give away our power to governments. When we take back that I NOW RESPECT ALL HWMANS EVERIWHERE AS MY FELLOW power and take responsibility for our own hopes and BROTHERS AND SISTERS. fears, we find we can work in love with new clarity, I NOW LOVE AND RESPECT THE BEAUTIFUL EARTH AND ALL purpose and effectiveness. ‘We can aSk our govern— HER PRODUCTS. ments to give us a peaceful, harmonious world without weapons, and they will. IT IS SAFE AND HEALING FOR ME TO FEEL AND MI EMOTIONS, RIGHT NOW, TODAY. EXPRESS I AM ALIVE NOW, SO MY LIFE URGE IS STRONGER THAN MY DEATH URGE. IF I CONTINUE STRENGTHENING MY LIFE I LOVE AND APPROVE OF MYSELF AT ALL TIMES. URGE, I WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE IN HEALTH AND (Do not expect these words to trip off the tongue IOUTHFULNESS AS LONG AS I LIKE. - with ease at first most of us have been I HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO CREATE HEAVEN ON EARTH WITH conditioned to believe the opposite! Reprogramming FRIENDS OF LIKEIMIND, AND I CHOOSE TO START RIGHT any computer, bio— or otherwise, takes.time and NOW, TODAI- E] commitment.) Tbny-Mellows

page 8

U‘ EEING GREEN The Politics of Ecology Explained Jonathon Porritt Foreword by Petra Kelly

In Seeing Green Jonathon Porritt, Seeing Green is the first book on Director of Friends of the Earth and a green politics in the UK and the leading member of the Ecology Party, foreword by Petra Kelly, leader of the outlines the nature and significance of Greens in West Germany, draws the the recent upsurge in green politics. In book firmly into the framework of the a personal, informative style he explains European-wide Ecology movement. why our industrial Way of life cannot be sustained for much longer and looks at With a refreshing combination of vision, many of the hidden costs -- economic, common sense and political realism, social, environmental and spiritual — Jonathon Porritt presents an alternative. that undermine our real standard of approach to our current problems which living. He shows that the problem goes far beyond conventional political cannot wait to be dealt with in the future solutions, and challenges all politicians to — the crisis is with us now. change their ways. It is a compelling case. And one that will make clear why Since the election of twenty—seven it is that the Green voice — in Europe, Green members to the West German America, all over the world — is parliament in 1983, the unique appeal increasingly making itself heard. and importance of green politics have been more widely realised.

272 pages, hardback £15.00 (0 631 13892 7) paperback £3.95 (0 631 13893 5) Publication on 11 October BASIL BLACKWEL'L 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 11F

page 9 I WAS THERE. . I WAS THERE. .

THE FIFTH national Green Gathering was held, not in This year there was some amplified music. A number the cosiness of a Somerset farm, but on.Ministry of of people complained abOut it, and the volume was Defence land — USAF MoleSworth in Cambridgeshire. gladly turned down. In fact the electric muSic was It was a new departure for the Green Gathering in a useful contribution because fewer acoustic more ways than one. musicians than usual turned up and the Gathering would have been short on music without it. It also More important, it was not just a gathering of green represented a new development, a widening of the people for the purpose of sharing our greenness, but: circle which a Green Gathering is, without in any a stage in the process of taking back the land from way losing the unique atmosphere which by now has the military and putting it to good use. At present grown strong enough to handle a little variety. the base is a wide open area of grassland, and wheat had been planted there in the spring by local greens There were puppet shows, theatre, clowns, dragon The main purpose of the Gathering was to harvest processions, juggling and fire-eating, swingboats that crop, intended for the starving peOple of and a roundabout. There were constant workshops on Eritrea, and to prepare the land for next year's subjects all the way from juggling to the problem crop. It was also an Opportunity for more peOple to of reconciling anarchy with structure, including settle in and make this land their permanent home such things as chanting and drumming, tai chi, before work is due to start on making Molesworth a rebirthing, and a men's group. cruise missile base next February. One day was especially for the children, with a The Gathering itself was different from previous party and a show put on by themselves. Some kids Ones in many ways. The most important difference who felt they'd been dragged along by their parents was that it was free, financed by a large donation began to feel really involved at this point, and the from CND and many smaller ones from individuals. day was certainly a good innovation. It included a There was no gate and no charge for entry. When sweat lodge session especially for the children, you take money off people there is a strong tendency the first time anyone can remember this being done. for them to feel they're "punters” and to expect It was a great sucCess, as was the women—only sweat things to be done for them. But at Molesworth lodge. The latter was one of the most beautiful people were not only looking for ways in which they spells of the Gathering, with men sitting quietly could help, but seeing what needed doing and doing round the Tipi circle cooking and holding babies, it on their own initiative. while women made strong magic in the middle. A good example of this was the sight of peOple The harvesting and preparing of the new ground was happily up to their elbows in rubbish, sorting it somewhat separate from the Gathering itself, but into compost, burnable, recyclable metal, and glass, many pe0ple went down to help with the building of etc., and setting up separate containers for the the peace chapel. It was hardly a typical building rubbish thereafter. Previously all this energy site: people were chipping the cement off old would have gone into the thankless taSk of taking bricks, gardening, chanting, drumming, building, money at the gate; at Mblesworth it went into work preparing straw for thatch, and playing music, all that's positively green. together. The Bishop of Huntingdon came to take part in the dedication ceremony, but it was by no From the practical, physical point of view this was _means a Christian mon0poly. There were Buddhists, one of the few signs that this was a gathering of Witches, Pagans and others taking part. greens rather than any other bunch of pleasant people. There was a stall with a windmill for its The Gathering became a real home in several ways. electricity supply, and someone cooking on a sawdust There were daily site meetings to which anyone could stove — a highly economical way of using firewood. come and discuss the running of the community. The But these individual cases were overshadowed by the atmosphere at the meetings was very peaceful and continuing use of disposable plates, cups and non—competitive. Molesworth was a home base from cutlery by the majOrity of stallholders.' The faCt which people went out to the blockade of nearby is it's extremely difficult to run a food stall USAF Alconbury. economically without using disposables; and it’s a problem we must all face up to and not just leave to When the news came that the Convoy had been attacked the stallholders themselves. At future gatherings by the police in Yorkshire, their homes wrecked, perhaps we could all carry our own cup and bowl and their money stolen, the men arrested and pressured wash them up ourselves. Sure it involves some into signing false statements, a feeling went round effort, but we're never going to save this planet the site that we wanted to do everything we could without any effort at all. to help them. This included welcoming as many of @ I WAS THERE... I WAS THERE.

them who wanted and were able to come.and share our ' formidable. One person said, "I_want to put my home. Previously the Gathering has shunned the whole energy into this place all winter.1 I want to Convoy as people too rough and immoral to be build something-they'll be ashamed to knock down in associated with — afraid of soiling our image. front of the television cameras when the construc— This time it was different. Though hardly anyone tion crews come here in February.” would deny that the Convoy are the roughest end of the travelling people, we saw them as people in THE NEXT BIG EVENT will be on OCTOBER 20, when a need rather than as a threat to our respectability. winter wheat crop will be sown on the land ploughed during the Gathering. Following that, at At its peak the Gathering numbered abOut two the WINTER SOLSTICE, we will be gathering at thousand people. ThoSe who stayed to make Moles~ Molesworth for an ALTERNATIVE TO CHRISTMAS. worth their permanent hOme could be numbered in See you there![] dozens. But the energy that has stayed there is Patrick Whitefield Open day at FairFord

WE SPENT a very enjoyable week at Groundwell Farm At 4.30 and just before the Red Arrows display, five near Swindon (Thank you) where we prepared for the of us climbed on to a Phantom jet and displayed two Open Day at Fairford on Sunday July 22. We made lots banners reading "Designed for killing" and "Toys of banners, some of which were put up outside, such for the Boys”. At the-same time the others on the as "This is a FAIR we can't afFORD”, "Ideal War ground threw two dolls covered in blood in front of Exhibition", and "Don't Open It, Close It." A.few the plane to symbolise all the peeple killed by days before the Open Day we went road—painting, such planes. After ten.minutes we came down which was still there large and clear for the voluntarily and were arrested for a "breach of the visitors (about 50,000). peace". The pilot, who had been very anxious while we were up there, rushed up to inepect the Oh the day we got in with none of the trouble we plane. We were then accused of removing a screw which we thought we might have had. 'We didn't allow for our were nothing to do with. Later at Cirencester feelings of powerlessness in the face of such an police station (where we were held for four hours) overwhelming event where so many come to marvel at we were questioned by C.I.D. about the missing all the war machines. So we were unable to do some screw and about a missing limb from one of the of the things we had prepared. Fifteen of us bloody dolls! Had one of us put it down the air inside, and some of us with the local CND group intake?322 outside, handed out official—looking leaflets. Inside we put "Designed for killing” stickers on We were released without charge ”pending further suitable objects such as war toys, model kits, and investigation.into the plane", and told to repert military equipment. Two of us were escorted out of to Cirencester police station on August 18 to be the base just for handing out leaflets, and most of charged, unless told otherwise in writing. the rest were told to stOp by MOD police as the In the event, charges were dropped.[] Americans objected to us exercising our democratic rights "on their patch”. Andy. ‘Head for the lifeboats’' with David I wen

were a bit confused, mixing up pesticides and fertilisers. I then explained about nitrates MIKE BELL interviews the leader of the SDP destroying the micro-organisms in the soil. He appeared not to have heard about this, but agreed that ”we have been careless in our application of WORKING ON THE assumption that the change to green a lot of these newer chemical fertilisers. We‘ve consciousness takes place gradually, we ought to be . gone for greater yield without sometimes looking able to detect embryonic green thinking even in beyond the next two or three years." He then people we think of as totally ungreen. I also had revealed, "I am not a great expert on this... but an idea that in some areas politicians are not so I do not find it difficult to believe that we are much against green ideas, as ignorant of them. So doing serious damage to the soil, to the environ— I went along to talk to DAVID OWEN to see if I ment generally, to the hedgerows, to wildlife." could detect any green fringes. He was sympathetic in general terms' to the idea of wholefood. I met him late in the afternoon, exhausted after an afternoon in the Heuse slating Maggie over the GCHQ "we are doing serious damage to weird experience finding affair. It was a really soil and to the environment." myself on the way in holding the door Open for a the man who I suddenly realised was grey and tired old I pressed him on the disappearing countryside and in the middle of the Michael Foot; and then later asked him about land use planning. He didn't seem to break off while Owen disappeared interview having aware that urgent action was needed to save the I was left wondering how peOple for a TV interview. remaining countryside, and did not seem to have process of government could ever exhausted by the considered the subject of land use planning. He to promote well—being and implement policies certainly didn't have a pat answer, going on about spiritual values. the of interference, regulations and bureau— worries ' I started off giving Owen a long spiel about the way cracy. world: the whole bit about linking Greens see the Taking a link through oil—based fertilisers to energy, feminism and the rest, and the ecology, peace, I posed him various green ideas on this subject: Cartesian Newtonian dualism. complicated bit about road transport subsidised while public transport is to get the idea that Greens were I didn't want him ignored; wind energy ignored and millions spent on the I also suggested to single—issue environmentalists! nuclear programme; did government have a responsi— Tory philosophies were stuck into him that Labour and bility to restore order? His responses were part because they saw the world in ” dualistic thinking promising and part predictable. terms of competing opposites, and that the only \salvation for the SDP was not the present middle-of— He criticised past governments over conservation the—road position, but some new holistic perspective. and said that the SDP would "combine short—term measures to alleviate unemployment with a conservation I‘d start off on health. ’ As he was a doctor, I thought programme, so that you get an actual return on your mechanistic and I spelled out the difference between investment." He agreed that public transport.had been diet and enyironment. holistic medicine and brought in neglected in this country, but thought that "intro— the idea of seeing He seemed to be fairly clued in on ducing more competition to bus operations ... brought of the the patient as a whole. “I am a member it within the bounds of’a great many people who concept of the Holistic Medical Association and the hitherto would never have been able to travel." a mechanistic 'goodgphysician' thinking wider than He didn't agree that wind power and the alternatives whole person and of the approach and thinking of the had been neglected. Perhaps he hadn't read the live seems to me to whole environment in which they figures! He supported the commonly held myth that He pointed out that be wholly natural and wise." alternative energy will only become economic when he produced the first when he was Minister of Health the price of oil goes up, but stressed the importance and said: " I tried preventative medicine document, of conservation. to get people interested in backache which is, after his answers were less hopeful. all, a problem which affects millions of people, and 0n nuclear power a countries of the world have a responsi- I would personally use manipulative medicine if "DeveIOped to seek their energy sources from nuclear disc goes in my bask... The idea that you should bility had skills power in part because ... in effect we are taking have to Operate on'a back when people have by from underdeveloped countries and like blacksmiths and others to put things back oil and coal market prices." He saw no alternative manipulation is quite ridiculous." upping world to going ahead with nuclear power, pointing out self-help and He sees the trend towards prevention, "the problems of acid rain and the clearer and pressures_on the Health alternatives as inevitable as clearer evidence to link it with coal-fired power Service-budget increase. stations.” The only good bit of newS'was that he health like the PWR and wanted to "dc—bug" the We then went on‘to agriculture, linking it with did not He was aware of the problems with the pluto— through diet.' I aSked him whether the SDP would AER! nium cycle but thought that "there has been a very continue to subsidise farmers to destroy natural ' considerable tightening up in that area." fertility and the countryside, At first his answers I page 12 Dr Owen thought the fast breeder should be growth must necessarily damage the environment, continued and was very enthusiastic about fusion therefore we are against economic growth. By using power. I gave him a whole lot of technical stuff the word green with growth I think one is trying to on why they wouldn't work: he seemed to understand demonstrate that it is possible to grow in a way what I'was saying, but it made no difference. When that is environmentally sound and not damaging, and I said that many Greens considered the plutonium that is possibly beneficial." = cycle to be immoral, he said that if we were talking I then moved on to the subject of economics and of morals we have "got to face up to some of the tried a series of questions to illustrate the idea problems that we face in terms of an overall energy of pursuing growth in well—being or growth in what problem in the world, firewood being the main source' peOple receive, rather than pursuing economic growth of energy for many people." for its own sake, and introduced the idea of He was totally in favour of combined heat and power, replacing Gross National Product with an index but thought that ”Greens had glossed over some of which measured what people received rather than what the problems of implementation.” However, he agreed was consumed by the whole society. I failed to make that ”it's a farce really to have these power any progress on this — perhaps my question was not stations as they are with most of the heat going up clearly put. After a long discussion he did agree the chimney." On acid rain, I told him that Greens that the calculation of GNP was a ”nonsense" — in felt that the CEGB, in setting up a 5iyear study, fact he seemed to assume that everybody knew that. “were duplicating work and wasting time. He responded categorically, "I agree with the criticism ”I hope the Green.Movement of the delay. I think we should act now on sulphur penetrates the SD .” pollution coming out of coal—fired power stations. It's a cost but I think it's rather like lead Moving now to the subject of work, I asked him. pollution. The evidence is now so strongly indica— whether he thought that full employment as we tive, I think it justifies the expenditure." understand it was either achievable or desirable. He had no trouble answering this question: "No, I then moved on to economics and asked David Owen not on present parameters," and went on to say that _rwhether he agreed with the Club of Home that there working five days and retiring at 65 was purely a were limits to growth. 'Unfortunately, by mentioning convention. Having established that hewas not one the Club of Rome I had tied a noose for myself. He of those politicians who thought that some new immediately hanged me on it. "No. I think the Club magic economic formula would bring back full employ; of Rome figures have been shown to be wrong. I ment, I pressed home the attack. What would the SDP think it's very interesting, the dynamic model that propose to do when the North Sea oil revenues no was used, but I think it's been totally wrong. Like longer pay the unemployment bill? "Head for the a lot of biological predictions, it's got it wrong. lifeboats, I should think ... oil revenues start 'We are seeing growth in a completely different'way. declining from 1986 on ... it could well_trigger off we thought we saw limits to growth as a limitation a balance of payments crisis again." in terms of the use of copper. Now we use cptic fibre. We are moving into a completely different I found it.rather incredible. Here'he was, perfectly prepared era, we are changing ... I think some to admit that full employment will not of the most dire predictions of running out have return, fully aware that North Sea oil revenues will decline been.proven to be incorrect. The whole argument and create an economic crisis at the end of the decade: about adepting a policy of low growth, I think, is a yet so far as I am aware there is very little flaw in the Green movement. I'll say to you quite either in SDP policy or in the answers to my earlier bluntly I think it's wrong, and it's where they've questions which anticipates and deals with this. ' lost a good deal of intellectual support. At this point, with "A.policy of low growth is a questions on Third World and Defence still to go, David Owen‘s secretary reminded flaw in the Green Movement." him of his next appointment. I had three minutes left. I fired off a quick question on land in poor "I think they are right on two grounds. Firstly, countries being used for export crops. He must have to point out that there are certain sectors and misunderstood, because he spent the three minutes Certain areas where you can run into constraints criticising the naivete of my question. He did because of supplies, and if you are also eating into however seem to have taken on quite a lot of the resources at a very rapid rate by not careful Green criticism of Brandt. He agreed that "instead planning. I think that they are probably right too of us going and selling expensive desalination to be rather pessimistic about the prospects for plants or something like that, that we ought to be growth, and therefore say that you have got to adapt trying to look at much lower tech." He also thought to a lowegrowth future... But adapting to low growth ' that we should be ”trying to develop a more balanced as a reality is very different from actually I economy for Third World developing countries where adopting a policy of low growth because you think they are self—sufficient as much as possible." it is good... We've not talked about some of the other sources of environmental pollution such as So my original hunch was right — there are green awful housing, squalor, poverty, hunger. It's very fringes starting to grow, and there are whole areas hard to provide these resources against a background where ignorance rather than Opposition is the of zero growth or very low growth." problem. Informing the influential is, in.my view, I asked him abou "green growt ", a term which the area of activity the Green movement most ignores. appeared in the Alliance Manifesto for Europe. Was Owen's final comment seemed hopeful on this: "Ybu it just a politician's fudge, or could he explain ought to be penetrating political movements: that's it? "The idea behind it is a very simple one. It's why I hOpe the Green movement penetrates the SDP." possible to get growth which is environmentally Anyone fanqy taking up that challenge? sensitive but is conscious of the problems of the environment, adjusts and adapts to it... I think the mistake that is made is to think that economic

page 13 our eventual course. Friends of the Earth is a Campai n pressure group with no long—term aims or stated philosophy This suggests a belief that we live in a pluralist liberal democracy where social change against te can be brought about by pressure groups. Yet this is contrasted by basically socialist views — as with M40. a missed transport — which argue that the present system is organised around the production of profit. Similarly Mthg119399EQQlgi ,. ; w.gggmadvocated socialist transport energypolicy Whli: making and virtually

ANY DAT NOW the G . ion.was manifested -~= 11 “- es for "nice" final decision on ' "”' ”“' * ing the inquiry to thus bringing ‘we play at middle by Oxfordshire Fr rotect wildlife WESTON co—ordina quo; on the. he reflects on t lighted many of campaigning envir'

...... i L I7 FOR ME the campai i so unless we can when it became cle this "last great m . -1 * confirmation of th 1 I find themselves the Department of ” i an ideological FOE we discussed 0 forts. With few immediately clear ;p were too large ford: So SMAC was formed Committee) was to

environmental 4the...... public don't

3- W .1 ies and so carried open to such sell—cu Vand FOE became

entalists would gP But it has been All this meant that FeE ot as yet with virtually no rese; 9 the decision to cencentr win support fundsi public

and Otmoor, 1% 1 .1 beyond theipl ; threat the M4! posed to them. Efg‘people who want ‘1'; 5 ovement. A genuine see them suffer motorway c important iss not the most debated andd

Over 5,000 people die each year on British roads, u_ m ’J I” thousands more are stranded without public tranSport f and even more suffer the economic disbenefits of 1i i present tranSport policy. The reason these major issues were not the dominant feature of FoE's campaign was partly because we lacked the resources to take them up seriously, and partly because environmentalism suffers from an ideological dichotomy which helped steer us towards

page 14 GANDHIANS and GANDHIANS

MIKE HANCOCK'S article ('Gandhi Betrayed’, GL 24) It was in attempting to implement the Gramdan idea was provocative and polemical but, as an assessment that India’s nonviolent revolutionaries came face to of the role of Gandhians in.India today, it was also face with the power structure on Indian rural seriously misleading. Its major defect stems from society. By and large, the dominants in the villages his failure to distinguish between different types could not be persuaded to accept the degree of of Gandhians. He recognises that interpretations of equality and power—sharing involved in implementingI Gandhi's thought are diverse but, because they all Gramdan. rest on the concept of nonviolence, he lumps all In this situation, in the early 19703, by which time Gandhians together and dismisses them as upholders of Vinoba had retired to his ashram, Jayaprakash the oppressive status quo._ This is about as sensible Narayan ("JP”) moved to the as lumping all Marxists together because they believe fore as the effective leader of the movement. In an article comparing in one way or another in the materialist conception Gandhians of history. with Marxists and preaching the inevita— bility of social conflict, the omission by Hancock Broadly — though they overlap somewhat on the ground — of all reference to JP is glaring. For JP had three types of Gandhism have emerged since Gandhi's graduated from .to. ~ a term meaning death: "the welfare of all" which encapsulates the ideal of Gandhian (1) political Gandhism, represented in Congress but socialism. Under JP's leadership the nonviolent revolutionaries revised their strategy, also in other political parties, which seeks to or at least the bulk of them did: about 10%5 achieve some Gandhian.objectives by conventional including Vinoba, dissented. key political action. 'A element in the new strategy was Sangharsh or struggle, which meant (ii) institutional Gandhism, which is essentially in effect re—adoption of resistive satyagraha. reformist social work carried out by a variety of Applied in Bihar in 1974~5, it involved civil diso- organisations set up to implement items in Gandhi’s bedience "Constructive programme", e.g. uplift of the Harijans. and other forms of nonviolent action on a scale not seen in India since Gandhi’s day ~ but (iii) revolutionary Gandhism. Gandhians of this directed this time against the Congress Raj. As type, organised.mainly in Sarva Seva Sangh (Associa- students' and peoples' struggle committees prolifer— tion for the Service of All) have taken up and ated, a popular movement expressive of "people's deveIOped Gandhi's concept of ”nonviolent revolution". power" began to develOp. The opposition parties, They aim to bring about, albeit nonviolently, radical with the notable exception of the Moscow—oriented changes not only in individual behavious but also in Communist Party of India, rallied to the support of the social, economic and political structure. They pthe movement and it became increasingly clear that seek to develop India not as a modern, industrialised the political hegemony of Congress was threatened. nation state but as a society of self—governing and "People's power", mobilised by JP, confronted head—on largeLy self-sufficient village republics, linked "State power", directed by Mrs Gandhi. The outcome together for mutual aid. proved disastrous. In June 1975 Mrs Gandhi imposed emergency rule on the country, As might be expected, revolutionary Gandhians are jailed JP and other Opposition leaders, and thin on the ground relative to the others. Political effectively repressed the burgeoning ”people's movement”. Gandhians are legion and embrace Mrs Gandhi as well .as her conservative political opponent, MOrarji From that set—back there was something of a recovery Desai; there are about 50,000 "constructive workers” when, in.March 1977, Mrs Gandhi called the postponed _in Gandhian institutions; but the number of activists General Election. Congress was swept from office and in Sarva Seva Sangh is less than 10,000. Hancockts replaced by Janata, a coalition of non—communist generalised ‘ strictures, which doubtless contain an parties cobbled together by JP. However, the hope element of truth, apply mainly to Gandhians of the that the Janata Government would redeem its pledge first two types. "to complete the work initiated by the Mahatma" was — But he also mentions Vinoba Bhave, Gandhi's belied partly because the ailing JP was unable to revive "Spiritual heir", the man who did most in the first the extra-parliamentary "people's movement” which he saw as 25 years after Gandhi’s death to develop the concept essential in the drive for radical social change. So "the Janata experiment" of nonviolent revolution. Now it is certainly true ended in dismal failure and that Vinoba's strategy emphasised constructive the return to office of Mrs Gandhi in 1980. nonviolence — the building of an alternative society within the womb of the old - and, along with it, Since JP's death in October 1979 the revolutionary what he called "positive" satyagraha, as distinct Gandhians have given up the hepe that Janata or any from "negative" (resistive or combative) satyagraha other political party will help solve the country's of the kind employed by Gandhi to oust the British problems. The people, they insist, must organise Raj. 'Vinoba‘s method of peaceful, loving persuasion ‘themselves and begin to take control of their own had more success than.Hancock's dismissive sentence affairs from the grass—roots level upwards. As part about "largely infertile land" donated in land—gifts of their attempt to build ”a non—party alternative" suggests. After all, roughly half a million to the present system; they have selected 100 or so landless labourers benefited from the movement's areas which are designed to be the rural bases for Bhoodan (land—gift) programme! HOWever, the ”total revolution" — JP's version of the Sarvodaya subsequent more radical programme of Gramdan — nonviolent revolution. JP's line on the need for . voluntary villagisation of land — was less success— (struggle continues to be endorsed, so-that "construc— ful: except in a few hundred villages it-rarely got tive work" ; the setting up of "peeple's committees”, beyond nominal acceptance by villagers of the Edga. helping to organise landless labourers, small

page 15 peasants, etc. _ is combined with the use of In short, there are Gandhians §pd_Gandhians, and not resistive-satyagraha in seeking redress of popular all of them are ineffective do—gooders for whom grievances.' If Hancock had looked at some of these principled nonviolence encompasses no more than areas he would have found instances of social action "nonviolent inactibn, compromise, and a personal by Gandhians which are as exemplary, if not more so, moral stance with a public halo. It is not necessary than the action of the "grass—roots Marxists" of the 'for Hancock and those who think like him to go Young India Project which he commends. See, for outside the Gandhian framework of thought and action example, the article "Peaceful Class Struggle" by in order to find inspiration. And that surely must Marianne Charles and Caroline Beatty iaeace News be.right. For there can be little doubt that (5.2.82) which gives an account of the Struggle in Gandhism,-correctly interpreted, is more consonant the Bodh Gays district of Bihar where the sahgharsh with the green perspective that Green Line seeks to vahini - a nonviolent youth organisation inspired by promote than anything that is likely to come.out ofI JP — have helped landless labourers to liberate land the Marxist stable. Indeed, I would go further. illegally held by the local landowner through a Gandhi should be seen as the true prephetl of the spurious devices which evade the ceiling green revolution E] variety of ‘ ' ’ Geoffrey ostergaard[‘ ,on landholdings. *-

. . ‘117%1‘ < BELQIKAL, Z; the name is Sanskrit, — from Belgium, meaning Lotus Peace probably England‘s the sacred - 3 fusion of .. leading Green the - 7 Flemish and _ musicians Green Gathering '83, vortices of spinning CND '84, Mind, Body, 1, Arabic music- Glastonbury , energies within the _Spirit(01ympia)384, Festival of now on their the Spirit(Malvern)'84, 3rd British tour Earth Peace, that-heals the heart, the Green Moon(Cumbria)'84,Garden of this year: - known Husik(Ickwell Bury)'84,Green "Jazz+Folk+Dance+Theatre= BELCIKALS mind that heals all beings and unknown - this we strive for. 4 Belgikal play the music of a gathering(Holesworth)'84. ...need .7 we say more 1 __.. _ threatened world. . .A Pandora' 3 box of mysterious melodies opens the we 11907.11..t m' ~9- Black Gardening-7?? way across oceans and back into these sounds you hear were found. - we may favourites +new winners.. time...Husic to dream and dance by in meditation perhaps Peasant ..Recommended." dance together, as one, on the Dance, Sinner, Tapestries - Iold Sand, Paul City Life, April' 84 waves upon the baptismal ocean Shand, of' 7 25 an hour or " Tribute...... £495 .‘l’ j.knew g5 peace...‘.... ' - "“- ea£A- rum same: "‘55;“339 RELEASE P}? .1 inc Fkkgxkng We can Dance,+ :95— many CHEQUES, POSTAL CHEERS PAYABLE T0 powerful number 7 ,CHIMERA MEDIA DISTRIBUTION SPECIAL-BOTH DIB-JAK-{ns.....£$.42; 'CHIHERA‘;NORMAL DELIVERY 7 DAYS, BUT ALLOW 'Time’and‘Tide, 28 DAYS BEFORE PANICKING 103 Rockingham Road. 1 Kettering , Northants. e Musician, Artist etc. working in the GREEK / NEW ASE If you.are Kettering (0536) 511842. fields, let us hear from you. We may be able to help each other.

PQMPHLETS STICKERS (Prices include pdp, except that orders under £2 “MAKE IT GREEN" stickers printed in light yellow, should be accompanied by a 12%p stamp.) gold and green. Eye—catching. Size 3% x 5% 30p each: 10 or more 20p each post free POLITICS FOR LIFE (Ecology Party, 36pp, 50p). Eco's election.manifesto: a concise statement of POSTCARDS green_politics. 5 for £2. A series of eight very colourful postcards. Fbur ECO-SOCIALISM IN A NUTSHELL (SERA, 24pp, 50p). are pictorial (industrial man, sunflower dove, 5 for £2. green CND symbol, missile in web) and four embody SOCIALIEM AND Boomer — Raymond Williams (SERA, slogans (Embrace the Earth, Take Back the Land, ZOPP, 75p). 5 for £3. The enemies of the Pe0ple are those who know what the People need, Power to the Pe0ple Not to the FAIR VOTES GUIDE (Campaign for Fair VOtes, 32pp, State). Set of 8, £1. Individual designs sold~in All the facts 95p). basic on electoral reform. 103 at £1 for 10. Bulk rate: 100 cards for £8. 5 for £4. All post free. EMBRACE THE EARTH (Green CND, 44pp, 90p). A green Prayer—forePeace postcards :: 10p each. view of peace set in a broad political context.““” 5 for £3. so GREETINGS CARDS BADGES We have a limited number of packs of greetings In cards embodying a Celtic design with the CND Seven designs, symbols of the green.movement's ' symbol. Colours as they come. £1.50 per pack of unity—in-diversity. In three colours (green, gold 10 cards and envelopes, post free. and yellow) and visible from afar. 1" diameter. 20p each: sample set of Seven £1 post free. 20 or more (assorted) 12p each. 109 + (assorted) 1op TC QRDER: Send ynur order with cheQue / P.O. to each post free. Choose front CND, feminist, yinu- Green Line, 34 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1HZ. yang, anarchist, Christian, Eco, FoE. - Cashawith—order only, please! anyn my my [1,. \1 am 9,];n, '2 w is“! _ _ .. 1““? letters sass?‘ ‘ .aI" V 'J'I fiaar’fit‘iii’M/fiflwfififi... ' meaning. I feel it important to dominated by mainly rather egocentric Don t. differentiate between marxism, authoritarian peeple — the smne labourism, growth/, peeple in some cases, some of whom and libertarian, green coo—socialism. I may‘say have also been pretty niggle! Green ideas must be argued and won in dominant in the pages of GL. the wider as much as, However, after the success of the I GREATLY enjoy the magazine and the 'anywhere else, so rather than the European Greens in the Euro elections last one appealed to me even more . 1ivisive label—bashing that Richard in 1984, I thought maybe things might than most, specially John Grahmn’s indulges in at the end of his have moved on a bit in England. article. But all the articles were article, I feel it is much more. excellent: it.was only when.we Came _constructive that ”green socialists"_ Perhaps there were now people around to letters and people answering -work to get green politics into the capable of making the same kind of each other that sometimes it got a mainstream of socialist debate. We breakthrough as the EurOpeans rather bit "niggly", This has been so in must learn and grow together than Spending their time on in— the past — it seems difficult for regardless of what colour we paint fighting and jockeying for_power people to disagree or to point out ourselves. positions in their own grOups. errors in a peaceful'way'without Peter White igetting personal. I hope that we'll So I sent off my renewal subscription 13 Ashgrove, Bradford, W Yorke be able to eliminate this streak to the Ecology Party and asked them by EDT 1BN degrees because if we're ever going to send me the "activist‘s mailing”. to govern by consensus we’ll have to Very speedily I received the latter; learn to voice our differences some hastily stencilled sheets. I calmly. couldn't really believe my eyes; after nearly two years it looked just Women Sick and tired don't seem to get at each the same as before. It was a pro; — other so much perhaps because conference agenda largely consisting they write less often, but .of_crossfire ' I think of endless resolutions to change the probably not. wording of parts of the Manifesto. I AM sick and tired of reading the Jessie Brown constant crossfire between critics _I sent back my membership card, 5 Esmond Close, Emsworth, Hants of the Ecology Party and spokes- thanked them for their hard.work, people such as Jonathon Porritt. and said they could keep the subsc- Havenit the Ecology Party and ription as a donation. Bless them Jonathon P. done much to spread for trying, but it wasn't what I was ' Stop awareness of ecological issues over looking for. the last few years? Then,the weekend of August 25, thanks label—bashing! It is not through a love of political to a local green friend, I found parties that I write. I~havewsats ,myself,spsnding,2 days at_the Green ’RICHARD Hunt (GL 23) acknowledges through days of Eco conferences etc. Gathering at Molesworth. I came that the word 'socialism! means and been frustrated by the antics of back fired with enthusiasm for the different things to different people, some of the participants - including Green Movement. some of GL*s regular but then gives a classical marxist or contributors! This is where the living Green state-socialist definition of it However, if Eco did not exist Movement is — in the fields, round from which he bases his arguments.i something would have to be invented the camp fires, in the Peace/Temple, I agree with his criticisms of social— to replace it and I have no doubt in the villages, and no doubt also ists who, . however deep their disagree— that it would eventually become not in the nonviolent direct action at ment with capitalism, still share its dissimilar. Alconbury that is happening as I rational, materialist value of pro— Iwrite. It is not in the dead words, The 1983 Eco manifesto, gress, science, efficiency, Speciali- Politics for exhumed'and re—exhumed, Life, I of a Party sation, growth, centralised state was as good a statement on Manifesto. power, etc.; but I would like to green thinking as I have ever seen remind him that there exists a much and (along with Schumacher's chapter Long live the Greens and then the on wider socialist philosophy than Buddhist Economics and Eric Greens may come through in England's marxism and labourism. Dammann's "The Future in our Hands") green and pleasant land. the more people we can encourage to I feel that Penny Newscme the radical politics of read it the better. anarchism, feminism, ecology and 21 South Street, Osney, Oxford socialism have a great deal in Remember, more progress can be made common. This diversity of political by moving 20 million people half an perspectives is both good and healthy inch than by moving a thousand 'Recycled.Marx‘ only if the different tendencies are people a hundred yards} prepared to learn WADING from each other. David Swindley through the cliches skilfully Of course some ideas are mutually strung together by David 29'Chatsworth Road, Wersley Pepper exclusive — Richard gives an example (GL 25) I was reminded of something Manchester M28 4NY of socialist plans for eduality that Piet Hein wrote: based on industrial growth and To make a centralised state control which will name for learning When other roads are barred never be acceptable to anarchists and More crossfire- Take something very easy ecologists (and libertarian sociali- And make it very hard. sts) no matter how much emphasis is MAY I add my own little comment to put on pollution control and resource the Eco Party / Green_Mbvement Marxts main claim to ecological fmne management. But there are many ideas crossfire. must surely be the fact that he gets that are mutually accepted. recycled so often. In 1983 I withdrew from both the Eco The word "socialism" is not going to Party and the-Green Gathering (as it Harry Alderslade pass into obscurity, not in this I-then Was) Collective. I was dis— 47 Lake Street, Oxford _ _ _~ _. / , .1 a century anyway, so_1et's give it real illusioned _// z /__> with both groups as being . fli-f;sr§;‘_ _ _,_.. I

page 17 Down to Earth inLiverpeel: Cardiff Greening the Arts Organic Ce—ep

Ann Lukes writes: Sarah Norman and Sally Morris write: ”Down to Earth" is aimed primarily NMNY GROUPS of peeple in this Great Georges Project in Liverpool at those who are interested in a 'similarly country have been struggling (or ”The Blackie” as it‘s known radical approach to the arts and creative independently to curb the great locally) has been a centre for opportunities, away from exploitation, excesses of a selfish and material— involvement in the arts since 1968. towards conservation and participation. We istic society and show the way to a more caring, Its work in art education/youth hepe it will provide a forum for sustainable and satisfying ‘work/games has taken as target ”a the mingling and sharing of these way of life. A number of people from these society with creative opportunities concerns in the interests of a different groups are new joining for all,” following in the tradition greener, more fertile and creative together to life form a green movement, and we hope of who wrote, "I do both for our planet and our to make it possible for not want art for a few, any more people. economic, social and personal changes than education for a few, or to :: Info: The Blackie / Great take place freedom for a few.” so that we and our world George's Project, Great George may survive. The Blackie‘s 5~day autumn event, Street, Liverpool 1. Tel: 051~709 As a first step we have set up a "Down to Earth", which takes its coneperative to organise the starting point in the devastation retailing of organic vegetables in of soil erosion around the world, West Cardiff. We intend takes the riches of our planet‘s to buy a shop so that we are able soil as an analogy for the wealth to offer organic food of our peeple's creativity. It to larger numbers of peeple, and draws a direct comparison between also sell goods made in THE ECOLOGY Party holds its AGM the way that ignorant and exploita— non-exploitative production and main annual conference in _tive farming can wreck the soil, processes. We aim to bring Seuthport from October 5 - 7. and the way that inadequate or together town and country, working The main political debates will be exploitative planning can ruin for our mutual benefit and support,_ on green economics and the politics peeple's creativity. And independent of the supermarkets the event of food; while those few motions looks at positive alternatives to and multinationals, bringing put up by members and branches unadulterated feed and high encourage growth, arguing that quality which don‘t deal with internal goods to people*withgut solutions to both problems involve exploitajii matters or the Party‘s name are tien for a shift in priorities to the personal profit? an concerned with a variety of issues .creating real "good" work. preservation and nourishment of the from cannabis to motor—cycling. whole instead of planning for profit ' For more information, and to put in and quick returns. Beth involve A two—thirds majority of those your own ideas, contact Ann Lukas thinking globally — acting locally. voting will be required to pass a on Cardiff 21841.

motion from the Greenwich and 1 /, Lewisham branch which seeks to re- "E’WT’/ w "Down to Earth" will run from Octe— ‘ name the party ”The Green Party". tar/11%..‘if; ber 31 to November 4, from 11 am to .. -,...,...__._.___,.,_gi______/i[/J_réé:/zj late evening. Throughout that time Conference will vote on a policy there will be a photographic exhib— on Northern Ireland, and there ition highlighting the devastation will be discussions on a feminist of soil erosion and the impact of approach to organisation (a paper soil conservation, which draws by Katy Zeserson), the built our; parallels with the situation of. irenment, foreign policy and artists working within a community 7 forestry. context. There will also be 1 communal weavings where people can 1 , ”2'12??eHEW join in alongside other amateur and Step the Cities professional craftspeople. Jenathen AT LEAST two Step the City actions Set within this will be daily are taking place shortly. 0n , conference sessions which people can Thursday September 27 from 8 am to Perritt book into in advance, or on the day. 6 pnithere's a "pretest and _ These will look at positive apprea~ carnival against war, eXploitation ches to encourage participation in and profit: a peaceful celebration The first UK'beek on creative activity — to build a of life to step the finance of society where people can join in, death." This London action is Green Politics as Opposed to consume. We shall be co—ordinated from Box STC, hearing from speakers from other Housmnns, 5 Caledonian.Road, cultures and other political Lendon N1. Birmingham "Reclaim/ £3.95 post free from systems, of their approaches to Step the City" takes place on arts in the community, and'we shall Thursday October 11, meeting EOA Books be looking at the implications of outside St Philip's Cathedral at the view that our planet's soil _ 10.30.anh For info, send s.a.e. 34 Cowley Road and our peeple’s creativity — are to RTC, c/o Peace Centre, 18 Moor ' Oxford gifts. Street, Queensway, Birmingham. page 18 ...; Cons—9:11.a’CY is Back” Alconbury ALCONBURY IS a US base 6 miles from at have met with: immediate evictionl All Molesworth. It's a spy base with nine Groups members of the latest various kinds of reconnaissance camp were arrested and charged aircraft — including a number of with conspi— Glasgow University A Green Group fighters disguised as Soviet MIGs. racy to do £8,000 of criminal was set up Advanced TR—1s are based there, damage: the revival of conspiracy last term at a meeting attended by whose role in war would be to charges, which can carry very heavy 35 peOple. Anyone interested in direct missiles to their targets in prison sentences. joining, or with experience to Eastern Europe and fly above the The nine are banned from within a share from elsewhere (ideas for European battlefield monitoring mile of the base as a condition of meetings, speakers, etc-) should . the progress from above. Thus bail, and are next due to appear contact the secretaries: Sandie Alconbury is very much tied into before ttingdon magistrates on Miller, 38 Kessington Road, the US notion of a ”limited nuclear October 18. Contact Alconbury Bearsden, Glasgow; or Brian Gaffney, war" in Europe; and the Pentagon is Peace Camp Defence Committee c/o 382 Calder Street, Govanhill, spending over $27m expanding the w Midlands CND (54 Allison Street, Glasgow. base in the next 5 years. Birmingham 5 — 021 632 6909) or Bicester A new Ecology Party 181 Hinchcliffe, Orton Goldhay, ______- _Attempts to establish peace camps branch is being formed in Peterborough PE2 OST (0733 235355).I e‘i§§Q5\'-' "” ‘-‘7 Bicester, Oxon. For further infor— x. xxx xx sxxxsu\\\\\\ mation, contact Peter Norton, 5 Molesworth for Bread, Animal Rights Crockwell Close, Bicester, Oxon. (Tel Bicester 245860).

not Bombs Centre trying to Midlothian______Ian Smith is PLANTING OF food on the base at A WORKING group has been set up to set up a Green Group USAF Molesworth continues on Sat. investigate the setting up of an in Midlothian: anyone interested October 20. Wheat planted last Animal Rights Centre in London. please contact him at Terranna Easter will be sent to Eritrea, It would gather, co—ordinate and Cottage, 99 High Street, Bonnyrigg, and with the help of local farmers disseminate information, and offer Midlothian EH19 2E8 (tel: O31~663 a crop of winter wheat will be sewn information and materials to the 3225). by hand. .Lots of help needed. movement and the public. I Leeds University Martin Sutherland, Info: Molesworth Wheat to the If you're interested or have contact for the Starving, ”Peace GarnerflT‘Old Weston-l clanyihiogetglgfferi,Contact Don llfloirersiirrgrssalfiroupashes moved7 Road, Brington, nr Huntingdon, Jenkings, GorphwysfejmfiigfiIstEeetfi'Ifi" to 21 Pearson Terrace, LeEds S, Cambs. Pe17 SSE. Penmachno, Gwynedd, North Wales West Yorkshire. I 1 LL24 OUL (tel: Penmachno 315). Northants______A collective of greens is producing a magazine New Economic Agenda !!EElIIEiEEEIEEEEEEEZEZEEEEZ!..,j_ w..- -.... *..—-‘—.-— fififlfiflfifif for Northants, called Grapevine. THE FINDHORN Foundation are holding Disarm.and.Deve10p It's ”about Alternatives of all a conference on ”The New Economic kinds — eating habits, life—styles, Agenda” from October 13 — 20. The AN ALLeDAY workshop linking the medicine, plus different ways of speakers include Paul Hawken, arms race with world poverty is looking at subjects like human and Francis Kinsman, Guy Dauncey, being held on Sunday October 7 animal rights, defence, politics, Charles Handy, Porritt, Jonathon (10 — 6) at Newent Community Centre, the environment, and more.” Send Manfred MaxéNeef and Keith Roberts. Newent, Gloucs. Cost £3.50/£2. 40p + s.a.e. for a copy to Grape- Details from Findhorn Foundation, Creche available. Inquiries: vine, 177 Queen Street, Rushden,“ The Park, Forres, IV36 OTZ. John King (Cheltenham 574795). Northants ' : F9} W ., :oC-A'R-O'L'I'N-Eogsy0 ear/>920“, erasfifs T-A-Y-L-OR flintillitrgo CAROLINE TAXLOR died in a motoring accident in approach. -In lateral thinking, or lateral intuitive Chelmsford early in September. She is a truly response, she was an artist, a genius. She loved remarkable person, and people in the movement will the human.kind, found it difficult if not impossible miss her and remember her as such. Next month we to be openly critical of anyone no matter how much will be happy to print tributes and celebrations of she disagreed with them. She would go away and do Caroline's life - we look forward to hearing from something else, and do it better. Thus few people you. Meanwhile, Peter Cadogan has written: carried so much authority with so little apparent effort. She never had an ego—trip in her life, one felt, but she usually get her way. Confrontation SHE WAS a very special person. Wherever she was was not her style. she made things happen and did it in an undefinable Earlier and unobtrusive'way. She led from the front, the this year I heard she was having a baby and was temporarily out of circulation. back and the middle at the same time. Whenever I The_ baby, Lucy, was born this and met her something important seemed to happen. spring was with her at the Green Gathering at Molesworth where we met for the If a problem was too big or insoluble she would last time. Caroline is dead but her baby lives. probably say'nothing, smile that slow giaconda Long live Caroline's memory, the ways she worked smile of hers and move out sideways to find afiother and the standards she set. page 19 IEating‘aHole Our Monthly in the System Food Column

_I SEE the Green/Feminist/Peace/Anarchist movement (2) Contact the Organic Growers Association and find as a force for provoking an evolution of society out if your area has an organic produce distribution and self away from the insidious control of the centre. If they don't sell to individuals, then state, and towards the small sane green world we form a buying group. all dream of in different ways. (3) Use "dig—ins" on derelict land to bring attention Only when people have changed compassionately can to the lack of land available for cultivation and the they then make a society with compassion for all length of most waiting lists for allotments. Make things. An attempt at self—sufficiency in wide sure itfs not a last refuge for townébased‘wildlife. areas of our lives is part of changing ourselves Plant things that will grow quickly and don't need and our society. In loosening the grip of_authority too much attention. we weaken that authority. But many problems arise. One of these is: What do we eat? (4) In some areas sympathetic councils and in some, cases even landowners may'grant temporary use of the At present people are offered and seem ready to land for cultivation. ’Try this before a dig—in. accept the chemical saturated and precessed food of People have a right to state agribiz industries, distributed by massive enough land to grow their own food, and we must show the way retail chains promoting consumerism and waste. In for people to take back 1984 the "big 3" stores in the UK control 39% of the land. If we wait for the state to make concessions it never will. all food distribution, with trends showing a steady After all, if too rise to over 50%rby 1987 (IGN, 7.84). This food is many people began to disengage from the state in produced at such a way, then society might make great cost to coo—systems and uses vast ' a radical shift. Wh t amounts of oil and chemicals - chemicals that find a a good idea . Dave Hayden their way directly into the human body in distur— bingly high amounts. i: Consumer co—ops for organic produce really do The Association of Public Analysts tested 615 work. Although wholesalers do now exist for organic produce, different fruit and vegetable samples, and one third the organic method is labour— intensive and were found to contain pesticide residues. DDT was is not subsidised: growers need a higher price found in 13 out of 132 samples of apples, mushrooms for their produce, and the only to make and lettuce on the same-day. (See Sunday Times, sure that they get the price they need and that the August 5 and 19, 1984). price to the consumer is acceptable is to organise a buying co—op. In Oxford several neighbourhood So let‘s say that we‘ve seen through the ”natural” consumer co—ops share the task of driving 35 miles labels that have appeared on packets and jars to the nearest organic farm: orders are consolidated lately, and have decided to try a wholefood diet earlier in the week and passed to the nursery, who based on lentils, beans, grains, rice, etc. But pack and invoice the produce by group. The orders where do these come from? Most of it comes from are collected on Friday exploited peasant farmers of the Third World who the contacts for each groupafternodnnandiggliyergdgtglgwho then.weighrou sell their crops for cash — which goes to pay for a- their individual members' orders. Payment is sent race towards the kind of consumerist, ecology with the following week's orders. The grower in damaging society that we are trying to get away from question has been much encouraged, arranges a by buying their produce which would otherwise supply of greenetop milk, goats milk cheese and provide essential protein for large populations. yoghurt, and is now planning to buy wholesale If we must buy this food we should make sure that during the winter to keep us (and other customers what we buy comes from Third werld co—Operatives and buying co—0ps) supplied. We have now arranged who sell surplus and invest in health, education, for a local baker to bake_bread to order from Dove's etc.‘ Ask your local wholefood Shep about who they Farm organic flour, and members of the co—op will— buy from and why. shortly be able to have bread delivered as well with their fruit and veg.! More information from Britain and Ireland can feed themselves on a me on Oxford (0865) (26229' Jon vegetarian basis, and there are a number of books Carpenter available that present a very convincing model of how such a system would work. But we need to take action here and now if such a future is to come about. 'I think we should make an effort, on our own ‘ or with others, to grow some of our own food organi— cally. Some peOple are doing this in their own Take about 8 ozs of peanuts and roast in a low oven. gardens and on allotments, others on larger farms: until they are light brown only. If the peanuts they are getting encouraging results - 80%cxf are roasted too much, the_butter will taste bitter. existing yields according to Peter Segger, chairman De—husk the roasted nuts by rubbing between the of the Organic Growers Association. hands and blowing the husks away: or stir the nuts Practical Steps round by hand in a colander, and the husks will fall through the holes. Grind the nuts in a coffee Here are some thoughts on steps we could take. grinder, liquidiser or mincer. Put in a bowl with (1) Our own gardens, a little sea salt. Add a few tablespoons of even 15' x 15‘, can produce an é a light—tasting amazing amount of produce. FOE estimate that around , vegetable oil and mix until a paste £160 a year can.be saved by growing your own fresh is formed. Put into a jar. It is very good, and 1produce (1979 figures: nice for omnivores too. priCes have risen since then). Joan Hoare . J;- V. _ ‘- ‘ ‘2‘: .. _ ,::: ‘Z:\x(ft"1z7jlv’§; ‘ ‘ “‘3‘...“ %”00 n. Printedfta'Dot Press. c/o 32 Cowley Road. Offerd :: Oxford (0865) 249344)