[Pil-pc-oceania] TAMARA:- Bills current thinking and the PPP

[timwinton]

Hi Tamara,

Thanks for keeping us posted.

I think a very good litmus test for how permaculture might go as the basis 
for a political party is to have a look at our track record in creating, 
building and maintaining organizations that excel at people care. The same 
should apply to anyone proposing a permaculture political party.

None of the quoted material attributed to Bill below inspires any confidence 
in me that the words can be translated into effective political action.

In my experience, the political processes within the permaculture community 
have very often been acrimonious or worse. Perhaps we should get our own 
house in order before we start showing other people how it is done.

In my experience there has been too much promotion of untested and 
unworkable ideas in permaculture that have not served permaculture or 
sustainability or the planet well at all.

As I have expressed before, I believe the intentions of everyone involved in 
the ppp are good. But, respectfully, I do need to tell you in the strongest 
terms that until we get our own house in order, at the very least, a 
permaculture political initiative, in my opinion, is a very bad idea.

I think we will be far more effective leading by example rather than by 
words or poorly thought out political activities.

Regards,

Tim


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "tamara griffiths" <scarletwoman at hotmail.com>
To: <pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org>
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 6:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Pil-pc-oceania] TAMARA:- Bills current thinking and the PPP


> As requested, some paragraphs from Bill, the first installment.
> Love Tamara
>
>
> The Permaculture People's Party   (Papers and Proposals)
> The Clarion Call.
>
> Preamble: Many of us, and all of us trained in good design for houses and
> farms, feel disgusted with the present political systems, which seem to
> prefer war to peace, and want or hunger to plenty. We feel we must act to
> reverse this intellectual decay and consequent global deterioration.
>
> If we gather our friends, and students of good design, we vastly 
> out-number
> the few who have joined "left right" parties. We can take control. We can
> legislate to restore the earth, to save and generate forests, to secure
> water and clean food supplies, and to live to assist all people to 
> survive,
> not to war on them.
>
> All permaculture graduates know how to design life-enhancing houses and
> farms. Many are involved in aid programmes, or consult with landowners and
> builders. We have, in effect, many thousands of people-years of experience
> in building sustainable systems. We have served our apprenticeship as 
> worthy
> designers of living systems.
>
> Thus, we believe it is time to take charge of legislating for sustainable
> living. Why should we, the majority, put up with the stupidities of the
> Liberal/ Labour, Republican/ Democrat, Tory /Socialist dichotomies, whose
> efforts are to defeat each other, not to assist all people?
>
> No, we must now vote them all out, and start the urgent repair of society
> and the earth itself. Oil men, coal miners, and wood chippers can between
> them destroy all of us, for greed. In this, they are assisted by "our
> government". To tolerate this is madness. To tolerate the use of biocides 
> is
> ridiculous, and to subsidise destructive industries is stupidity. We must
> act for sanity and earth-care. Permaculture ethics require us to care for
> the earth. The permaculture lifestyle requires us to help others to care 
> for
> themselves. Our ethics and lifestyle are the very best training for
> responsible government.
>
> By supporting public trusts, Holland has greatly reduced and in fact 
> largely
> eliminated the 'public service' (read: public stumbling block) to a very 
> few
> people, thus, we must see the real function of government not to invent
> policies, but to discover existing policies that work well for problem
> solutions.
>
> Most politicians arise from sportsmen, public broadcasters, film stars,
> lawyers, and businessmen. None of these can be trusted to evolve sensible
> policy; almost all of them operate on conviction based on personal 
> beliefs.
> (no basis for sustainable society)
>
> No, policy must be based on well-researched, extant, working models, and
> constantly refined by feedback from all levels of users or "consumers" of
> that policy. For instance, Finland is noted for the excellence of early
> education, Denmark for the volume of exports based on research, Sweden for
> developing energy systems that eliminate radio active wastes, or the risks
> of atomic energy. And so on.....
>
>
>
>
> Bangladesh has a wonderful system for lending to the poor, involving small
> loans, support circles for repayments, and good advice. There are very few
> 'bad loans'. We all need to adopt local cash management, credit unions, 
> mini
> banks, economies of fair exchange of services and goods, not taxed
> expenditure. We do not live to support public servants and bankers in
> luxury, or politicians in great comfort, or C.E.Os in obscene wealth. No, 
> it
> takes too much misery to keep a few manipulators too fat. We live to help
> our families and neighbours live a sustainable existence. This is what
> "policy" must be about.
>
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>


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