State and Local Government - Peter Latham

[Mark Barrett]

With apologies for cross / multiple posting - I tried sending this earlier
but it bounced from a number of lists, because the attachment, The State and
Local Government by Peter Latham, was too big. So instead I've uploaded it
and it can be found at the link below. As I mentioned in the 1st
attempt, this document although long has important info for anyone
interested to build a united front to challenge the corporate state in the
coming months, including a record of George Lansbury and the other Poplar
Councillors rebellions against Westminster public service and poor law
(benefits) cuts, illuminating and important chapters on the history and
present state of local government in the UK, an expose of the influential
New Local Government Network NLGN's new right agenda, likewise the move
towards directly elected local Mayors, plus summaries of the question of
land taxation and in particular an explanation on the tensions between
Marxist and Georgist thinking and a strong and supportive reference to the
Right to the City ideal and the seminal work of David Harvey. It also refers
to the writings of Paul Feldman of A World to Win and Dave Wetzel of the
Labour Land Campaign.

Here it is, please let me know if you can't access it and I will send it as
a Word Doc:
http://project2012.googlegroups.com/web/The_state_and_local_government%5B1%5D.doc?gsc=Lf0r2gsAAADNWqSpaOw-H4vFe5YHZRoC

Also, please see Ali's request for assistance over her work in securing some
kind of democratic ownership / accountability over the future of a cinema in
the Woking Guildford area - any assitance you can give her I am sure will be
most appreciated.

Cheers

Mark

On 2 August 2010 11:41, Mark Barrett <marknbarrett at googlemail.com> wrote:

> Hi Ali, and Everyone
>
> Thanks for the message about the local campaign and the question of what
> rights citizens have to attend meetings. Unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly
> what the rights situation is, so I'm passing your request on to other lists,
> as they may well be in a much better position to answer. Please can people
> read Alison's message below.
>
> I've also pasted a reply to Alison, and some info on the attached document
> which may be of interest to people on the lists cc/d to this mail.
> On 1 August 2010 12:46, Alison Banville <alisonbanville at yahoo.co.uk>wrote:
>
>> Hi all, and especially Mark,
>>
>> I've just come across this while searching for an independent venue in my
>> area (Woking, Guildford) to show a documentary. Please have a look at these
>> links. This guy, Mark Gudgen, is fighting to open an independent cinema on
>> the old sight in Guildford High St of the now closed Odeon - Guildford has a
>> multi-plex now of course.
>>
>> The council are really taking the piss with their secret meetings (par for
>> the course I know but still infuriating!) and wouldn't tell anyone why they
>> went for a bid which cost them £80,000! Mark, I think you would know what,
>> exactly, we are allowed to be privy to? Can we sit in on these meetings? Can
>> we request the details?
>>
>> The first link is from a year ago and the second brings it up to date. I
>> have emailed Mark to pledge my support to get this place open!
>>
>>
>> http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2053185_petition_for_independent_cinema_in_guildford
>>
>>
>> http://www.guildfordeye.com/visitor/news/more.detail/news.php?record_id=305
>> Cheers
>>
>
>
>> Hi again Ali
>>
>
>
>>  In my experience there are lots of closed sessions in local council
>> processes, and this is definitely one of the most frustrating aspects of
>> their workings. Personally my first instinct in these situations (in
>> addition to finding out as you are what exactly the rights situation is) is
>> to try and engage with the local papers, as they are often quite keen to do
>> stories of the david vs goliath type, so local residents plan vs corrupt and
>> secretive council plan, might be a good angle to pursue as Councillors and
>> Chief execs crave good headlines and to avopid bad ones as much
>> as Wesminster politicians do so that might have an effect. What do
>> others think?
>>
>> In addition I'm taking this opportunity to attach a long but well
>> researched document that Carol of the Labour Land Campaign has recently
>> forwarded to me. People might no agree with all its conclusions and /
>> or traditional Marxist slant, and it is long but if you spend some time with
>> it you will find illuminating and important chapters on the history and
>> present state of local government in the UK, an expose of the influential
>> New Local Government Network NLGN's new right agenda, likewise the move
>> towards directly elected local Mayors, plus summaries of the question of
>> land taxation and in particular an explanation on the tensions between
>> Marxist and Georgist thinking and a strong and supportive reference to the
>> Right to the City ideal and the seminal work of David Harvey.
>>
>> Because of the pressing need to forge a united, decentralised front in
>> response to the coalition, big cuts and big society rhetoric I thought this
>> document - while challenging reading - might in many ways be be a useful
>> primer..
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Mark
>>
>
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