'Winstanley' @ the Land & Freedom Camp, Clapham Common

[Mark Barrett]

Sorry not to have made it to the Camp! Hope it's going well!

The following I just sent to 15M International about J14 Israel, the
Palestinian self-determination movement and the wider, common struggle. I
hope it's of interest, about Winstanley and else besides. Love, Mark

 > Two points that might link the two struggles of Israel J14 and Palestine
economically are (1) the subsidising of settlements by Israeli taxpayers,
much of the profits from which end up in private financial hands. Another
potential link would be (2) a campaign to unite the two polities to reduce
housing costs and regressive tax burdens ( such as income tax ) by calling
for an Israel-Palestine wide land value taxation.

The latter would mean the socialisation of land rents throughout the realm,
with a tax-free band for small land-holdings or those on lower incomes whose
properties are used for owner/family residences. This would effectively kill
private property speculation by big corporate developers and their
bank-rollers), reducing house prices while also creating a new government
fund for Palestinian and Israeli public goods, with monies to be
redistributed justly across the green line. (Receipts, the rent-tax being
based on market value of land in question, would be highest in upmarket
places like Rothschild Blvd in Tel Aviv and lowest/zero in the poorest
settlements).

I would like to propose this idea is being actually about cracking down on
tax evasion, rather than thinking of it as a new tax. There is a strong
intellectual argument, which I happen to agree with which says that rent is
the return on land, and that it belongs to everyone because the rental value
of any piece of land is based upon its location value, the level of which is
based on either (a) natural resources, nature or God-given, in the case of
eg a place full of precious metals or (b) collective not individual human
effort, as in the case of a piece of property which is located near a tube
station, or great shops or a beautiful historic building. Either way, the
value has been created by collective, common processes which means that
morally and rationally the rental value, or economic fruit of that land
belongs to everyone. Therefore it should be available for the public purse,
and landowners should not be able to cream the rent just coz they had the
capital to purchase the land at artificially inflated and inaccessible
prices.

'Artificially inflated' is the right phrase because of the fact of
Riccardo's 'Law of Rent'. This says that if rent remains privatised, rising
wealth in the realm all or nearly all ends up in rising property prices (
instead of rising wages, for example). Hence, giving big, medium and even
small capitalist landowners the free lunch of the right to collect rent
returns on the community asset par excellence land or real estate is in
effect the ultimate, 'best kept secret' tax haven.

Yesterday, at our Bank of England picnic while talking with folk from UK
Uncut ( whose whole inspiring campaign, now emulated across the world ) is
ALL about tax evasion, as I posted last night in a report, we were looking
for a relevant global focus on Oct15 and we obviously talked about tax
havens. Wouldn't it be great if Uncut linked up with 15M? I mentioned
yesterday our idea to make the day of action about tax havens, and obviously
the obvious place to start on this is, as Uncut have thus far done, on
corporate tax avoidance. But what if we brought the land question into the
mix too? Wouldn't that be hugely powerful? It is inscribed on a sign on the
pediment of the Royal (ex-stock) Exchange building, high above us, and next
to the Bank of England where we picnicked yesterday 'The Earth is the Lord's
and the Fullness Thereof'.

Hey - the bourgeois bankers that built the City of London I itself a huge
tax haven with powers, still to this day believe it or not over the Queen
and the Prime Minister - they wrote that quote in their supposed piety. Let
us hoist them on their own petard!! If we are serious about global
r'evolution - we must focus on taxation, representation and closing the
loopholes that allow global players, corporate and individual - literally
get away with murder. In the West Bank, Nigeria, England, Libya, Israel or
wherever - everywhere - they rule with impunity because all the fiscal and
political rules are set in their favour. We need a global movement that
changes that, which democratises the fiscal and economic rules so that the
owners of capital have nowhere to run to.

And to do that we need to identify the loopholes and privileges that the
same elite keep secret from us - the best way to attack the financial elite,
bankers corporations investment houses and mega rich individuals is to focus
our collective forces on their tax freedoms and their representations at the
highest levels of governance. While at the same time demanding and building
new democratic structures that include all, both to drive the campaign
mobilisations but also in preparation to take power at the grassroots and
global levels.

Participation not False Representation! Down with the global financial
dictatorship! Close the tax havens! Tax the landowners! Take back the power
to create money! Back money with land! Tax international transactions! No
corporate representation without taxation! Redistribute tax to the people's
assemblies!

So let us think carefully about tax havens for Oct 15.

Let us surprise people by including private land in our definition of tax
havens. And let's keep the focus on the finance institutions - bankers not
only use traditional tax havens constantly, but they are also probably the
biggest private property owners of all.

There was, coincidentally another radical picnic yesterday in London. The
official 17$ one was at the Bank of England, in solidarity with Occupy Wall
St, but also other good comrades held another one ( and now it is a week
long camp! ) on Clapham Common.

The event was for land and freedom, and inspired by The English Diggers
(also known as The True Levellers, the equivalent of the sans-cullottes in
France and likewise as direct democrats / proto-communists betrayed after
the revolution by the bourgeois and later, palace counter-revolution. The
Diggers were a revolutionary group that fought for Parliament over King in
the English Revolution of 1649. Their leader Gerard Winstanley was a very
charismatic person whose many sayings echo down the ages. One unforgettable
one is 'The Earth is a Common Treasury for All'

And what's needed, in Palestine and Israel just as in England, France USA
Spain Greece and elsewhere is exactly that: for the seizing of the land's
economic value it's rental stream at market value FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES ie as
a 'common treasury for all'.

At the same time, banks - being a public services, and also by right part of
the commons -should have their private power to issue public credit removed.
When a government gets forced to do both those things, there is the
possibility for a new kind of money, backed not by thin air as is now the
case, or by Gold or Silver as in the past but finally by the ultimate
collaterel, the ultimate resource, the rock itself - land or 'real property'
as it is known in English Law.

If the government -any government, UK, Euro, Palestinian-Israel, other were
able to capture the rental value of the land and issue a new form of
debt-free money backed by the value of the land that is its sovereign right
if democratically constituted (ie when sovereignty vests ultimately direct
democratically with the local assemblies, and therefore the gov is rightly
constituted as a decentralised federal body ) then the land itself is now
the government's ( ie the people's) collateral (backing its money) and
source of revenue ( via socialised rents).

This is surely as it should be? Income tax and other regressive taxes on
human effort can then be reduced and people putting their feet up and
creaming in the rent like the banks and land developers ( eg in the
settlements, subsidised even before land tax is considered, by Israeli
taxpayers!!) and people like the Duke of Westminster in London (who also
owns tracts of Spain) can be stopped.

Plus a direct-linked Money Reform would mean would mean the end of national
deficits, unsustainable inflation based on the system of fractional reserve
and Central Banks and global capitalists pulling national politicians
strings.. Ok I've said enough. At the heart of it all is the question of
access to land. The hottest dispute here in the Uk is Dale Farm. With that -
land access in the form of lower rents, lower land prices and common spaces
for assemblies to build communes together without government intervention
except in cases where abuses of power are taking place we can build the New
Jerusalem.

Jesus Peace and Blessing Upon Him put the question of land access best of
all, so I will quote him last ' the birds have their nests and the foxes
have their holes but the Son of Man hath nowhere to lay his head' - Son of
Man, read Palestinians, poor Israelis, Dale Farm Travellers, Indignados
everywhere.

In short humanity itself.

Love and Solidarity!
------------------------------
*From: * no body <diggers360 at yahoo.co.uk>
*Sender: * politicsandspiritnetwork at yahoogroups.com
*Date: *Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:56:37 +0100 (BST)
*To: *<politicsandspiritnetwork at yahoogroups.com>
*ReplyTo: * politicsandspiritnetwork at yahoogroups.com
*Subject: *[politicsandspiritnetwork] Bike powered cinema screening of
'Winstanley', TONIGHT @ the Land & Freedom Camp, Clapham Common



Bike powered cinema screening of 'Winstanley', TONIGHT, Land & Freedom Camp,
Clapham Common
Time
18 September · 19:30 - 22:30
------------------------------
Location
@ the land & freedom camp on Clapham Common next to Holy Trinity Church
Clapham Common Northside London SW4 0QZ for a map visit:
www.landandfreedom.squat.net

Greetings,

Join us on Clapham Common this evening at the site of the Land & Freedom
Camp for a bike powered screening (courtesy of Electric Pedals) of Kevin
Brownlow's epic 1976 biopic of Gerrard Winstanley and the Diggers (the
radical 17th C land rights movement).

SCHEDULE HERE:
► 19:45-20:00 – Short slideshow of Kew Bridge Eco-Village and intro to film
► 20:00-21:45 – Winstanley Film
► 21:45-22:15 – 'Winstanley' open forum: discussion, readings, inspiration

The camp is right next to Holy Trinity Church.
TRANSPORT: 5 minutes walk from Clapham Common tube, but we recommend walking
or riding a bike 8)

FOR A MAP of the location, please visit: www.landandfreedom.squat.net
If you have any probs finding us, pls call: 07963 475 195.

See you this evening.

PS: There will be other activities happening at the camp this week. For more
info, please check: www.landandfreedom.squat.net
 



-- 
Apathy is Dead !
http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarider/5254770064/#/photos/solarider/5254770064/lightbox/




-- 
Apathy is Dead !
http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarider/5254770064/#/photos/solarider/5254770064/lightbox/
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