capitalism

In the e-book Democracy Unchained, Chapter 2 charts the rise of a corporatocracy that has re-fashioned the state to serve the needs of powerful corporations and their shareholders – particularly over the last 30 years. It states: “By the 21st century, fewer than 100 transnational corporations (TNCs) dominated the world economy …” and “… some of the largest TNCs now have annual profits exceeding the GDPs of many low and medium income countries. ” (pg21)

And in a separate chapter, the authors make the case for re-connecting with Nature and the existential threat to our survival if we don’t: for Capitalism with its profit driven growth is undermining the vital ecosystem support services that make life possible, not just ours but all life.

I want to take these two points alone – there could be more – and argue that we must radically re-define our starting point for any new constitution. We have to step outside the classic liberal approach to constitution design which has  trapped us in a narrow binary vision of the individual’s relationship with the State – the need to preserve the individual’s autonomy against coercion by the State, and to a lesser extent, society. Read More »Why we need a governing legislative framework at the heart of a new written constitution