Boyd Kellner, Newrybar
Helena Norberg Hodge’s regurgitation of the merits and otherwise of her beloved ‘localisation’ reveals a paucity of real-world political and social economic knowledge, in her rebuttal of my Echo letter (16 June).
More disturbingly is the citation of Via Campensina to bolster her argument, while completely silent on the fundamental tenets of Via Campensina – Struggle and Solidarity of oppressed and exploited third-world farmers, and this should include all workers in the capitalist neo-liberal world, where profit remains the dominant value.
Then to ‘question’ why society has reached the levels of social/ income, wealth inequalities, is staggeringly, incredibly ignorant and beyond reproach.
The eco-village movement genesis was the Findhorn intentional community in Scotland around the early ’60s. It is stated the this movement is still in the embryonic stages by its proponents, while I would argue that its idealism and middle-class mysticism have prevented a sobering assessment of today’s realpolitik for establishing a new paradigm of politics and living, supplanting global neo-liberalism.
Then to claim naively again that ‘localisation’ does provide a ‘safety net’ and ‘blueprint’ is ridiculous in the extreme, and completely ignores the social relationships and dynamics in the economic, neo-liberal political sense.
To go on and then claim ‘localisation’ offers our best hope for reversing climate change is again a total misunderstanding of how the structures and power dynamics of neo-liberalist capitalism are designed, and used, with the resultant effects it has on Eearth’s planetary ecosystems, which are deteriorating and degrading dramatically.
It’s not that many years ago that Ms Norberg Hodge boasted that it would be the ‘middle classes’ that would be the agents of change for ousting capitalist neo-liberalism – whatever happened?
However, I eagerly await to know how Ms Norberg Hodge will achieve this objective in her idealistic localisation paradise?
May I politely suggest, Helena, take the challenge up and actively participate, engage in the upcoming local government elections and political debate, which I am sure would be interesting, from the point of view of ‘localisation’ and how it resonates with the community? Think global, act local?
