OUR MISSION STATEMENT
To contribute, through mutual struggle, to the building of a equitably shared world by exposing and confronting the abuse of existing power relations and the cultural, financial and political structures and interests which sustain them and by developing and implementing an alternative socio-economic society based on an acknowledgement of the critical relationship of behaviour and power, the socialistic recognition of shared interests and needs, and a collective acceptance of the intrinsic benefits of individual and collective support and cooperation.
Welcome
Although, for a number of reasons our primary concentration is about the inter-relationships within, and between,the various communities in the North of Ireland, our hope is essentially to make a small contribution to a very necessary debate about the alternative political and financial relationships and structures common to practically every community across our world.
Our initial focus on Northern Ireland is primarily because alongside our self-destructive inter-communal conflict, within the 1960-1980 time frame, community action emerged for a relatively short time in both communities as a new style of economic and political activity attempting to provide an alternative to orthodox party politics and to the existing product distribution and financial structures.
In our naivety it appeared to many of those involved at the time as the embryonic form for a new revolutionary political movement.
In this we were not alone. In many similar movements across the world others believed much the same as they tried to develop new relationships and new community based structures offering new hope to the poor, the dis-possessed and the powerless.
We collectively failed. The neo-liberal financial model swept the world and we were told that, not only was finance capitalism the best form of developmental relationship, but that there was no alternative...it was undoubtedly the “end of history”.
Where necessary the state and associated financial institutions,and many NGO's (non-government organisations) were especially primed to co-opt the jargon and structures of community organising while jettisoning it's radical objectives - in as much as they were in any way lucid.
The reality is that in most instances they were not lucid. We were driven by our hope and our beliefs but there were not the comprehensive management skills much less a coherent political, economic and financial conceptual framework with which to guide our commitment.
There were, however, many lessons to be learned. The problem was, for a number of reasons, there was little attempt to build on, or share, these lessons.
We hope this site, as it explores the participants perceptions of YESTERDAY-TODAY-TOMORROW in their stories, their memories and across our forums will provide an opportunity to share, and build on, those lessons.
Without being dramatic it may be that the future of our world could depend on such a collective sharing and structuring process.
Good Luck
I wish you good luck with the site and,while I certainly would share many of your beliefs in as much as I understand them, I have to be honest and say that I think this being done more in hope than anticipation as I believe that we have long since passed any opportunity we may have had as a species to build a better society. Indeed, and this is after the election of Obama, "the new leader of the free world" (whatever that phrase means) I think we may have had some chance if yer man Columbus something or other hadn't discovered the New World (whatever that phrase means). Anyway too late or not good luck with the site. I will of occasion put up the odd comment as,and if, it develops......... not that that will be of much help.
