[P2P-F] conservative critique of commons in Germany

Sun Jul 24 18:18:10 CEST 2011

Hi all, 

I agree as well, 100%, but I have two points to add: 

It looks like they don't know what they want:
on one hand they damn the state (as an alternative to the market) 
on the other hand they praise it, (f.i.: nobody needs the commons
because there are limits to private property everywhere, btw - that's
what they call the "enclosure of private property")
IN their example - Europe as public good (whereas they should have
analized the commons) - they express a very hierarchical and exlusive
notion of the State where not even NGOs are welcome (they call it:
"NGOization", but the State should be the only decision maker etc, etc.

Let me add a quote: 
"essentially the commons debate is usefull in one aspect: to put a price
on free goods in order to reduce their consumption". 
The constantly mix up everything. 

It is actually not worth to invest more time on this, as Stefan said,
not at an international level, but we have to respond publicly in German
to this article, at least I intend to write a blogpost about, because
the journal where this article is confronted to an essay I wrote
together with Felix Stein is actually read be decision makers. And it is
a great opportunity to react. 
The author is the chief-editor of a german business oriented newspaper
(Wirtschaftswoche). I was ask to propose sbd from the conservative side
to write this essay, but I just don't know anybody with a coherent
analisis. Therefore I was very keen to see whom they choosed and with
which results. Well, the results are disappointing.

All the best 
Silke 

IOn Sun, 2011-07-24 at 16:35 +0200, Brigitte Kratzwald wrote:
> I absolutely agree with stefan, no more points to add!
> 
> regards
> brigitte
> 
> Am Sonntag, den 24.07.2011, 11:20 +0200 schrieb Stefan Meretz:
> > Dear Michel,
> > 
> > just flew over the article, and find completely not interesting enough to 
> > invest more time. The authors simply didn't get the point, or, I guess, 
> > they intentionally miss it. Very brief the content:
> > - commons discourse is backward oriented
> > - throws away 200 years of scientific knowledge
> > - argues only morally
> > - expresses discomfort with technology and modernity
> > - there is no contradiction between common and private good
> > - it is rather a continuum, because private property is limited too
> > - commons = common property = public good
> > - Hardin was right, the tragedy of the commons "is an historical fact"
> > - only private property can limit total waste of environment
> > - sucessful example: CO2 certificates (and trade with them)
> > - the second part of the article is about "europe as a common good"
> > (where common good = public good = state governed good)
> > 
> > Found no serious counter argument. Conservatives do not require to be 
> > serious, they simply play with prejudices.
> > 
> > Maybe Silke or Brigitte are more gracious with their judgement...
> > 
> > Ciao,
> > Stefan
> > 
> > PS: Please change my address to stefan at meretz.de in your address list.
> > 
> > On 2011-07-20 04:40, Michel Bauwens wrote:
> > > Dear Stefan,
> > > 
> > > I was told this was a conservative counter-argument against the
> > > commons in Germany,
> > > 
> > > would it be possible to tell us the gist of it in english? eventually
> > > for publication?
> > > 
> > > see
> > > http://www.bpb.de/publikationen/OMIL3U,0,Vom_eigenen_Garten_zur_weltw
> > > eiten_Ressourcenverteilung_Essay.html
> > 
> > 
> 