We Can Live Without Capitalism

On September 17, 2008, as the governments of the world scrambled to prevent the collapse of the global financial system, Enric Duran, a Catalan anticapitalist organizer, announced a daring act of 'financial civil disobedience.' Over the past two years Duran had borrowed 492,000 euros (approx 664000 US) from 40 different banks with no intention of paying the money back. As a protest of the global financial system and the inherently exploitative nature of commercial banks, Duran distributed the money to various anticapitalist social movements in Spain and used it to publish 200,000 copies of a magazine called Crisis that detailed critiques of the commercial banking system. He was dubbed 'Robin Hood of the Banks' by the media.

Duran left the country to avoid prosecution and began a campaign to organize debtors and bank depositors with with the Barcelona-based Crisis Collective. On March 16, 2009 Duran returned to Barcelona to announce a second publication at a press conference. The publication, Podem (Catalan for "We Can"), outlines ways to begin to organize a post-capitalist society. 350,000 copies of the magazine, created and edited by hundreds of volunteers, were distributed for free across Spain. On March 17th, Duran was arrested for fraud at the University of Barcelona. Supporters of Duran held a demonstration for his release on at the Barcelona police station on March 18th. (Check http://17-s.info for legal updates.)

'We Can Live Without Capitalism' is the central piece of Podem, outlining a popular response to make the rich pay for the financial crisis. It calls for people to organize alternatives to capitalism by removing deposits from banks, ceasing payments of debts and mortgages, and developing self-managed institutions to meet peoples needs.

We Can Live Without Capitalism

A plan of action to profoundly free ourselves from the current system

We're rebelling against the old world and declaring the civilization of unused private property a shipwreck. We're announcing the beginning of a new era of the right to use, of an economy of common goods and resources. On September 17th, 2009, after a few months of transition, we will begin to live without capitalism.

Following the arguments detailed in the articles on page 4 and 5, we proceed in these central pages to detail how we're going to put into practice--not just into words--a way of living that constructs of a new model of society. Before going into more details, we'll start with the current social situation.

The context for how we're mobilizing

Thinking about how to mobilize before this crisis, in an unfavorable situation for so many people and small business, many people look towards the unions, waiting for the magic words. And the only means of pressuring the government for the benefit of common people is the general strike. But after thinking about the unions, we have to focus on what is currently happening to the labor force, as well as what is happening to other social institutions and the means of communications. For example:

* The number of workers working for large companies or in industry has dropped compared to those in the service sector or those that have left for other countries. When we imagine a workplace with think more of an office and less of a factory.

* Long-term contracts have been declining. There is more mobility between businesses, more temporary work, and more workers who chose to be self-employed.

* The leadership of the large unions have integrated themselves in the power structure in such a way that they only mobilize when workers are vocal and doing nothing would make them loose credibility. And then they only moblilize for very concrete demands.

Given that we're seeking actions that have a real force, we consider the general strike a means of applying consistent pressure on the economy of a country, not simply not going to work. For that reason, it doesn't really matter if workers at large companies go to work if the supply lines are blocked and their suppliers can't bring them materials. The Argentine piqueteros understand this perfectly; with a social base of unemployed workers they have learned how to cut off the city of Buenos Aires with road blockades.

In the Spanish state there are 22 million economically active people, of which a little over 3 million are unemployed (and rising daily), a little over 3 million are self-employed and 11 million are on indefinite work terms. The other 5 million are divided between businesses owners, cooperative workers, and temporary workers. (Forgive the reference to the state, it's only to express the information in relation to other areas.

It's important to have in mind that currently there are many other subjects that can mobilize aside from employed workers. If a general strike is organized with the objective of truly making the rich pay for the crisis, then maybe a lot of people can be mobilized. Given the circumstances, we believe that it's totally possible to call a powerful general strike without the large unions if it's organized at the right time and if we believe in it ourselves. Having said this, thinking in the context of systemic crisis, a general strike isn't sufficient. The main task is to bring about a new way of living that takes capitalism out of our lives so that little by little it can leave the life of everyone.

So if a general strike is called by the militant unions and social movements, we'll support if. But from this publication we make a call to go beyond that.

Continuing with the Plan of Action

This proposal has been developed over the past weeks out of an open debate online at http://www.17-s.info - it was reaffirmed at a meeting at Perpignan. First of all, we declare that this proposal is based in a sense of joy and in active non-violence. This is a proposal—directed at the whole of society—to reconsider the way things work, seeking its highest expression of creativity, solidarity, and mutual cooperation.

A huge act of social transformation in a moment like this one needs to be representative so that everyone can not only be part of the process, but identify with it. At the same time, it's achievement has to signify a vast change in relationships of power and create coherent alternatives, such as 'de-growth' (1) and self-management, that can be defended as they become more collective.

These ideas are part of the call 'We can live without capitalism,' with which we seek to initiate the process of creating new forms of post-capitalist social organization. To continue with the distinct arguments and elements of the call:

The fact that banks have created too much money without a base in the real economy is a direct cause of the crisis. When people can't pay the money back, it's demonstrated that this money doesn't exist. Following this the reaction of the banks has been 1) to quit making credit available, making a lot of money disappear and making it impossible to return the money and 2) asking for (and receiving) a lot of money in order to balance the books. But this hasn't worked to make the credit markets provide money for people—the ones who really need it to live. Meanwhile, thousands of people are unemployed, since businesses no longer produce as much and the majority can't pay their debts because there isn't money to do it with.

This sinking of capitalism is marked by multiple crises--in energy, of the environment, of the distribution of wealth, of values--that demonstrate that the system is in crisis and that it isn't a good idea—or even a viable one—to prop it back up. .

The pie hasn't been able to keep growing; the enrichment a wealthy minority and the dignified life of the majority are no longer compatible. In other words, without growth capitalism's economic recovery is incompatible with our quality of life and the health of the environment.

States insist of perpetuating this unrealistic model of perpetual growth to the point that they have clearly broken the last prestense of protecting 'the common good'--the place where their power theoretically comes from. For this reason, the participants in this call revoke the deposit of sovereignty we've made as their subject. From here on we'll begin to exercise our sovereignty in a direct way, following our own principles.

Many people are convinced that an alternative way of running society could function much better than the current system, one based in popular self-management, the right of use, and an economy of common resources and common goods. To bring this into practice we've gone so far as to declare invalid any private property that's unused, abandoned, or in danger of detonation as long as there is someone who needs it.

Before arriving at this point—so that it can't be said that we're haven't tried to convince the government to initiate a a transition to another model—we'll make a concrete demand, one of the most important ones that will have to be met in order construct an economy that doesn't need to grow:

We must take the power to create money from nothing away from the banks. Loans should only be a tool to aid in production when necessary, and they should be interest-free. In order to do this, all banks should become property of the people be means of permanent nationalization.

We give the governments of the world the deadline of June 30th, 2009 to present a plan of post-capitalist transition that includes these methods. If this doesn't happen, we will permanently revoke the deposit of popular sovereignty given to states and begin the transition from the below—without counting on the governments. Since we understand that governments almost certainly won't respond, we're putting in the necessary work to make the following calendar of action a reality. We encourage you to participate!

You'll find a list of preliminary actions we've propsed from here to until September listed on the side. From September 17th, 2009, under the banner 'We Can Live Without Capitalism' thousands of people and groups will take the first steps that will signify a massive desertion of the system's institutions and initiate a new post-capitalist era in our lives.

These action include:

* Removing all money from banks and defaulting on debts and mortgage payments. In the case of bank deposits, anyone who wants to move forward can do it. (More information on the bank strike can be found on page 7).

* Stopping rent payments. We'll collaborate to keep people in their homes.

* Stopping payments for basic services or only paying what we consider to be fair.

* The collectivization of the basic resources that the system doesn't utilize or abuses: land for cultivation, empty apartments, leftover food in the marketing chain.

The defense of basic services, housing, and collective resources with direct action and mutual aid by all participants.

* The use of money only when it's essential in small businesses (bakeries, grocery stores, etc.) We'll progressively construct alternatives to money at the same time.

* These acts of desertion will be accompanied by many others that will be happening, but among all of use we can generalize:

o The creation of alternatives: sharing, barter, free stores, 'really free markets,' alternative currencies, popular assemblies and cooperatives. We'll be learning to live without money and share, assuring that all of the participants have their basic needs covered.

At the same time that we begin to live without capitalism we will initiate one--or, even better--various public events with anyone interested in doing so.

Starting on September 17th, every third Thursday of the month will be considered a day of public debate about the organization of society, offering people the chance to compare capitalism with the post-capitalist proposals we're constructing. We're inviting the whole world to become part of the process. The first of these debates will be October 15th. These days, using decentralized coordination among affinity groups, we'll hit the streets and ask the rest of the population to stop so that we can debate with everyone what kind of society we want to live in.

This plan of action is subject to variation given the circumstances and collective intelligence of those participating. Beyond today, this movement won't stop until this new process has achieved its goal—that is, until life after capitalism becomes a reality.

(1)Translator's Note: De-growth (in French: décroissance), is a movement advocates a gradual decrease in economic output.