#social welfare schemes

[townpostin]

Jharkhand CM Promises ₹1 Lakh Annual Aid to Families if Re-elected

Soren transfers funds to women under JMMSY scheme, slams BJP for ‘divisive politics’ Hemant Soren pledges ₹1 lakh annual financial assistance to families if his government is re-elected in Jharkhand. RANCHI – CM Hemant Soren announced ₹1 lakh annual aid for families if re-elected, while criticizing BJP at a Hazaribagh event. At a public function in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant…

[iasguidance]

Janani Suraksha Yojana

Context: Janani Suraksha Yojana has shown remarkable success, with more than 88 per cent deliveries taking place in a hospital. About Janani Suraksha Yojana:  Launched in: 2005 Type pf scheme: Centrally sponsored scheme Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Aim: To reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery through financial…

[ifoughttime]

You folks would be happy to know that the Government of Karnataka, a state in India made all their public bus fare free for ALL women residents of the state. The upside of this was they saw a surge of women travellers, especially rural women to tourist places they never had access to before! The program has been launched for nearly 8 months and the number of women passengers has not gone down.

They witnessed it was easier for more women to take up job opportunities outside of their hometowns because they have access to travel without spending a chunk of their paychecks on travel fares.

THIS 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻

[sheltiechicago]

Srinagar, Indian Kashmir

A female worker of the social welfare department, working under the Anganwadi scheme, shouts slogans during a protest. Dozens of Anganwadi workers and helpers protested against the newly approved human resource (HR) policy framed by the government

Photograph: Farooq Khan/EPA

[singhary]

Social Security Schemes In India: Ensuring Welfare for All

Social security schemes in India are aimed at ensuring the welfare of all citizens. These schemes are intended to provide financial assistance to the economically weaker sections of society, including senior citizens, the disabled, and women. The Indian government has implemented several social security schemes that provide benefits such as pensions, insurance, healthcare, and other forms of assistance.

One of the most significant social security schemes in India is the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). This program provides financial assistance to the elderly, widows, and disabled persons who are below the poverty line. Other notable social security schemes in India include the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), which provide insurance coverage for accidental death and disability, as well as life insurance.

Furthermore, the government also has schemes for rural and urban populations such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, which aims to provide affordable housing to the urban poor, and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which aims to provide employment to rural households.

Read In Details: All About Social Security Schemes In India

Despite these efforts, there is still a long way to go in ensuring that social security schemes reach all those who need them. The government needs to focus on expanding the coverage of these schemes and improving their implementation to ensure that they truly benefit the most vulnerable sections of society.

[frothlad]

There's that post that makes the rounds, where Superman is shown being really angry that Billy Batson has been turned into Captain Marvel, chews out the old wizard, and goes to mentor the kid.

And it's a nice bit. It's a little too angry for Superman, I think; I expected more "this is a problem that has to be solved" than "how dare you do this to a child".

But it does incredible damage to Billy as a character. And I don't like it for that. It violates key principles of what kind of character Billy and Captain Marvel are and what kind of stories they tell.

Billy is, far more than Superman or Batman, a wish-fulfillment character for a child. Say a magic word and you are an adult, and powerful, and can't be hurt, and say the word again and you don't have any of an adult's boring responsibilities.

And Billy himself is an archetypical child adventurer, the same as Tintin or any of a hundred others: He goes out, finding trouble, getting into scrapes, uncovering plots, conspiracies, thefts, and schemes, and dealing with them. Cap relies on being Billy to investigate. (It is instructive to consider the variations in genre for Freddy and Mary as well; Freddy is less adventurer than social welfare investigator, while Mary is a girl and has girl adventures.)

The Superman scene's Billy is a victim, out of his depth.

The Billy I like is a champion, quick-witted, good-hearted.

It's all about what genre the characters are in. If you put Nancy Drew in a gothic, holy crap is that fucked up. If you put Scooby and the gang in Jeepers Creepers, holy crap is that fucked up. Animorphs is what happens if you put child adventurers into a realistic war story, and holy crap that is fucked up.

If you put Billy in a story where child endangerment is actually a thing, you've thrown away what the character is good at and intended for.

That is, of course, not to say that you can't genre-bend characters or that there isn't great possibility in deconstruction of genres.

But I don't have to like it. I like Billy in his native genre just fine, thank you.

(It is of course worth noting that the same Superman scene has extremely broad and extremely negative implications for Superman's relationship with Batman. You can't invoke child welfare for Billy and not for Robin.)

[nvr-pass]

the dehumanisation themes in general are churning in my head. obv there are some problems especially with the analogy to addiction, but in the larger societal context i find it very interesting. poverty and lack of social welfare forces you to dehumanise yourself. war dehumanises you. this goes double if you include big daddies and little sisters. war dehumanises those who fight it and it dehumanises the next generation who will only ever know to be instrumentalised in a larger scheme.

the way you are told from the beginning that the excessive use of plasmids is what turns people into splicers, and how you go on to massacre them as the standard enemy throughout the entire game. hammering home the point that you're not supposed to see them as people anymore. and at the same time you take plasmid after plasmid yourself because there simply is no other way to make it through rapture. when you lose control over them in the later chapters, how do you not think about how your are on your best way to become one of them? when you turn yourself into a big daddy, a process that is then and there described as an irreversible loss of all personhood, how do you not wonder if you'll ever be able to leave it behind even if the fight is won?

i think the implications are very clear and intentional by the end and i was disappointed that it wasn't brought up or adressed. i mean, just through those heavy implications i think it has its presence in the end. jack and the little sisters are the next generation, forever changed and (metaphorically) disfigured by someone else's war, decide to reach out to one another, to show compassion for each others despite everything that's been modelled for them. i just wish the dehumanisation jack is for forced through during the events of the game itself was addressed more. but then again, bioshock's ending being weak is far from being a groundbreaking take.

[read-marx-and-lenin]

Something I've heard often from centrist/liberal folk is that UBI would solve all problems in society, what are your thoughts?

It wouldn't.

Now, most UBI advocates I've talked to don't actually think it would solve all problems in society, but even at the most ambitious (UBI pegged to individual cost of living and granted in addition to existing welfare) it's still just social welfare. The capitalists are still in control of the means of production and the state, and they'll be able to cut these benefits if they ever decide they're negatively impacting profits, just like with any other welfare benefit. Social democratic reforms within a bourgeois state are never revolutionary.

But the worst part about UBI, at least from my USAmerican perspective, is that the mainstream idea comes from the likes of Andrew Yang, who wants to replace existing welfare with UBI, akin to a welfare equivalent of a flat tax scheme. His whole thing is that it will cut costs by eliminating any need to customize benefits, while ignoring the fact that cost of living isn't "one size fits all". If you replace say, a wheelchair subsidy with a flat UBI, you don't have any way of ensuring that the person can continue to afford their wheelchair. This form of UBI is just an austerity measure with gilded edges.

Welfare is better than no welfare. But UBI is nothing more than welfare. It doesn't socialize private property, it doesn't give the working class any more political power, it doesn't do anything to stop colonialism or imperialism and in an imperial core like the United States would do more to entrench it as it would be dependent on tax revenue that is directly proportional to colonial and imperial exploitation. Income inequality in the US is not just a question of capitalism, it's a question of imperialism and colonialism, and you can't just say "spread the money around more equitably" without asking where the money comes from.

Dismantling the structures of imperialism and colonialism is the most important task at hand for communists in the imperial core. The United States in particular has a profound role in suppressing working class movements across the globe, and if we can disrupt that we open the floodgates for countless revolutions elsewhere. So personally, as someone living in the US, that's my main interest.

[rockyp77mk3]

Mississippi and Kentucky have a high rate of Welfare recipients yet, they have a big Conservative influence in Government. Here are some forms of Socialism we have in America. Which of these would you get rid of?

Fire and Ambulance

Postal Service

Road and Bridge Maintenance

Social Security and Medicare

Farm Subsidies

Local Law Enforcement

The definition of socialism is a state where the government owns the means of production, distribution, and exchange. Private ownership in general and private sector business in particular are discouraged, prohibited, or regulated and taxed into extinction. In other words it is a system that seeks to destroy capitalism and centralize power.

Fire services, police departments, road infrastructure, and a postal system fall under the duties of a lawfully elected government. We the people authorize by vote and benefit from these things and they encourage prosperity under the capitalist system. These services in no way seek to control our ability to use a fire extinguisher, protect ourselves, or send an Email.

Farm subsidies can fall into the category of buying votes from the public coffer and while not socialist should be eyed critically.

Social security is a non voluntary retirement Ponzi scheme. In theory it should help workers who contribute to it have a retirement cushion. In reality politicians have raided the fund and used it for other purposes. It however is not socialist because it is an earned benefit. A better, private sector solution would be to allow workers to take their FICA and invest it independently.

Medicare, while not socialist has become something of an abomination that delivers very little of what was promised. There are better solutions.

For years people who tout Socialism as the be all-end all have pointed to roads, police, and fire departments as examples of the socialist dream. These people overlook the fact that these things, which we provide for ourselves, do not eliminate the concept of private property and resources which is the core to the socialist ideal.

[max1461]

I think that welfare econ-style reasoning, where people are modeled as having well-defined utility functions and we can ask about things like the efficiency of a given allocation scheme for resources wrt utility and so on, is incredibly useful as a tool for thinking about questions of policy. But like many models that work well at a macro scale, it falls apart and becomes ill-defined and actively misleading if applied to the micro-scale of individual humans, and their individual wants, needs, and social relations. Utilitarianism works at a political scale, but the humanistic world is far outside its domain of applicability and it fails to be a good theory of ethics or, for most of us, a good guiding life philosophy.

Like any model, it's important to remember that it's only a model, and to keep a watchful eye for these places where the messy ground truth rears its ugly head.

[milfstalin]

While campaigning, the NPP argued that the current terms of the IMF programme are not favourable to the disadvantaged poor and working classes, Rajni Gamage, a research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, told Al Jazeera.

Cuts in social welfare schemes and increases in taxes made by Wickremesinghe’s government as a result of the IMF deal have hurt economically weaker sections of society the most.

“They [the NPP] feel like the deal has been quite unfair and that it favours the more wealthier sections more,” Gamage said.

Dissanayake said he will renegotiate the IMF bailout plan to make the austerity measures more bearable.

But he and his party have made it clear that they do not plan to scrap the deal and will seek only tweaks. Dissanayake has not spelled out what provisions of the IMF pact he might look to renegotiate.

In general, though, Dissanayake’s party envisions a “protectionist local economy”, prioritising “local industrialisation, domestic production, and favouring small and medium enterprises”, Gamage said.

[...]

Even though he won the election, Dissanayake did not get the votes of many Tamils, who make up 12 percent of the population of 22 million and are the country’s largest ethnic minority.

All leading candidates in the race were Sinhalese.

Opposition leader Premadasa won 40 percent of the cumulative vote across the country’s Tamil-majority areas. He has tried to appeal to Tamil voters even though his father, former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, was assassinated by a Tamil separatist group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in 1993. The ITAK backed Premadasa in the election.

Dissanayake, on the other hand, said he does not regret supporting the Rajapaksa government’s war against the Tamil Tigers. The civil war was quashed in 2009 under President Mahinda Rajapaksa after 26 years.

Still, Dissanayake made a call for unity in his inauguration speech.

“There are things I know and things I don’t know, but I will seek the best advice and do my best. For that, I need the support of everyone,” he said.

Tamil leaders have expressed optimism that Dissanayake will steer clear of sectarian politics.

23 Sept 2024

[townpostin]

Citizen Support Centers Transform Rural Jharkhand: Jean Dreze

NSKs Bridge Gap Between Government Services and Villagers Jharkhand’s Nagarik Sahayata Kendras revolutionize rural governance, empowering marginalized communities by facilitating access to essential services across 76 blocks. RANCHI – Nagarik Sahayata Kendras in 76 Jharkhand blocks are transforming rural governance, facilitating access to essential services for marginalized communities. The…

[pilferingapples]

I have seen Gavroche the Musical and maybe that's why I can't sleep

Spoilers under the cut though this is NOT a coherent review post , it's gonna be long and confusing like the musical itself HEYOOOOO and somehow have spoilers so. here we go

this show...is definitely a show

seriously all the songs are very "Musical! The Musical!!" you know?

The Thenardiers are running a welfare scheme

ignoring that this is genuinely straight up right wing propaganda about how welfare works, yeah ok they would run any grift but

their whole "fraudulent scheme" consists of trying to convince ...canon era social workers? Aid for Dependent Children? IDEK-- that they are Super Poor and have children to feed and they need help

And ?!? they ARE super poor! They DO have children to feed! Their welfare scheme is just applying for welfare that they definitely need

They do this by kicking Eponine and Azelma out so the Social Services People...of 1832...will only see the momes

which if anything means they are applying for less welfare than they are entitled to

but the song is in minor key and the Ts are transparently bad parents so this is supposed to be Evil somehow , and we're all supposed to cheer when the cops arrest them and then do not help the kids at all

It's hare to tell because the costuming in the version I saw was very haphazard but I think the cops?? were only posing as social workers? So they could arrest the Ts for a totally different crime? But we're still supposed to cheer when they arrest the parents because haha , they were poor and bad! Who do they think they are, asking for *checks notes* financial aid they are entirely entitled to have?

the cops are the good guys?? sort of?? they keep showing up to arrest the Ts and the show always frames it as a good thing

the revolutionaries...are also the good guys

I was very unclear on how the revolutionaries died but hilariously they ALL die, even Marius , because there's no Valjean in this

oh yeah, there's no Valjean, no onscreen Cosette, and no named Javert, though there are cop characters who could be Javert

there IS Mabeuf, and Eponine goes to him for info about Marius, but the show seems to think he's called "Father" Mabeuf for religious reasons, oh no

I was also unclear about what they were fighting for, which is an absolute trip when this was an uprising with an exceptionally clear and direct purpose ("MONARCHY BAD, REMOVE MONARCH BY FORCE IF NECESSARY")

I was VERY clear on the momes naming themselves Grizzly and Croissant

I am not gonna forget that possibly ever , my loved ones will gather round me and I'll murmur " but those names...are so bad...they aren't even easy to use in...a song" and Perish and my last thoughts will be of frigging Gavroche The Musical , a dire fate

Azelma and the momes live and go to America alone?? and have a great life?? does anyone remember what happened in the book. Does anyone remember what was happening in the US in this time period?? certainly THIS musical does not!

It is pretty directly stated that Grizzly and/or Croissant came back to Paris to tell his family's story--which, I gotta say, he has no way to know since most of it happened when he wasn't around and no one survived to tell him about it -- and became the tour guide in the first scene

but the tour guide in the first scene showed them the Gavroche statue

..that statue went up in 1904

This is Love Never Dies levels of Timelines Happening

Gavroche the Musical 2 is gonna be about Gavroche running an amusement park on coney island

ngl I'd watch that

I haven't covered HALF the things About the Show

I gotta apologize to action movies for making fun of "well THAT happened" dialogue because truly. It IS an emotion, and it's the one I'm feeling now.

[jknerd]

NIMH AU: Mr. Ages

Full Name: Arthur Ages

Species: Human -> Im-Human (through experiment in NIMH)

Age: In 60s

Gender: Male

Other names: Mr. Ages, Artie

Occupations: Physician, pharmacist, inventor, teacher

Residence: Ages’ Clinic, New Bund of Im-Humans

Family: Christopher Ages (son; deceased), Lorna Ages (daughter; deceased)

Relationships: Nicodemus (close friend), Jonathan Brisby (friend; deceased), Elizabeth Brisby (acquaintance-> friend), Auntie Shrew (acquaintance->friend), Justin (ally), Jenner (enemy), Drago Welker (enemy), Timothy Brisby (patient; formerly)

Likes: Solitude, researching new discoveries Dislikes: Visitors, war, Justin’s pranks, Auntie Shrew’s brute strength, Jenner’s schemes/advances towards Elizabeth Brisby, Drago Welker’s rude and aggressive behaviors

Arthur Ages, normally known as Mr. Ages, is an Im-Human who work as physician, pharmacist, inventor and a researcher. Formerly a war prisoner, he was sent to NIMH to be experimented along with his son and daughter. However, they were killed during the sunlight endurance test as scientists labeled them “failures”, leaving him traumatized. However, with given immense intelligence and wise knowledge, he participate in an escape plan with other victims. While establishing the Bund, Mr. Ages continues to research of Im-Human’s health, social behaviors, strengths, weaknesses, and other details. At one point, he noticed the change from Jonathan Brisby’s behavior and became one of a few who learns of his marriage with Elizabeth. When Timothy was born prematurely, Jonathan felt fear of losing Elizabeth, via death, and grown determined to find ways to make her one of the Im-Humans without painful experiments as Nicodemus and Mr. Ages reluctantly assisted him. By the time Jonathan’s ruby amulet was complete, Mr. Ages warned of what potential the stone could have as he and Jonathan witnessed Jenner’s descent into darkness. When Jonathan’s youngest turned three, he has heard of Jonathan’s death and attended his funeral. Despite his bitter tendencies, he felt sympathy for the Brisby Widow and her children.

When Timothy has grown severely ill, hearing symptoms from Elizabeth caused Mr. Ages to grow curious as normally, the ones with DNA of Im-Humans are immune from diseases as he initially diagnosed it as pneumonia. However, he actually informed Nicodemus about the symptoms. Along with him and Justin, he witnessed with concern as battle plane released bomb carelessly nearby Brisby house and decided the Thorn Valley Bund plan must proceed now. Much later, he met Elizabeth and her children in their moving manor, figuring out that late Jonathan must have left magic and its trinkets in the house to help his family house moving for their safety. Taking Elizabeth to the Bund, he announced of Elizabeth’s family moving on the same schedule the Bund would move to the Thorn Valley. Throughout the days, he remained suspicious of Jenner’s behaviors and would be seen noticing the chemistry between Elizabeth and Justin.

It was found out that Mr. Ages attempted to drug the gatekeeper Drago to move their Bund undetected. But, the plan went awry when the drunk Drago injured him, causing the old Im-Human physician to broke his leg. When Elizabeth decided to volunteer to distract Drago, Mr. Ages openly disagreed as he was aware of the gatekeeper’s lecherous feelings for her. However, he relented and agreed to gave her the sleeping powder to drug Drago. Throughout the moving, he was constantly worried of her welfare until Jenner secretly immobilized Brisby manor, causing the “accident” that killed Nicodemus. With Jenner and his supporters taking upper hand, he helplessly watched the council nearly swayed by his tactics. When Elizabeth returned unharmed, he sorrowfully announced Nicodemus’ death but was alarmed when she told him and the Im-Humans that NIMH would be approaching. When Jenner abducted Elizabeth, Mr. Ages tried to stop him but was shoved away. Along with Sullivan, he informed Justin about Elizabeth in danger and assisted the young captain to save her. Mr. Ages was quick to get Elizabeth away as soon as Justin stopped Jenner from his attempt on raping her. When Sullivan died as he made final blow on Jenner who was about to kill Justin, he mourned the redeemed man but noticed Elizabeth was gone. He rushed back with others, only to find Brisby manor completely destroyed but relieved to see her and her children unharmed.

Mr. Ages expressed shock to see Sullivan and Nicodemus alive, finding it possible by the power of ruby gemstone made by late Jonathan. Furthermore, he expressed immense relief to see Timothy conquering the sunlight as he became a full Im-Human. Through several days of Brisby’s wheeling manor to be rebuilt, Mr. Ages witnessed Justin becoming crestfallen and conflicted, figuring out the reason why. In the meantime, he was nagged by Auntie Shrew who tended his leg injury. When at night before the family’s departure, he asked Auntie Shrew to take children out when Justin visited Elizabeth, fully aware of the situation between them. At the day Brisby family left, he was seen silently agreeing with the council appointing Justin as new leader of Im-Humans in behalf of late Jonathan. Mr. Ages then noticed a small changes from Elizabeth as she seemed to cease the aging and inwardly muttered how Jonathan could be unpredictable yet so devoted at the same time as he wished the Brisby family good luck in their journey with newly built moving manor.

[rajasthan-political-leader]

Prosperous Rajasthan, Prosperity in Every Home: Colonel Rajyavardhan Rathore’s Vision for Growth

Colonel Rajyavardhan Rathore, a distinguished leader and visionary, has consistently advocated for the holistic development of Rajasthan. Under his leadership and the guidance of the double-engine BJP government, Rajasthan is making remarkable strides toward progress, with a vision of prosperity reaching every home across the state.

This initiative aims to ensure equitable growth, foster innovation, and elevate the quality of life for every Rajasthani citizen.

Key Pillars of Prosperity in Rajasthan

1. Economic Growth and Industrial Development

Rajasthan is evolving into an industrial powerhouse by:

Promoting investments through initiatives like the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit.

Encouraging public-private partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure and industry.

Developing special economic zones (SEZs) for diverse sectors, including textiles, IT, and energy.

2. Rural Upliftment and Agriculture

Col Rathore has emphasized the importance of rural development with initiatives such as:

Modernizing irrigation systems to boost agricultural output.

Supporting farmers with subsidies, training, and advanced technology.

Strengthening supply chains to ensure fair prices for produce.

3. Education and Skill Development

For long-term prosperity, focus is being placed on:

Establishing new educational institutions like Kalwad Mahavidyalaya.

Launching skill development programs to prepare the youth for emerging industries.

Promoting digital literacy and IT education across rural and urban areas.

4. Infrastructure Development

The government’s efforts to enhance infrastructure include:

Building smart cities and IT hubs near Gurugram and Jaipur.

Expanding road and rail connectivity to facilitate trade and mobility.

Implementing sustainable energy projects to power urban and rural communities.

5. Women Empowerment and Social Welfare

Col Rathore has consistently championed:

Women-led development by promoting entrepreneurship and leadership roles.

Strengthening welfare schemes aimed at health, education, and safety for women and children.

Launching programs to uplift marginalized communities.

6. Promoting Tourism and Culture

Rajasthan’s rich heritage is being leveraged to boost tourism with initiatives such as:

Modernizing tourist facilities across historic landmarks.

Showcasing the state’s culture through global fairs and events.

Encouraging eco-tourism and rural tourism for a diversified experience.

Colonel Rajyavardhan Rathore’s Leadership in Action

Colonel Rathore’s dynamic approach involves:

Engaging with communities to understand grassroots challenges.

Advocating policies that address regional disparities and focus on inclusivity.

Leading initiatives like the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme to enhance local economies.

A Vision for Every Home in Rajasthan

Colonel Rathore’s dream of prosperity focuses on:

Economic stability in every household.

Access to quality healthcare, education, and infrastructure for all citizens.

Ensuring dignity, opportunity, and safety for every Rajasthani.

Conclusion

Rajasthan’s journey toward prosperity is a testament to the visionary leadership of Colonel Rajyavardhan Rathore and the dedication of the double-engine BJP government. By focusing on inclusive growth, innovation, and community engagement, Rajasthan is well on its way to becoming a model of progress and prosperity in India.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Change Yourself, Change The World

Lifestylism is the theory that major social change will only come about through individuals changing the way that they live and relate to other individuals. It is vital for revolutionaries to examine and change the way that they live — for example to tackle racism and sexism in themselves and others. Those who don’t, ‘speak with a corpse in their mouths’. But on it’s own this is not enough.

Lifestylism is an individualistic theory. It believes that society is made up of individuals who possess real choices about how they live: for example whether they do waged work and what job they do, whether they live communally, pay rent, squat etc. If enough people make the right moral or ethical choices and act upon them, reform or major social change will occur – right?

Many people look critically at what food they buy and eat, for reasons of health, ecology, animal liberation and social justice. They boycott ‘Third World’ cash crops such as tea, coffee and sugar in favour of “non-exploiting” home produce; buy freerange and organic wholefoods rather than food that is factoryfarmed and chemically treated, refined or adulterated; adopt vegetarian or vegan diets rather than meat or dairy ones. In the wider areas of consumption, lifestylists boycott ‘bad’ companies connected with oppressive regimes, vivisection or the arms trade. Similarly, they favour small shops and co-operatives rather than supermarkets and hierarchical businesses.

However, campaigning against ‘bad companies’ implies that there are ‘good’ companies. Big companies are only worse than small ones because they are bigger. In a class society, worker and consumer co-ops are only a milder form of exploitation. Because they are environmentally concerned they buy green products that claim to be eco-friendly and try to recycle what they use. Gardens and allotments are used to produce fruit and vegetables, and LETS (Local Exchange Trade Schemes) enable people to directly exchange goods and services at a local level and with minimum use of money.

Many lifestylists are also pacifists, people opposed to violence, particularly the existence of the military and the criminal waste and misallocation of resources of the arms trade. Peaceful methods are the means to an end; a peaceful society. Because all behaviour is a matter of individual choice, police on pickets and demonstrations (for example) should be treated as individuals who “can be nice to you if you’re nice to them”. For a number of pacifists all violence is equally bad (whether committed by oppressors or oppressed), so it was wrong for demonstrators to defend themselves; they should simply lie down passively while being arrested or beaten up. Some pacifists even argue against using peaceful force, for example a nonviolent workplace occupation, because it is ‘violent’ to impose your will on other people, yet they remain blind to the institutional violence of Capitalism, which – for example — routinely kills, injures and harms thousands of workers in the name of profit.

The fundamental flaw of lifestylism as a political theory is its individualistic basis. As anarchist communists we see individual freedom as vital, but the guarantee of this lies in the social freedom of all. We live in a class society that is organised for the wealth and power of an elite, the ruling class (Bosses, Landlords, Judges, Politicians, Top Military, Police and Civil Servants). The majority of people — the working class — have no real choice about how they live. They are forced to do boring, useless (and unhealthy) work for a boss, the drudgery of fulltime housework and childcare, or the poverty and harassment of “living” on welfare benefits.

The reality is that production for profit inevitably means the domination and exploitation of people, useless production, the ruination of nature, its pollution and destruction. The people who decide what is produced and how are neither workers nor consumers. They are the people who own the means of production (land, factories etc), the bosses and landlords. Their sole motivation is profit by domination and exploitation. Organised consumer campaigns can have an effect, if allied to workers’ action, for instance boycotting the production of goods during a strike. What is needed is local and national organisation, and collective direct action, ending in the working class seizing the means of production and reclaiming those places denied to us and simultaneously creating structures where everyone has a direct say about all aspects of society: workplace and neighbourhood councils, street committees and so on. Only in such a classless society — Anarchist Communism — will we have production for use in a world human community that is also in harmony with nature.