At one end of the future spectrum is a premier urban nature reserve, an inspiring green space and healthy population of biodiversity sensitively used by tens of thousands of people to reconnect to nature and drive a green transition in modern life, a reattachment to nature, a counter balance to competitive commercial existence, a life line to a better future for millions in deprived communities, a model for better corporate engagement with local people, a new positive role for local authority- a flagship reserve for nature and people; a model of corporate-council-community co-operation.
At the other end of the spectrum is a tiny highly disturbed, ghetto-blasted and polluted, nature poor dog-spoiled green space and a couple of dog-filled polluted lakes tightly enclosed by industry, housing and warehouses set in a soup of toxic air- a testament to humanity's detachment from nature and descent into an over-developed, lack lustre, toxic, bickering, broken spirited overcrowded and miserable hell of it's own un-imagination.
I guess the actual future will be something along that spectrum.
So here's how the end game lines up for the different players/stakeholders from the three main societal structures:
PENNON/VIRIDOR CORPORATION
Pennon management board, Viridor management board, Pennon Shareholders, Employees and Sub-contractors and Beneficaries
Hand: The Elephant in the room that everyone is actually talking about, running around trying to appease and please and cleaning up its massive great big shits. These boys hold all the trump cards, all the money and all the power. They've got the conservation establishment sown up with hush money through Viridor credits, they hand out confectionery via the Community Fund to local groups to keep them quiet and they keep Sutton Council oppressed by industrial scale can-kicking down the road and can hold back enforcement action by local government with prohibitive legal costs. In effect they have absolute power and future outcomes all depends on their choices.
Value Extraction Options: Contribute to planetary and humanity's meltdown and rape the arse of the local area, using it as a dumping ground, pollute its air, destroy all its wildlife and send the local community into a spiral of despair, sickness, food banks and conflict. The resulting planetary meltdown of this general behaviour will result in most of Viridor/Pennon shareholders and employees and yes men going down the plug hole too except for a few senior directors living in personal paradises surrounded in a global wasteland with their own private security forces gunning down the locals trying to get the espalier apples in their walled gardens.
Value Creation Options: Maximise the use of positive energy in the area through proven long term and committed dedicated locals, high performing local community groups, local businesses, councillors and council officers to get maximum return on any investment into the development of the reserve. Value creation investment (which is external to shareholder return investment) is a forensic and complex operation and unless precision targeting is utilised- these extremely restricted funds are easily intercepted and wasted by low performing middle parties. Incentivise the genuine local value creation community by directing tax credits and s106 community funds to them and for the Pennon Directors to liaise directly with these local value creation community reps. These community reps should be present at all board meetings related to Beddington Farmlands. This direct link between senior power and senior value creation front line workers is essential.
So here's how the end game lines up for the different players/stakeholders from the three main societal structures:
PENNON/VIRIDOR CORPORATION
Pennon management board, Viridor management board, Pennon Shareholders, Employees and Sub-contractors and Beneficaries
Hand: The Elephant in the room that everyone is actually talking about, running around trying to appease and please and cleaning up its massive great big shits. These boys hold all the trump cards, all the money and all the power. They've got the conservation establishment sown up with hush money through Viridor credits, they hand out confectionery via the Community Fund to local groups to keep them quiet and they keep Sutton Council oppressed by industrial scale can-kicking down the road and can hold back enforcement action by local government with prohibitive legal costs. In effect they have absolute power and future outcomes all depends on their choices.
Value Extraction Options: Contribute to planetary and humanity's meltdown and rape the arse of the local area, using it as a dumping ground, pollute its air, destroy all its wildlife and send the local community into a spiral of despair, sickness, food banks and conflict. The resulting planetary meltdown of this general behaviour will result in most of Viridor/Pennon shareholders and employees and yes men going down the plug hole too except for a few senior directors living in personal paradises surrounded in a global wasteland with their own private security forces gunning down the locals trying to get the espalier apples in their walled gardens.
Value Creation Options: Maximise the use of positive energy in the area through proven long term and committed dedicated locals, high performing local community groups, local businesses, councillors and council officers to get maximum return on any investment into the development of the reserve. Value creation investment (which is external to shareholder return investment) is a forensic and complex operation and unless precision targeting is utilised- these extremely restricted funds are easily intercepted and wasted by low performing middle parties. Incentivise the genuine local value creation community by directing tax credits and s106 community funds to them and for the Pennon Directors to liaise directly with these local value creation community reps. These community reps should be present at all board meetings related to Beddington Farmlands. This direct link between senior power and senior value creation front line workers is essential.
LIBERAL DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED SUTTON COUNCIL
Tom Brake MP, Councillors, Council Officers, Council Management Board
Hand: A crippled, broken and sub-dued state relic and Lib Dem party bunker, stripped of funds and powers and now playing an administrative role over large contracts in the hands of Private Corporations. An administrative role in which they have very limited money, resources and only limited staff to attempt to control Corporate monsters. All they can do is clean up the monster's shit as much as possible and do anything they can to appease the beast including winning favour by destroying the reputations and work of local community value creators in order to please the masters or simply out of frustration for their own powerlessness despite their lofty titles and historical significance .Most of the senior management are just praying for retirement and escape the area to Cornwall or Devon.
Value Extraction Options: Enable/Facilitate Viridor in their value extraction option.
Value Creation Options: None apart from playing double agents between Senior Corporate Power and Senior Front Line Value Creators.
LOCAL COMMUNITY
Individuals, Community Groups, Local Media, Local Business, Political Opposition
Hand: A fragmented, disparate, un- cohesive and broken, depressed and anxious mass of victims of the Corporate-Council value extraction agenda. Many deluded, under chemical anti-depressant control, wrapped up in Tinder and Love Island and hoping things will change with them doing fuck all about it. When the food dries up at the food banks that lot will start starving to death. Embedded within this mess is a community of front line value creators.
Value Extraction Options: Roll over to the victim/inert role and descend into personal states of eternal despair or leave the area as refugees. The victim role has many options including taking loads of illegal drugs, shag anything that moves, parasite off welfare, masturbate to internet porn all day, join a political extremist group, lash out at your friends, family and neighbours, carry out some domestic abuse or you can even kill yourself (suicide is now the highest cause of death in young men). The choice is yours!
Value Creation Options: Volunteer in the Value Creation Community and challenge the declining state by offering innovative solutions and structures and also by destroying the power of middle blockers/parasites between the value creation community and senior Corporate Power and also challenging the Senior Corporate Value Extraction agenda directly. Options involve developing and being involved in advanced nature-community engagement systems, local planning policy change, political party opposition rallying, offering business/commercial solutions/products, direct action and creative activism and legal challenge.
END NOTE
So we will see how this war now unfolds. My recommendation to anyone would be to get on the winning side and the winning side is absolutely and certainly the Corporate- Council- Local Community value creation Society. A model that will replace the failing, crumbling and dangerously teetering fundamental Capitalist paradigm.
Individuals, Community Groups, Local Media, Local Business, Political Opposition
Hand: A fragmented, disparate, un- cohesive and broken, depressed and anxious mass of victims of the Corporate-Council value extraction agenda. Many deluded, under chemical anti-depressant control, wrapped up in Tinder and Love Island and hoping things will change with them doing fuck all about it. When the food dries up at the food banks that lot will start starving to death. Embedded within this mess is a community of front line value creators.
Value Extraction Options: Roll over to the victim/inert role and descend into personal states of eternal despair or leave the area as refugees. The victim role has many options including taking loads of illegal drugs, shag anything that moves, parasite off welfare, masturbate to internet porn all day, join a political extremist group, lash out at your friends, family and neighbours, carry out some domestic abuse or you can even kill yourself (suicide is now the highest cause of death in young men). The choice is yours!
Value Creation Options: Volunteer in the Value Creation Community and challenge the declining state by offering innovative solutions and structures and also by destroying the power of middle blockers/parasites between the value creation community and senior Corporate Power and also challenging the Senior Corporate Value Extraction agenda directly. Options involve developing and being involved in advanced nature-community engagement systems, local planning policy change, political party opposition rallying, offering business/commercial solutions/products, direct action and creative activism and legal challenge.
END NOTE
So we will see how this war now unfolds. My recommendation to anyone would be to get on the winning side and the winning side is absolutely and certainly the Corporate- Council- Local Community value creation Society. A model that will replace the failing, crumbling and dangerously teetering fundamental Capitalist paradigm.
A brilliant essay. Best of luck, kick them fully in the pods!
ReplyDeleteCheers Stewart!
ReplyDelete