Yesterday I went to a conference organised by LVSC (London Voluntary Service Council) at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre in London.
“London Calling: Make yourself heard” was a conference for voluntary sector organisations to discuss responses to the updated Mayor’s London Plan, which is currently in consultation (until 12 January 2010).
Among other topics raised from the floor, there was discussion around whether London should be striving to be competitive rather than collaborative and whether growth is still a good measure of success.
In the workshop on the Economic Development Strategy our discussion included concepts of volunteering and how to measure the contribution of volunteers to the economy (as well as that of unpaid carers at all stages of life).
I found the views of one delegate very depressing: he warned us that unless our suggestions were worded in the language of the dominant business-oriented growth model they would simply be marginalised in the final document and policies. This would happen by the addition of weasel words or through a subtle turn of phrase: ‘would aim to’ or ‘will work towards’ rather than ‘must’ or ‘will’.
In that case, how can we ever move towards a more just society? In informal discussion afterwards he also stated that if the growth model is not maintained thousands of Londoners would die. I pointed out that thousands of people around the globe already die to keep our economic model going. He argued that you must either come out completely on the side of an alternative economic model or stick with the current model (growth, competitiveness etc) – attempts at compromise will just be ignored.
