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Recent content by Hilary Wainwright

An excess of democracy

The philosophy and experience of radical movements in the 1960s and 70s are in several ways complementary to the ideas of the direct action movements of today. Hilary Wainwright examines the possibility of forging a new kind of political economy by learning from the best of both of them.

Indignados movement takes root in Barcelona

Five months since the launch of the indignados movement, Spain is witnessing the emergence of an experimental movement committed to profound democratisation where leadership is shared and learnt.

AV is not perfect, but we need it for plurality

The first-past-the-post voting system in the UK has led to the slow death of a critical political culture. Saying yes in the referendum on a proposed Alternative Voting (AV) system would at least give oxygen to debate.

Crack capitalism or reclaim the state

In a fascinating debate, two leading Left intellectuals John Holloway and Hilary Wainwright debate the potential for democratising the state, how labour can be empowered to enact change, and how capitalism is best confronted.

Ed Miliband needs trade unions

To create real political change, the new Labour leader must look beyond his party to the unions that helped him win power.

The resistible rise of corporate power

The massive concentration and growth of corporate power poses a major threat to what remains of public services, highlighting the ever-deepening crisis of democracy, and the urgent need for people to reclaim the state.

Social efficiency: reforming public services in 21st Century

The ideological reasoning behind UK government policies is that the market is the only way to make public services 'efficient'. Isn't it time we talked about social efficiency, maximising public benefit rather than maximising profit?

UK election: No political parties offered "big ideas to match the depth of crises”

What we saw in the UK election campaign and the recent coalition deal is the level of opportunism amongst the political parties, and the real absence of politics and ideas on how to deal with major crises in the economy, over climate change and of our political institutions.

Left Forum 2010: Hilary Wainwright

Is it possible to democratise the capitalist state? Interview with Hilary Wainwright at the Left Forum in New York.

Beyond the casino state

Still in thrall to neoliberal nostrums, British politicians compete to dismantle the state as a provider of services, leaving its function as primarily a prop to private capital.

Don't blame voters for the low turnout

Fewer than half of Dutch voters are expected to head for the polls in Wednesday's local elections. Turnout could be better if politicians weren’t afraid to share power with citizens.

Politieke klasse moet burgers leren vertrouwen

Politici moeten de macht durven delen met burgers. Dat is de boodschap van Hilary Wainwright. „Voor veel mensen is het niet meer voldoende om eens in de zoveel tijd hun stem uit te brengen”, zegt ze tegen

Osborne's airbrushed co-op policy

For all the Tories' fine talk of empowered workers, their plans would only undermine the public sector's democratic rebirth.

What are the promising new models of democratic participation?

The institutions that are supposed to reproduce daily life are incapable of acting on behalf of the people any more, so we need to produce our own institutional alternatives based on micro-experiments and universal values.

Rocking the system

A campaign is mounting for the remutualisation of Northern Rock, the bank whose collapse heralded the financial crisis. A community-owned bank would serve wider social needs, rather than private profits.

Charter for Innovation, Creativity and Access to Knowledge launched

An international coalition has launched Charter for Innovation, Creativity and Access to Knowledge as a response to the recent agreement of the European Commission on the “protection” of Internet access, brought under the pressure of the lobbies of the culture industry.

Reclaim the State: Experiments in Popular Democracy (Seagull, 2009)

Reclaim the State sets out on a journey from Brazil to Britain to discover how people are creating new, stronger forms of democracy. The book shows that the foundations for new political directions for deepening democracy already exist, and provides imaginative and practical tools for building on them.

A real green deal

35 years ago, workers at the Lucas Aerospace company formulated an ‘alternative corporate plan’ to convert military production to socially useful and environmentally desirable purposes. What are the lessons for greening the world economy today?

Now to complete the democratic revolution

The current anger in Britain over MPs' misuse of public money is more than outrage at the pathetic greed of public representatives. It is a fury over a deep-seated failure of public control of public money, that should now be the basis of a movement to complete the unfinished struggle for popular sovereignty

Key to economic recovery lies in unlocking workers' creativity

The future of our public services will be as central to the next election as the future of the economy. The experience of Newcastle City Council shows that most political party leaders are wrong when they believe the solution lies in further competition and outsourcing.