The end of the beginning

These are the words of George Barda, a member of Occupy London, who along with dozens of others, was thrown out of the encampment outside St Paul’s in the early hours of this morning.

Riot police and bailiffs, carrying out a court order secured by the City of London Corporation, wrecked the neat cluster of tents at the foot of the Cathedral into debris and rubble. The occupiers who had made the camp their home struggled to retrieve their meagre possessions. Some were made instantly homeless. Others were kneeling in prayer on the imposing steps going up to the Cathedral entrance. No matter - police still dragged them away. Some 20 arrests took place.

Rev Giles Fraser, whose early intervention as Canon Chancellor at St Paul’s had split the church elders, was prevented by police from reaching the protesters. Meanwhile a mile or so away, the occupied School of Ideas was also evicted despite their case still going through the courts.

By occupying a space bang in the very heart of the City of London, Occupy London constituted a challenge to the status quo that could not be ignored. The Church of England hierarchy, the City of London and the Metropolitan Police have been itching to evict them from the word go.

Physically, the occupiers endured a harsh winter, constant noise and frequent harassment. Through Tent University and hundreds of sister sites around the country, Occupy London, inspired by movements in Egypt and the United States, pioneered the freeing of spaces for political debate where none had existed before.

The issues they sought to address are more burning than ever. They sought to highlight the need to address the social, economic and political injustices of the system in a democratic way. How this is to be done is being hotly debated. There are no easy answers, but one thing is clear: the “solutions” put forward by the existing political parties serve only the interests of the 1%.

The general assembly at 7pm tonight on the steps of St Paul’s will be discussing the next steps for Occupy London, including plans for a long walk around the metropolis in May.

A World to Win salutes all those who took part in Occupy London. Doing what you have done is a bold and courageous move in the right direction. It is indeed right to reflect on what has been achieved and develop ways to extend and expand the original aims of the movement. Finding economic and political alternatives to the rule of the 1% is the way to go.

Corinna Lotz
A World to Win secretary

Their morals and ours

Teaching a fish to ride a bicycle. That’s how even a Daily Telegraph reader describes the pipedream of making the City of London, bankers et al act in some kind of “ethical” way.

And that is a lot more down to earth than Labour leader Ed Miliband, who says that the campaigners at St Paul’s and Finsbury Square reflect “a crisis of concern for millions of people about the biggest issue of our time: the gap between their values and the way our country is run”.

In a patronising and devious way, Miliband implies that the protesters have nothing better to do than camp outside St Paul’s. He opines that the problem is “a system of irresponsible, predatory capitalism based on the short term, rather than productive, responsible behaviour which benefits business and most people in the long term”.

Using the word “values” no fewer than nine times, he calls for “big changes in the way our country works”. But in case anyone is deluded into thinking that Labour has suddenly become hostile to capitalism, he proposes – sharp intake of breath – to “tell the top CEOs that if they are unwilling to justify their rewards – they will not get it”.

So, for the Labour leader, the problem is NOT that there is a huge divide in society between a tiny minority of super rich and the rest of us. The rich have just not worked hard enough to prove that “they are worth it”!

Miliband is simply trying to cash in on the widespread support for the occupations in the City of London and around the world – and to channel it into the safe vehicle of Labour electoral politics. In his dreams!

Along with the CEOs and some bankers, many of whom have admitted they are overpaid, he is worried that things are spinning out of control, ideologically speaking.

The conflicting views amongst those who are supposed to look after morals and values are deepening by the day. On Saturday former St Paul’s Canon Giles Fraser, who resigned over the cathedral’s lack of support for the occupation, said:

"St Paul's Cathedral is built on a deep theological fault line. On the one hand it's set within the boiler room of global capitalism, and on the other it proclaims a theological story that has some pretty fierce things to say about money and wealth.” He was joined by the Archbishop of York of York in denouncing the super rich and unbridled greed.

The history of capitalism in Britain has seen the established church, politicians and the heads of finance and industry working together to keep the lid on discontent and maintain at least a semblance of control over things.

And that is why the church and the City are working might and main to “bridge the differences between the protesters and the City”, as Ken Costa, former chair of Lazards International, puts it.

Costa claims that “the market economy has shifted from its moral foundations with disastrous consequences. I cannot recall when public feeling worldwide has run so high.”

Costa has been asked to work on a “form of ethical capitalism”. He has come up with a far more shocking proposal than Miliband could ever align himself with.

The ex-banker says that “maximising shareholder value” cannot continue to be the sole criteria or object for all companies.

But making profits is the very basis – the bottom line - of capitalism as an economic system. These are the system’s actual “moral foundations”, its heart. A kinder, more caring, not-for-profit ethical capitalism has never existed – and never can.

Yes we need a moral compass and a set of values. But we should reject as hypocritical and compromised those the ruling elites constantly try to impose on us. An alternative set of values and a progressive moral outlook is to be found in the growing numbers of people around the world who seek a democratic future free from corporate power. It really is a case of their morals and ours.

Corinna Lotz

A World to Win secretary