Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Derek Wall giving a keynote speech at the Green Party of England and Wales conference, Reading, 2008
Derek Wall giving a keynote speech at the Green Party of England and Wales conference, Reading, 2008

Derek Wall is a British politician and current Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales as well as an environmental and social activist, academic and writer whose work concentrates on eco-socialism and the relationship between Marxism and the environment. Principal Speakers were the public spokespersons of the Green Party of England and Wales but have since been replaced in the party by a national Leader and Deputy Leader The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. Eco-socialism, Green socialism or Socialist ecology is an Ideology merging aspects of Marxism, Socialism, Green politics Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Wall is also a Zen-practitioner and keeps a regular blog. Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan.

Contents

Academic career

Wall teaches economics at a Duff Miller[1] - a private sixth form college. A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 He is also a visiting tutor at the Department of Politics at Goldsmiths College, University of London, where he teaches a course on the new radical political economy. For the Memphis department store see Goldsmith's. For other uses of the term "Goldsmiths" see Goldsmith (disambiguation. The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. Political economy originally was the term for studying production buying and selling and their relations with law custom and government He has a PhD in 'The Politics of Earth First! UK'[2]. "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. Earth First! is a radical environmental advocacy group that emerged in the Southwestern United States in 1979

He has written a series of books on eco-socialism and green politics. Eco-socialism, Green socialism or Socialist ecology is an Ideology merging aspects of Marxism, Socialism, Green politics Green politics is a Political ideology which places a high importance on ecological and environmental goals and on achieving these goals through broad-based Getting There: Steps Towards a Green Society was published in 1990, and looked at the strategies of green politics. A Green Manifesto for the 1990s, also written in 1990, outlined the Green vision. In 1994, a book examining the roots of ecological politics, Green History: A Reader in Environmental Literature, Philosophy, and Politics, was released. Also during 1994, he released Weaving a Bower Against Endless Night: An Illustrated History of the Green Party as a Green Party publication. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. [3] Having taken a BSc in Archaeology at the University of London, he subsequently completed a PhD at the University of the West of England, later published in revised in 1999 as a book entitled Earth First! and the Anti-Roads Movement: Radical Environmentalism and Comparative Social Movements. [2] Academic reviews for the book were mixed. One academic reviewer commented that the book offered ‘valuable and often original information about the radical environmentalist movement’ but ‘fails to provide a systematic analysis of the topic’ and uncritically paid little attention to possible personal agendas of the activists interviewed. [4]

His most recent work, Babylon and Beyond: The Economics of Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Globalist and Radical Green Movements, looks at the history of anti-capitalism, including reformist capitalists (such as Joseph Stiglitz), anti-corporate critics (namely Naomi Klein and David Korten), monetary reformers, eco-socialists (especially Joel Kovel), Marxists, green localists (including Caroline Lucas, Mike Woodin and Vandana Shiva) and anarchists (particularly Michael Hardt and Toni Negri). Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements ideas and attitudes which oppose Capitalism. Joseph Eugene Stiglitz (born February 9, 1943) is an American Economist and a professor at Columbia University. Naomi Klein (b 8 May 1970, Montreal Quebec) is a Canadian Journalist, Author and activist well known for her Dr David C Korten is an author and a leader in the global resistance against corporate Globalization. Eco-socialism, Green socialism or Socialist ecology is an Ideology merging aspects of Marxism, Socialism, Green politics Joel Kovel (born 27 August 1936) is an American politician academic writer and eco-socialist. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Green politics is a Political ideology which places a high importance on ecological and environmental goals and on achieving these goals through broad-based Caroline Patricia Lucas (born 9 December 1960 in Malvern Worcestershire) is an English politician Cllr Dr Michael Edward Woodin ( 6 November[[ 965]] - 8 July[[ 004]] was the Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Vandana Shiva ( Hindi: वन्दना शिवा b November 5, 1952, Dehra Dun, Uttarakhand, India) is a Physicist Anarchism is a Political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which support the elimination of all compulsory Government, i Michael Hardt (born 1960 is an American literary theorist and political philosopher based at Duke University. Antonio ("Toni" Negri (born August 1, 1933) is an Italian Marxist political philosopher. It includes a foreword by Nandor Tanczos, the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand MP. Character Opinions of Tánczos vary greatly Political opponents have tended to categorize him as a dangerous radical, often citing his role as a spokesperson for The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a Political party in the New Zealand parliament. [5]

Wall is an associate editor of the left-wing magazine Red Pepper. Red Pepper is an independent ‘red green and radical ’ magazine based in the UK He has also published articles in academic journals such as Environmental Politics, Social Movement Studies and Capitalism Nature Socialism. [2]

Political career

Wall first became involved in the Green movement in 1979. Green politics is a Political ideology which places a high importance on ecological and environmental goals and on achieving these goals through broad-based He joined the Ecology Party (later the Green Party of England and Wales) in 1980. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. By 1987, Wall was standing for the Ecology Party against Chris Patten in Bath. Christopher Francis Patten Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC (born 12 May 1944 in Cleveleys, Lancashire) is a prominent British Conservative At the time of the European Parliament election, 1989, Wall was one of three National Speakers in the Green Party. The 1989 European Parliamentary Election was a European election held across the 12 European Community member states in June 1989 The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. In the elections themselves, which saw the Green Party gain over 2 million votes (14. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. 5% of the national poll), Wall received 15% of the vote in the Bristol constituency. During his time in the Green Party, Wall has been a Parish Councillor[2]. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales.

Wall rose to national prominence in the wake of the 1989 result, when he presented himself to the national press as a 'left wing' candidate for the ruling Green Party Council in opposition to the leadership. He styled himelf a 'maverick'[6] and a Green 'fundamentalist'[7]. He was then in turn attacked as a 'parasite' in a series of individualized attacks by pragmatists such as Sara Parkin and Jonathon Porritt. Sara Parkin is a former Green Party of England and Wales activist Jonathon Espie Porritt, CBE (born 6 July 1950) is an English Environmentalist and Writer. [8]. These divisions contributed to highly negative press coverage at the time. [6][7][8]

Wall was also a prominent figure opposing the organisational changes by the group known as Green 2000 along with Penny Kemp and John Norris. Green 2000 was a movement to streamline the constitutional arrangements of the Green Party of England and Wales in the early 1990s with the stated aim of getting a green government [9]. Organising a faction within the Green Party known as the Association of Socialist Greens, this left grouping was accused by pragmatists such as Mallen Baker as being responsible for ensuring the party was "going knowhere fast". [10]

At the 2005 general election, Wall stood as a candidate for Windsor and received 2. Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general Windsor is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. 5% of the votes. In November 2005, he was beaten by Keith Taylor in the election to be the Male Principal Speaker of the Green Party, by 851 votes to 803[2]. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Keith Taylor is the name of Keith Taylor (British politician (b Principal Speakers were the public spokespersons of the Green Party of England and Wales but have since been replaced in the party by a national Leader and Deputy Leader The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales.

He is a founder member of the Green Left, an anti-capitalist and eco-socialist faction within the Green Party, which held its first meeting in June 2006[11]. Green Left is an anti-capitalist and eco-socialist grouping within the Green Party of England and Wales. Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements ideas and attitudes which oppose Capitalism. Eco-socialism, Green socialism or Socialist ecology is an Ideology merging aspects of Marxism, Socialism, Green politics The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales.

Wall has continued to be an out-spoken member of the Green Party, particularly on the issue of entering into alliances with other parties. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. He was given a vote of censure by the Green Party Association of Green Councillors (AGC) when he made comments concerning the alliance between Green Party, Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors on the Leeds City Council; he stated in Red Pepper magazine that, "While I understand that repellent Labour councils may be the only substitute for alliances with Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, the fall in our Leeds West vote suggests that voters were displeased by a perceived shift to the right by Yorkshire Greens"[12]. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the This article discusses the metropolitan district of the City of Leeds. Red Pepper is an independent ‘red green and radical ’ magazine based in the UK

He was narrowly elected as one of two principal speakers of the Green Party of England and Wales in November 2006, alongside Sian Berry, who is also a supporter of the Green Left. Principal Speakers were the public spokespersons of the Green Party of England and Wales but have since been replaced in the party by a national Leader and Deputy Leader The position of principal speaker is the closest role to that of leader within the Green Party.

In 2007 he was re-elected as Male Principal Speaker alongside Caroline Lucas, elected to the post of Female Principal Speaker. Caroline Patricia Lucas (born 9 December 1960 in Malvern Worcestershire) is an English politician

He was prominent in the Green Empowerment group that campaigned against the creation of a single leader and deputy leader instead of the Principal Speaker system. In the subsequent party-wide referendum, 73% of members polled voted to create a single leader. Wall said of the result, "The result of this referendum challenges the Party to create a leadership structure that is true to green ideals. It has put our future leaders on notice that the membership expects a more focussed, more effective party, with a leadership team that is truly accountable to the membership in a real and effective manner"[13].

Beliefs

Wall is an eco-socialist and anti-capitalist who believes that "an infinitely growing capitalist economy destroys nature, fuels injustice and leads to an alienated way of life"[2]. Eco-socialism, Green socialism or Socialist ecology is an Ideology merging aspects of Marxism, Socialism, Green politics Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements ideas and attitudes which oppose Capitalism. He describes Green politics as "the politics of survival", stressing that "unless we build a green economy based on meeting need rather than greed our children face a bleak future"[2]. Green politics is a Political ideology which places a high importance on ecological and environmental goals and on achieving these goals through broad-based He adds that "a world dominated by the need for constant growth puts people and the rest nature behind a blind economic system of accumulation"[2].

Moving beyond capitalism

Strategies

In a chapter of Babylon and Beyond entitled "Life After Capitalism: Alternatives, Structures, Strategies", Wall suggests that "conventional economics is surprisingly dangerous for a subject normally portrayed as a neutral science", and advocates the proposition of "solid liveable alternatives" by the anti-capitalist movement. Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements ideas and attitudes which oppose Capitalism. Though he does not discount the "plots and plans" of the corporate lobby, American neo-conservatives free market liberals, which are "hardly secret", he criticises the tendency of many anti-capitalists to be attracted to "warm conspiracies" which "generate a personal enemy with a human face who can be challenged". Multinational corporation ( MNC) or transnational corporation ( TNC) is a Corporation or enterprise that manages Production or delivers Neoconservatism (or Neocon is a Right-wing political philosophy that emerged in the United States from the rejection of the Social liberalism, Moral relativism Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements ideas and attitudes which oppose Capitalism. Instead, he wishes to address the "structural element" of capitalism, drawing on the critical realist philosophy of Roy Bhaskar, who suggests that "invisible structures", like capitalism and language, shape society but can themselves be changed by human activity. Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where In the Philosophy of perception, critical realism is the theory that some of our Sense-data (for example those of primary qualities can and do accurately represent Bhaskar (born May 15, 1944) is a British Philosopher, best known as a significant proponent of the philosophical movement Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where This means that "the conspirators construct, where they are successful, new structures, but as capitalists they are themselves bearers of deeper structural imperatives to exploit labour, subjectivity and the earth"[5].

Stating that "history does not march to a predictable narrative", Wall criticises the determinism of some Marxists, on the one hand, who promote "hyperglobalisation" in an attempt to move the world closer to the apparently inevitable socialist order, and, on other hand, subsistence ecofeminists, who look to turn to clock back to the time of peasant societies. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Globalization (or globalisation) in its literal sense is the process of transformation of local or regional phenomena into global ones Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution Ecofeminism is a social and political movement which attempts to unite Environmentalism and Feminism, with some currents linking Deep ecology and He rejects productivism in favour of "in different contexts economic arrangements that fulfil need equitably, develop humanity, sustain ecosystems and lead to cooperation"[5]. Productivism is the belief that measurable economic productivity and growth is the purpose of human organization (e

Propositions

Wall first suggests "embedded markets", embedded in society, with "state provision decentralised", as a first step to adapt capitalism. Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where He cites the example of the Indian adivasis, who regained the land they originally inhabited and sold tea via the Fair Trade system. Ādivāsīs (in Devanagari script: आदिवासी literally "original inhabitants" comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population Fair trade is an organized Social movement and market-based approach to empowering developing country producers and promoting sustainability Here, Wall argues that "social preference rather than profit maximisation socialised economic activity". He welcomes the movements in Argentina that have seen workers occupy and reopen bankrupt factories. He applauds the work done on creating a "decentralised, socialist economy" in Cuba and Venezuela. Also, he is encouraged by the growth in Green consumerism, noting that "we cannot shop or work our way to utopia, but such projects ease present ills and point roughly to a different future"[5].

Taking on the work of Marx on the distinction between use-values and exchange-values, Wall stresses that "exchange values must be rejected", so that "economics can be bent towards serving the needs of humanity and nature rather than its own violent abstract growth". Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. In Marx's critique of Political economy, any labor-product has a value and a use value, and if it is traded as a Commodity in markets it In Political economy and especially Marxian economics, exchange value refers to one of four major attributes of a commodity, i This means building things to last and sharing resources: he advocates the increased use of libraries, permaculture and the localisation of economies where possible. The word permaculture, coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s is a Portmanteau of perma nent agri' He highlights the Rastafarian notion of 'Ital', a form of localism in which "what is sacred is what comes from the earth and is grown locally", and where localism and internationalism are mixed "without building walls between sects" in what Wall calls a "worldwide rooted cosmopolitanism"[5]. The Rastafari movement (also known as Rastafari, Rastafarianism or simply Rasta) is a monotheistic, Abrahamic, New Testament For the car see Morris Ital. Ital or I-tal is food approved of in the Rastafari movement.

Nonetheless, Wall envisages as the ultimate aim the rolling back of both the market and the state. To this end, he wishes to "defend, extend and deepen" the commons against enclosure as a way of giving people back their means of production. Common land (a common) is a piece of land owned by one person but over which other people can exercise certain traditional rights such as allowing their livestock to graze Enclosure or inclosure (the latter is used in Legal documents and Place names is the term used in England and Wales He believes that the extension of the commons provides the best model for consensus-based social and ecological management and sharing. Common land (a common) is a piece of land owned by one person but over which other people can exercise certain traditional rights such as allowing their livestock to graze In the same vein, Wall supports Open Source Software as one of the "new commons regimes. Open source software (OSS began as a marketing campaign for Free software. . . created with technological and social change", one which "is a stunning example of how both the market and the state can be bypassed by cooperative creativity". "Marx", he quips, "would have been a Firefox user"[5].

Non-Violent Direct Action

Wall stresses the importance of combining electoral politics and non-violent direct action to affect change. Nonviolence is a philosophy and strategy for social change that rejects the use of physical Violence. Direct action is political action which happens outside normal political channels via indirect actions such as electing representatives. Babylon and Beyond focuses heavily on unique and creative expressions of anti-capitalist economics and protest, and Wall tells protestors "to keep making noise"[5]. Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements ideas and attitudes which oppose Capitalism. He has cultivated ties with African-American and Afro-Caribbean Green activists and takes a strong interest in the controversial Pennsylvania-based African-American organisation MOVE. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. MOVE is an organization formed in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, in 1972 by John Africa and Donald Glassey From 1995, he helped develop a British-based campaign to free US death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal[2]. Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook on April 24 1954 is an American who was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1981 murder of police officer Daniel

Zen

Wall practices zazen and is influenced by spirituality through "pursuing a pagan appreciation of the living world in a variety of ways"[2]. Zazen (坐禅 Chinese zuò chán Pinyin or tso-chan Wade-Giles) is at the heart of Zen Buddhist practice In Babylon and Beyond, he argues that Zen acts as a guard against utopianism as it "is based on being in the world rather than escaping from it". Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. He also links anti-capitalism and Zen, stating, based on the work of anthropologist and economist Marshall Sahlins, that "Zen minimises need and provides an alternative road to affluence"[5]. Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements ideas and attitudes which oppose Capitalism. Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. Marshall David Sahlins (born December 27, 1930, Chicago, Illinois is a prominent American Anthropologist.

Quotes

See Also

References

  1. ^ Sixth Form College London with Easter Revision Courses UK - Duff Miller
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Derek Wall's Green Party Page
  3. ^ Wall, Derek, Weaving a Bower Against Endless Night: An Illustrated History of the Green Party, 1994
  4. ^ http://www.webhost.ua.ac.be/extremismanddemocracy/newsletter/Newsletter3.htm#gallagher
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wall, Derek, Babylon and Beyond: The Economics of Anti-Capitalist, Anti-Globalist and Radical Green Movements, 2005
  6. ^ a b 'Triumph for 'Fundies' hits Green Party, Daily Mail, 21 September 1989
  7. ^ a b 'Greens face wrangles over party leadership, Guardian, 21 September 1989
  8. ^ a b 'Greens Warned of extremist 'parasites, Independent, 22 September 1989
  9. ^ Interview with Wall
  10. ^ Challenge Magazine, Winter 1995
  11. ^ Green Left (Green Party of England and Wales) Website
  12. ^ Red Pepper Magazine, Issue 121, June 2005
  13. ^ Greens vote overwhelmingly to adopt new leadership model
  14. ^ Kemp, Penny and Wall, Derek, A Green Manifesto for the 1990s, 1990
  15. ^ Quotationsbook.com Derek Wall Quotes

Bibliography

External Links

Political offices
Preceded by
Keith Taylor		 Principal Speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales
2006–present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Keith Taylor is the name of Keith Taylor (British politician (b Principal Speakers were the public spokespersons of the Green Party of England and Wales but have since been replaced in the party by a national Leader and Deputy Leader The Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW (Plaid Werdd Cymru a Lloegr is the principal Green political party in England and Wales.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic