It is sad, as Ellerman points out, that his arguments are so easily dismissed by being discarded in the abyss of the "socialism" waste basket. Its a bit like the python sketch in the Life Of Brian where just saying the name "Jehovah", can result in a shower of stones. How can there be movement forward if there can be no serious discussion without being painted with a Scarlet Letter. The fundamentalist branding of serious democratic thought as profane or heretical doesn't bode well for the evolution of the species.
Excellent interview with Ellerman, who provides some serious food for thought. Ownership, as he proposes, would no doubt change the employer/employee dynamic that is the norm in most businesses today. There would be, of course, many practical challenges in implementing such a system, not the least of which are powerful interests dedicated to maintaining the status quo.
It is sad, as Ellerman points out, that his arguments are so easily dismissed by being discarded in the abyss of the "socialism" waste basket. Its a bit like the python sketch in the Life Of Brian where just saying the name "Jehovah", can result in a shower of stones. How can there be movement forward if there can be no serious discussion without being painted with a Scarlet Letter. The fundamentalist branding of serious democratic thought as profane or heretical doesn't bode well for the evolution of the species.
Excellent interview with Ellerman, who provides some serious food for thought. Ownership, as he proposes, would no doubt change the employer/employee dynamic that is the norm in most businesses today. There would be, of course, many practical challenges in implementing such a system, not the least of which are powerful interests dedicated to maintaining the status quo.