Amidst all the doom and gloom and jockeying for position in the high echelons of government, there is a bit – admittedly a tiny bit – of good news.
Liquidfeedback – is embodied by the pirate party of Italy – and who are about to have a voice in parliament. It is possibly the most democratic of all parties, as anyone who is a member downloads the software and all decision are made by all the membership. Is this the future of political parties everywhere? Of course not.
The crisis has brought the Time Banks out of the woodwork. In Italy there are now over 400 Banche di Tempo – where the only currency is 1 hour. 1 hour of your work is equal to one hour of mine – whether it be teaching, sewing, plumbing, or putting together IKEA wardrobes. There is a real danger that the banks will take off big time and create a problem for the taxman. It can only be a matter of time before you have to add 21 minutes of VAT onto an hour – but in the meantime the banks are flourishing.
