Friday, October 11, 2019

The World as One Productive Unit


Whilst we, as humanity, remain divided by rival capitalist states, it is be impossible to organise our use of the world in careful and sensitive ways that would be in the mutual interests of all people. Instead, we have economic exploitation, waste, war and destruction. Although we mostly think of the market system in terms of private corporations or state enterprises, it is also true that each nation is a "national business." A national economy must do its budgeting and keep its accounts as an autonomous trading nation. Governments must maintain national security. This is the protection and enforcement of national interests both within the state and between states. Externally, national security involves diplomacy, negotiated agreements and the formation of alliances which in turn can be backed up by networks of spies and where necessary the threat or use of armed force. The strategic aim is the ability to trade at the best advantage. 

As caretakers of national economic strategy, governments aim to promote national advantage whilst reducing vulnerability. For example, energy supply is of vital concern to all governments but the world distribution of energy sources, oil, gas, coal etc., is uneven between nations. One reason why the Middle East has been an ongoing theatre of war for many years is that it holds the world's biggest reserves of oil. In the past, with the Suez Canal, it was also a vital trade route. 

The solution is to replace corporate or state ownership for money gain with common ownership by all people. Instead of nation states all people could be part of a world held in common. This would bring the great advantage of being able to organise the world as one productive unit. Being united around a common interest people in socialism could organise and develop their productive activity in relation to the natural advantages of the earth in whatever appropriate geographical location and with a use of production methods which safeguard the world environment. 

Without national barriers it would be possible to use large scale production in appropriate areas to make available world stocks of materials for manufacture, basic foods such as cereals and world energy supply. From this basis of world production, smaller scale diversified production could be carried on throughout regional and local communities in line with local work preferences and local needs. 

In these circumstances instead of rival nations fighting over oil reserves, as mentioned, the production of energy could be co-ordinated by a specialised world agency working as part of the United Nations Organisation. The long term objective could be to achieve sufficient world energy supplies from ecologically benign sources. The possibility of a world organised as one productive unit adds to the wide range of advantages that people in socialism would enjoy. 

With the world shared between all people an early priority would be to remove the differences that at present exist throughout the various regions. In practical terms this would require a concentration of world activity in favour of those regions where poor facilities for local production, storage, transport, irrigation, energy supply, communications, buildings and services such as medical care, etc., would need to be improved. This would call upon the efforts of people in the more developed regions. 

It might be asked, "Why should someone in a more developed community in Britain, America or France, work without money incentive, to provide equipment and machinery for people in less developed regions?" The candid answer is — self interest! This is not to deny the abundant evidence there is that we can gain satisfaction and pleasure from helping people in need but the added reason why we all have an interest in cooperating with others is that the benefits are mutual. Up to a point, the more people producing and the greater range of skills that are used, increases not only productivity of labour but also the range of products that can be produced. Stranded on a desert island, on our own, we would be reduced to surviving on the barest necessities. Since stone age times, our increased powers of production have depended on our diversity of skills. 

In the wheat belt of South West Australia a farmer might be supplying cereals for distribution throughout the world. It is likely that the eventual consumers of this wheat will never know the identity of the person who helped produce it. This does not matter. The farmer would do his job in the knowledge that in distant locations others were working to supply not just the whole range of foods he enjoys but also the refrigerator, television, computer, hi fi system, etc., that make his life style possible. In socialism our participation in a world-wide division of labour would involve us in much more than technical factors of production, it would include us in the work of a true world community. 

If the people of the world are to stave off the global catastrophes that now loom before us, they are going to have to cast oaside their lingering nationalism and patriotism, recognise their common humanity, and begin working for the good of all, promoting the cooperative commonwealth.

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