return to top page FOURTH WORLD NEWS
For Small Nations, Small Communities & The Human Spirit
Vol. 1 No. 18. February 1983 Price 25pEdited by Nicholas Albery Help Prevent Nuclear Annihilation!
I am guest-editing this issue of 'Fourth World News' and I have chosen as my theme my neo-Christian belief that any small group of people gathered together can, using imagination, humour or creativity, begin to move mountains.
In this issue I describe several projects in which I am or have been involved, and which use new and imaginative ways to try to bring about social change.
But taking up John Seymour's subject, the mountain I would like to propose that we as 'Fourth World News' regulars apply ourselves to is the problem of proliferating nuclear weapons. What can we do that is not already being done?
Whilst I agree with the general 'Fourth World' argument that we will only get peace in the long term by taking power locally and by being more self-reliant locally, and that this is where most of our energies should go, there are obviously inadequate short-term measures that desperately need taking to prevent the latest missile escalation - measures that stand some chance of success, especially with elections looming in Britain and the States.
Touching
'The Fourth World' is for 'small nations, small communities and the human spirit' - or 'the human scale', depending on which slogan happens to be in use. What are the factors, which contribute to a feeling of intimate human scale and human spirit? One factor, which I had definitely been ignoring and which turns out to be far more important than I had imagined is Touching.
The power of touch to promote a good atmosphere in 'casual social encounters' is very under-estimated. I have always been intimidated and English about touching, but I was very impressed by two women in my street theatre group last summer, who were often touching others, and linking arms, or lying with heads in laps on the grass. This put more spirit into our rehearsals than any other factor.
I decided this term as part of a college project, to see if we could artificially promote the amount that people touch each other in non-sexual, non-intrusive ways. We launched a 'Touch For Health Month' for November 1982, using the chain letter principle, and asking people to touch three men and three women they would not normally touch, and to get them in turn to enrol six others to do the same. We put out a press release and soon we were mini-stars, interviewed in a dozen newspapers and radio programmes.
Made to Measure Education
Anyone looking for a human scale form of education would do well to imitate the 'School for Independent Study (SlS)' at the 'North East London Polytechnic'.
I am a second-year student at 'SlS', having suffered 13 years of education previously. These are the first two years that have felt worthwhile to me, with education tailor-made to fit me. It is a two year course leading to a diploma of higher education, and possibly to a third year degree by independent study.The whole of the first term one officially spends writing one's 'statement', answering very basic questions, which reminded me of the Gauguin painting of oppressed and listless South Sea natives.
The five questions are:
"Where have I come from?"
"Where am I now?"
"Where am I going to?"
"How am I going to get there?"
"How will I know if I have arrived?"At this point I thought the whole course was too good to be true, and put down in my statement that I wanted to learn to become 'a more effective radical social change agent', proposing a number of actions I could experiment with during the two years. This proved to be too much even for liberal 'SIS', and my statement was failed.
Smallest Nation in Europe
I am 'Minister of State for the Environment' for a small country called 'Frestonia'. I used to be its 'Minister of State for Industry' and, before that, 'British Ambassador'. On October 31st, 1982, the 'Free and Independent Republic of Frestonia' celebrated its fifth anniversary of independence.
'Frestonia' is situated to the north of the Shepherds Bush roundabout, London W11, and consists of 32 semi-derelict houses on 1.8 acres, a triangle of three roads enclosing a long thin communal garden, the whole inhabited by 97 ex-squatters, including half a dozen children, and surrounded by tower block estates.
The terraced houses used to be owned by the 'Greater London Council' and were first squatted eight years ago when the 'GLC' plan was to demolish the whole area and build a giant industrial estate. There was a great deal of local opposition to the plan, as the nearby estates feared it would result in increased heavy traffic. A council 'consultation' meeting attended by 200 locals resulted in a unanimous vote against the plan. But the council pressed on regardles
copies of this document may be obtained from 26 The High Street, Purton, Wiltshire SN5 4AE, UK
Tel: 01793 77 22 14 Fax: 01793 77 25 21
e-mail: john.papworth@btinternet.com
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