Plunder of the Commons: a manifesto for sharing public wealth

In this event about his new book Guy Standing leads us through a new appraisal of the commons, stemming from the medieval concept of common land reserved in ancient law from marauding barons, to his modern reappraisal of the resources we all hold in common.

Accelerated by Margaret Thatcher and then even more so in the austerity era, our Commons have been depleted illegitimately. The commons belong to all commoners, and include the natural resources, inherited social amenities and services, our cultural inheritance, the institutions of civil common law and the knowledge commons. The rights of commoners were first established in the Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest in 1217.

This presentation will draw on a new book to show how all forms of commons have been taken in the neo-liberal era, through enclosure, commodification, privatisation and, most shockingly, colonisation. It will highlight how this has increased inequality. It will conclude by outlining the key components of a 44-Article Charter of the Commons that could be an integrated part of an ecologically progressive politics in Britain and elsewhere.     

Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) is MP for Brighton Pavilion. She served as leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2008-2012, and co-leader from 2016-2018.

Guy Standing is Professorial Research Associate, SOAS, and a founder and co-President of BIEN. His new book is Plunder of the Commons: A Manifesto for Sharing Public Wealth. 

David Lammy (@DavidLammy)is Labour MP for Tottenham.

Mike Savage (@MikeSav47032563) is Martin White Professor of Sociology at LSE and Director of the International Inequalities Institute.