Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit Discussion

I was taking a look over at the blog of Bill Mollison, leader of Permaculturalist movement, this morning, and though I appreciate a lot of the ideas of Permaculture on a horticultural level, I found Mollison’s political ideas to be a badly formed compost of discontent. Here’s the core of what he had to say:

“If we gather our friends, and students of good design, we vastly out-number the few who have joined “left right” parties. We can take control. We can legislate to restore the earth, to save and generate forests, to secure water and clean food supplies, and to live to assist all people to survive, not to war on them….

All permaculture graduates know how to design life-enhancing houses and farms. Many are involved in aid programmes, or consult with landowners and builders. We have, in effect, many thousands of people–years of experience in building sustainable systems. We have served our apprenticeship as worthy designers of living systems.

Thus, we believe it is time to take charge of legislating for sustainable living. Why should we, the majority, put up with the stupidities of the Liberal/ Labour, Republican/ Democrat, Tory /Socialist dichotomies, whose efforts are to defeat each other, not to assist all people?

No, we must now vote them all out, and start the urgent repair of society and the earth itself. Oil men, coal miners, and wood chippers can between them destroy all of us, for greed. In this, they are assisted by “our government”. To tolerate this is madness…

Most politicians arise from sportsmen, public broadcasters, film stars, lawyers, and businessmen. None of these can be trusted to evolve sensible policy; almost all of them operate on conviction based on personal beliefs. (no basis for sustainable society)

No, policy must be based on well-researched, extant, working models, and constantly refined by feedback from all levels of users or “consumers” of that policy.”

Keep in mind that Mollison is writing internationally, but from a Tasmanian perspective, so he’s not really speaking particularly for an American audience. Even given that, I just can’t make sense out of what Mollison has to say.

Strategically, Mollison is making no sense. Yes, there are thousands of graduates of Permacultural design courses around the world, but does Mollison really believe that these thousands constitute a “majority”? Does he really believe that they outnumber the members of the established political parties around the world? If so, Mollison needs a refresher course in mathematics.

I’m also bothered by Mollison’s contention that government policy must be based upon researched “models” concocted by designers instead of by “conviction based on personal beliefs”. It seems like an elitist technocratic concept of government that fails to connect theories like Permaculture with the reality of people’s lives and the ideas that shape those lives.

Perhaps that’s been the conceit that has limited Permaculture. It makes a good deal of rational sense, but is disconnected with the human desires that more strongly motivate the choices that people make. If Bill Mollison thinks that he can overtake the institutional power of political parties like the Democrats and Republicans without appealing to people on the basis of their personal wants and beliefs, using only a few thousand people scattered throughout the world, then he’s sorely out of touch with the most important foundation of good horticultural and agricultural design: The reality of the ground as it exists.

“Vote them all out” because of their “stupidities”, Mr. Mollison? Stupid is as stupid does. Consider that the established political parties have managed to gain and keep power, while Bill Mollison’s Permacultural movement has remained at the fringes despite years of campaigning. That’s not just because there’s a conspiracy to suppress alternative models of living - it’s because Mollison’s movement has failed to take its head out of its theory, and speak to where people are living right now.