Letters: Corporate power: Private elites cling to their privileges
While your Taming corporate power series offered some useful ideas for reining in the power of corporations, it largely failed to confront the fact that our government and politics has become so corrupted by corporate power that such reforms are highly unlikely. What is required, we believe, is to first make reforms to our democracy so that it starts to work for the common good rather than private interests. This requires removing the influence of corporations entirely through reforms in the areas of party funding and lobbying, closing the revolving door between government and corporations, ending the culture of corporate secondment, introducing proportional representation, democratising the City of London Corporation and the removal of the Remembrancer.
Obviously, as supporters of a direct action organisation looking to create a mass movement, we don’t believe politicians will roll over and enact these reforms if simply asked. Thus we assert the need for a mass gathering of people every month in Parliament Square until the general election, simultaneously putting pressure on politicians while creating a space where people can learn about corporate influence and experience true democracy.
Joseph Todd and Phil England
#occupydemocracy activists, London
Good analysis but wishful thinking by Nesrine Malik (10 December) that what’s required to chop “global fat cats … down to size” is solely “political pressure from voters”. After huge public and NGO pressure against it, Cameron’s Lobbying Act, as George Monbiot said, “restricts the activities of charities and trade unions but imposes no meaningful restraint on corporations”. Similarly the Health and Social Care Act became law in spite of tremendous public and professional outcry against it, voted in by many politicians with interests in healthcare companies. Revolving doors are also thriving illustrated by Deloitte’s (formerly HMRC’s) Dave Hartnett and NHS England’s Simon Stevens (formerly United Health group and Blair’s adviser). The Remembrancer and his lawyers represent City of London interests from their office in the House of Commons. Such formidable powers can be opposed but it will take at the very least a brave campaigning newspaper, together with campaigning email petitioners, to galvanise and organise those voters.
David Murray
Wallington, Surrey