Global Capitalism 1980-2012

• Underpins & maintains inequities• Growth of large corporations

especially financial sector making profits out of speculation with money

• De-regulation in the interests of greater market profitability

• Cut back to public services, Privatisation of essential services

• No signs of ecological responsibility in face of the hunt for profits maximisation

Global Capitalism 1980-2012

• Environmental costs transferred to low income countries

• Creation of consumer demand (advertising) and unhealthy products

• Social safety nets dismantled

• Capture the total benefit of productivity gains for owners and managers

• Shift the tax burden from financial speculators to working people

Global Capitalism 1980-2012

• Creation of consumer demand (advertising) for unhealthy products

• Big Pharma blocks access to essential drugs

• Exerts massive political power in international agencies and with national governments – lobbyists, donations, controlling media and agenda setting

Corporations are not accountable

• Need for more social, environmental and health equity impact assessments on activities of global corporations

• Tax avoidance is rife – in Australia from 1962-3 to 2002-3 the ration of revenue from individual and other withholding tax to company tax changed from 2:1 to 3.8:1

• No global treaty to control their behaviour • Their lobbying power is huge influence on

governments around the world

Tobacco• Shows us the complete

immorality of some global corporations

• History of concealing evidence on link with lung cancer

• Fighting government action – e.g. sueing Australian measure to introduce plain paper packaging

• Moving business to low income countries

Youth smoking in Indonesia

Over the last 20 years or so, the rate of children smoking in the US has halved and in Australia it's fallen even more but in Indonesia it’s tripled in less than 10 years. The national children's charity says big tobacco and the Government are equally to blame and it’s planning to sue both, using Ilam as one of its case studies.” ABC 7.30 Report 20/06/2012, Reporter: Matt Brown

Inter-related crises

Ecological and climate crisis Financial

crisis

Social crisis – high mental illness, isolation. Lack of community and solidarity

Health – inequities, chronic disease,

Unfair global economic and political system: •Excess wealth, •Over-consumption

Manufacturing consent (Noam Chomsky)

• Idea there is no alternative to model of economic growth

• Notion that inequities are part of the natural order• Socialism derided rather than learning lessons

from past and developing better forms• Media owned by large corporations and work to

create a world safe for capitalism• Alternative visions are subjugated and derided

Idea that inequities are part of the natural order and that people who do not do well are in some way deficient.

This has been a constant theme in human history to justify inequities such as :

•Slavery•Subjugation of women •Colonialism (White man as superior)•Excess wealthy – the deserving wealthy

Social suffering, lateral violence Undermining solidarity

What’s to be done?

Will we be able to shift our political, economic and social systems and create democratic states not dominated by profits and which respond to people’s needs and are ecologically sustainable?

Role of PHM

• Critiquing the current order – we do this well – speaking truth to power

• Global health watch - analysis

• Using analysis to imagine a better world

People’s Charter for Health

• Sets out an alternative vision of a world not dominated by profit but by the needs of people and the environment

• Updated in Cape Town Call to Action

Increased civil society protest and questioning of global capitalism

Demanding corporate accountability

Demand corporations pay fair tax and are held to account for environmental impact

Need to imagine alternative economic systems……….

• “Consume less and share better” (Kempf, 2008)• Rooted to local communities and the peoples’ lives within

them and a sense of obligation to local communities while being globally responsible

• Establish worker controlled enterprises• That support and enhance people's mental and physical

health and the natural environment • Supports Marx’s vision of “the rich human being” which

will undermine social suffering, lateral violence and build solidarity between people

Structures to regulate capital and protect people’s health and well-being

• Governments that regulate economic systems for health, equity and the environment & tax for health & well-being

• Global governance for human rights and public good – including global taxation regimes

• Create conditions for local democracy and exercise of citizenship, protection of rights of citizens to protest

• Support poor communities to develop skills, capacities and abilities

• Other means of measuring progress – Happy Planet Index & Gross National Happiness will lead to different things that are valued

If we succeed the key indicator is easy – the children of the world including Africa will live in environments that enable them to live healthy, sustainable and flourishing lives!