FAQ. If you don’t find it here ask
2. Why should I worry about the common good?
3. What good will protecting the common good do me?
4. Why should I be worried about public parks?
5. What’s wrong with a cafe in the park?
7. What does the common good have to do with my Kids?
8. Is it not a waste of time haven’t they taken the common good anyway?
9. If it is important why is it not on the curriculum in school?
10. Why is the common good not celebrated as an achievement of our society
11. What could the common good be used for?
12. What can I do that could be any use?
Visit: What could we uses the CG for
This site is for folk interested in and creating awareness of the common good. For researchers; campaigners, teachers, young people and anyone interested or have some ideas that would help this process along
2. Why should I worry about the common good?
The same reason that you should worry about anything else you own. The common good is a collective ownership. You cant just go down and get your share and do what you want with it. But if the common good disappears it will impact on your life in lots of ways particularly in democratic decision making. These assets and the laws protecting them constitutes power for ordinary people. Protecting, developing and building more common good creates more opportunity for the public to be involved- this is a good thing for most of us.
3. What good will protecting the CG do me?
What most folk don’t realise is that they have been living for a long time and enjoying the benefits of the common good, through libraries: parks, schools, nurseries, museums, art galleries, public institutions, town squares. The erosion of the common good equals the disappearance of these free services
4. Why should I be worried about public parks?
Public parks (which are part of the common good) are being constantly put under threat from business interests. Parks are under the threat of schemes from every thing from night clubs, private parties costing £60 a ticket, adventure playgrounds £40 entrance – to cafes and restaurants. Whether you like these things or not the fact is non of the profits from these ventures go back into common good fund – but go into the pockets of businesses.
5. What’s wrong with a cafe in the park?
There is nothing wrong with having a cup of tea in the park. But why cant we have council run cafes, or coffee stalls on wheels that can be easily removed. What is being proposed in many places is buildings being built with up to a 99 year lease. Once these leases of public space and property are given out to private business – there is no saying what these buildings could turn into in years to come. Is the park not one of the last places we can go with our kids where the enticement to spend money is not prevalent?
Parks for years and years have been peoples countryside in the town: that’s where we go to get away from the pressure of people trying to sell us things – as it did in the early years of industrial squalor – that’s why parks were built. We have enjoyed them this way for a hundred years. Do we not want our kids and future generations to enjoy the same simple freedom of the park?
7. What does the CG have to do with my Kids?
This has everything to do with kids, because kids are going to be the ones who will pay the penalty for our lack of response in protecting something that adults have benefited from throughout there lives. Our kids are going to lose something they probably don’t even know they own. Our responsibility is to our kids. Profits from the common good should go back into their common good – not into the pockets of company shareholders.
8. Is it not a waste of time haven’t they taken the CG anyway?
There is still masses of common good to be reclaimed by the public and the things that have been misappropriated, could be reinstated (taken back). The common good has laws to protect it and these laws should be used, not ignored. The knowledge of these laws is known. What is needed is the will to implement them in the public’s interest. If we do nothing sure “it’s a waste of time” but campaigns have been winning battles over our common good up and down the country – and we all benefit from these wins.
9. If it is important why is it not on the curriculum in school?
That is one of the main aims of this project. The common good is interwoven and is an integral part of our history and democratic process – and should be taught in our schools. (after all, schools are yet another part of our common good)
10. Why is the common good not celebrated as an achievement of our society?
While cities spend millions of tax payers money on extravagant mega events, with massive advertising campaigns on the side of buses, bill posters and television, telling us “we should be proud to host these things in our city” – Meanwhile something we could be proud of that has taken hundreds of years to put together – that resonates with the achievements of our citizens and is testimony to their success – is shared even by the poorest of us and is celebrated through many great institutions, wealth, culture and which proliferates through our countries history like the letters on a stock of rock – is hidden from view like a dark secret. The common good is something we could be really proud of and worthy of celebration?
11.What could the common good be used for?The common good assets, monies and institutions such as those public buildings and land now being sold off to developers – should be used to help democratize our communities. No local schools should be shut, altered, or sold without the wishes of the affected communities being heard. Public owned buildings should not be allowed to lie and rot so they can be picked up cheap by developers – they should be put to use for the communities benefit and if they are rented or sold it should be done openly and the profits registered in the communities common good fund. It doesn’t take much to imagine what local communities could do with these funds or assets. For one thing the common good could be used for things that would strengthen community bonds and responsibility of ownership and perhaps engender some real community pride – rather than the jingoism of mega events that do nothing but take from the community. Top
12. What can I do that could be any use?
The biggest problems we have in the preservation of our common good are:1. Where is the list of common good assets in your town or part of the country. We need to insist on finding out what they contain. 2. We need to make those responsible for looking after the common good to take these responsibilities seriously by questioning how they are going about doing this. 3. A disengaged public can not defend or nurture a common good. We need to do what we have done for the centuries the common good has been around. Talk to each other, question by whose authority, talk to our neighbours, spread the word, have meetings, write to papers, MP’s, councilors, ask them what their take is on the common good of your area. Write articles, print posters, leaflets, use your community centre, church, gatherings to spread the word. You will soon get the hang of it. Don’t forget to tell us what you are up to though.
You can find ideas throughout the site to give you a hand to start. But the important thing is just starting to speak to people – this is the best way to get going.
