BOOK REVIEW
THE AGE OF CONSENT - GEORGE MONBIOT

Injustice, oppression and exploitation - you probably ate it for breakfast. The strong get stronger and the rich get richer, implicating us all. Despite a global surplus of food, 840 million people are classified as malnourished, as they lack the money to buy it. There cannot be any other outcome while the present world institutions are in place.

George Monbiot's manifesto is founded on the conviction that one can lead a satisfactory life without having to ruin other peoples' lives. As a former anti-globalisation activist, he believes globalisation has created conditions for the world's people to destroy the global dictatorship of vested interests. His call is for democracy to be globalised.

This does not mean forcing other nations into democracy The book carefully argues for a new set of world institutions based on global democracy and fair trade. Monbiot introduces four extremely well-argued ideas: United Nations structural reform, a world parliament, an International Clearing Union and a Fair Trade Organisation. He presents each of these ideas clearly and realistically, pointing out how they could be implemented and how to overcome various problems which will arise.

Monbiot believes the UN functions as an international rather than a global body and does not represent common interests of the world's people. He advocates dissolution of the Security Council (by its own vote). His preferred global body - a world parliament - would comprise 600 representatives, each with a constituency of 10 million people. The implications for global justice are obvious, with poor votes vastly outnumbering rich votes. Monbiot attributes most of the worlds' economic, social and environmental injustices down to trade, historical and present. He gives a great account of the adverse influence of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. His International Clearing Union (a refined version of J M Keynes' idea) would discharge trade deficits and prevent accumulation of debt by penalising countries which accumulate an excessive trade surplus or deficit. His Fair Trade Organisation would fix and enforce standards for corporations wishing to trade globally. These standards would prevent corporations 'externalising' the social and environmental costs of their products.

Idealistic? Monumentally. Why not? It's a remarkable book. Monbiot understands the impediments to his new world institutions. He believes globalisation can help the world's peoples to overcome those impediments. It brings us forward from being horrified about the way things are to thinking about what can be done. There are some ideas you might disagree with, particularly in the chapter about democracy. But as Monbiot points out, the manifesto is meant to s timulate thought, new ideas and action. I recommend it.

-Clara