The Death of the English Village?
Was the almost sinister-sounding title of my RSA debate on Thursday. It was billed as me vs. Clive Aslet, Editor at Large of Country Life (one day, when I grow up, I want to be Editor at Large of something, anything – could there be a better job title?). But it wasn’t really a vs. kind of debate, and we spent a lot of the time agreeing with each other.
As is the way with switched-on orgs like the RSA, if you missed the debate you can listen to it here, read the liveblog here, at onemanandhisblog, or read Matthew Taylor’s take on things here.
Lots of interesting ideas cropped up during the event. Will blog about them tomorrow..
Your Comments
In ‘Together’ (which I am enjoying reading very much) you do not mention LETS (Local Exchange Trading Systems) . They are worldwide, nationwide – and have been around for decades. Was there any special reason for excluding them?
Gordon Rhead
Hi Gordon, glad you’re enjoying it.
LETS is an interesting one. I remember reading about LETS groups and thinking how closely they resembled the kinds of groups that I focus on. So I wouldn’t say there was any special reason why I didn’t focus on one, nor why I did not mention the LETS movement in one of my lists. But it’s worth adding that with none of those lists was I trying to be exhaustive. The groups mentioned represent just some of the groups active today.
I’d be happy to add something about LETS for the paperback edition of the book. Do you know of any interesting links about LETS beyond their main website – http://www.letslinkuk.net/index.htm?
henry
Do take a look at Howard Newby’s 1970s/80s work – The rural community does not exist; it is a community of communities…..your model making societies, bands etc. suggest e.g. ‘The Countryside in Question’ (1988) and my own ‘Another Country: Real Life Beyond Rose Cottage (1993)
Regards
James
James Derounian
James thanks for these, I’d heard about Howard Newby’s work but hadn’t read any yet. Ill go and look it up next time I’m in the library, as well as your ‘Another Country’.
henry