From Russell Brand's book "Revolution"; my review of the book is below the quote.
EMPLOYEE INVESTMENT FUNDS—SWEDEN 1970s
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Every large Swedish corporation had to give its employees shares equivalent to 20 percent of its profits every year. Well, that’s novel—the empowerment of workers within a corporate structure. Sure, it’s limited; 20 percent isn’t enough. The workers should have 100 percent, and there should be no hierarchical distinction between any of the workers, regardless of their costume; title abolition will help towards that. We’ve begun negotiations—good. Well done, Sweden.
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The shares were not owned by individuals but were controlled by regional management boards, which were democratically accountable. Fair enough. We’re not after a new elite—collectivization and lateral autonomy. Cool. No wonder Volvos are so safe.
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The boards had to use the shares “for social priorities and the public interest.” That’s good. I mean, I think huge sectors of the financial industry would be entirely dispensed with, given that the whole thing is an elaborate mathematical metaphor designed to legitimize fraud and theft. Nice to know that if any form of market did remain, there’d be no unaccountable bankers getting bonuses during an economic crisis that they caused. Viva IKEA.
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As the shares in the companies grew, so did the influence of the workers’ management boards on corporate decision-making. Clever: The destiny of the board and workers are inextricably linked. From what we’ve discovered so far, this structure still seems a bit hierarchical, but at least it proposes a form of empowerment for workers, which we could easily amplify. ABBA forever.
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Unfortunately, this scheme was never put into place, due to widespread hostility from employers. Oh, right, they never actually did it. It was a hypothetical corporate Revolution. Typical—the sauna-dwelling, porn-watching, suicide-committing pervs. Understandable, really. It’s a method of financial reform that could never be imposed without union power and regulation that modifies the power of corporations. Bloody ironic.
Revolution by Russell Brand
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This book is fair. Not more.
Or rather, it contains a lot of great information and thought-worthy elements, but given Brand's a) ADHD way of acting out - which I think works well in condensed textual form, or while performing stand-up - and b) how the book should have been much better edited, it's a bit of a failure.
Brand obviously caters to Noam Chomsky - whom I love - and Bill Hicks - whom I also love - but can't pull off what they brought to the table. I mean, his thoughts are interesting but not much more. I hope this book will work as a kind of trampoline for people who will reach Chomsky and Hicks because of it.