The politics of Cranks

I have been helping out in Cranks, a community bike workshop in Brighton, since last September. A few days ago I sent the email below to our mailing list about the politics of Cranks. I thought I'd put it online because it reflects some of my current thinking as well as giving an insiders view of Cranks. Yesterday we discussed some of the points in the email in a group meeting. I'll be posting in a few days some of the outcomes from the meeting and my thoughts on them.

Please note before you read this email that some of the ideas in this email come from my paper on workers' co-operatives and a previous blog post on capitalism.

The politics of Cranks

Hi all,

I know that some of you have talked about the politics of Cranks at length, especially when Cranks was first formed. However, there has been quite a few new people joining Cranks, including myself, and I think it would be good to openly talk about it again.

I wanted to first start off by writing about why I think Cranks is great, before I raise some questions about Cranks. I'd really appreciate it if people took the time to read it and respond to it, either by email or at the next public meeting.

On a personal level, I have made new friends, learnt *a lot* about how to fix bikes and how to teach other people how to fix their bikes. Being in Cranks has also been great in further developing my co-operative abilities and communal values (which is so important in our individualist and competitive society) such as: working with other people in a non-hierarchical and fully co-operative manner, co-operative meeting skills (facilitating, minute taking, working to agenda, consensus or voting methods), increasing my confidence/ability to speak in public meetings, furthering my knowledge about political systems that affect Cranks (e.g. the council) and co-operatives more generally, community organisation skills (working with and supporting local communities and organisations), developing financial skills (e.g. thinking more seriously about budgets) and just the ability to work towards a common goal as well as many other things.

On a societal level, it recycles old bikes and parts which reduces the burden on the planet not only through decreased production of bicycle parts and lower amounts of landfill but also by encouraging more people to cycle.

Also, although not formally registered as a workers' co-operative, we operate like one through group meeting, decisions made by consensus and the worker/volunteer (rather than state or capitalist) ownership of Cranks. Occasionally someone asks me who the boss of Cranks is and I always enjoy telling them that there is no boss and that we all run it together.

We also run by donations and with volunteers. Instead of solely relying on the cash economy or charging the maximum we can get away with (which is what many private firms do, especially if they are legally obliged to profit maximise on behalf of their shareholders), we offer people an alternative by asking them to donate as much as they can afford. This is very different to your usual bike shop where a service can cost up to £80 which is really prohibitive to many people. Cranks helps provide a more equitable distribution of bikes which are fully repaired.

Cranks also tackles the throwaway culture that is prevalent in this society by teaching/empowering people to fix their own bikes through learning by doing, which helps people meet their own needs and take responsibility for themselves, for others, for future generations and for the planet. Finally, it also helps people get or stay fit by encouraging them to cycle!

So, after all that, why do I still want to talk about the politics of Cranks? Is this not enough!?!

Well, there is something that I don't really understand about Cranks. We have a 'anti-capitalist' donation policy pinned up on the wall, a anti-g8 poster and even a postcard that declares that 'we have nothing to lose but our chains.' On the website, there is even a bicycle anarchist 'A' symbol.

(Source: Cranks website)

And yet, we never talk about this (or, at least, no-one is talking to me about it). How anti/alter-capitalist are we? How influenced are we by anarchism (and what types of anarchism?)? What are the political motives of the people who started Cranks? What is the position of Cranks and its interaction with the state? Do we engage in state-led/focussed consultations to try and change the mainstream political climate or do we try and focus on trying to provide alternatives to the state? What is the position of Cranks and its interaction with private funding organisations?

In a nutshell, what are Cranks ultimate aims?

Is it possible for Cranks to have a position on these things or are we all different individuals with different political beliefs at different points of our lives with different levels/kinds of understanding? As I am only 25, I am still trying to figure out a lot of my own politics, but I still think it's very important to find points of commonality. Surely talking about these kinds of things together in public would be a start?

It is also really important for us to discuss our position in relation to capitalism because:

"If, as a politically active environmentalist or campaigner for social justice, one’s answer to the question is they are, indeed mutually exclusive [that capitalism, in whichever manifestation, is in its very essence inherently unsustainable], then one’s only morally consistent response is to devote one’s political activities to the overthrow of capitalism. If one's answer is that they are entirely compatible (that there are no structural, inherent characteristics within a capitalist system that would make sustainability an unattainable goal), then it is morally consistent to pursue sustainable development (as the path that leads to that goal) within and through that capitalist system. And if one's answer is that they are only compatible under certain conditions (it isn't capitalism per se that is at issue here, but which model of capitalism), then the transformation of those aspects of contemporary capitalism that are incompatible with the attainment of sustainability becomes both a moral and a political precondition of being an effective environmentalist or campaigner for social justice." Jonathon Porritt - Capitalism as if the World Matters - page 87

Which path will we follow and why? How do we define capitalism, and if we think it is necessary to overthrow or significantly change it, what are the alternatives that we are proposing (if we are - or can be - proposing alternatives at all?)? If we are serious about climate change/peak oil/environmentalism, don't we have to at least try and engage with these ideas within Cranks?

For me, two defining features (of many) of capitalism is (i) private ownership of the means of the production with (ii) profit maximisation as its main motivation. Cranks is already quite anti/alter-capitalist in that it is volunteer/worker owned (instead of private/capitalist owned) and that it operates on donations and with volunteers (instead of trying to maximise profits at whatever cost). Should we publicise ourselves as more anti/alter-capitalist because of this?

And if Cranks were to have a more clearly defined political program, how would we operate differently? Would we change our opening times, donations policy, relationship with the council, etc? Would a more defined politics be operationally useful (e.g. we won't accept this funding relationship) and where would it expand our activity beyond fixing bikes? For example, should/could we attempt to have more solidarity with other workers' co-operatives or volunteer bike workshops across the UK/EU?

Or, alternatively, is it not appropriate for Cranks to be overtly anti/alter-capitalist and/or position ourselves within a broader political programme? Is it better to allow people with different politics to congregate around something that we all find worthwhile, that is compatible with everyone's politics? Maybe Cranks works well because we don't get bogged down in arguments about political thinkers or workers control! Do we need ultimate aims for Cranks, a final outcome that Cranks can help bring about, or is it sufficient to have operating principles and open discussion?

I also have questions about our ownership structure. Although not formalised as a workers' co-op, we operate like one. However, I am not completely sure what my status is as a member. Am I a co-owner of Cranks or merely a volunteer/member? Or are they the same thing? Can someone clarify this for me? I also have a query about our volunteer status. Is operating on a purely volunteer basis where we don't pay ourselves a form of self-exploitation or is it altruism in action? Could we maybe help fix this by allocating money for lunch for volunteer mechanics?

Are all these questions too much for Cranks and should we just focus on what we're already doing because it is a good thing?

Answers anyone?

See you Wednesday,

love,