As widespread joblessness bites, paid work is pursued as salvation, no matter how precarious or poorly rewarded. The UK government wants to create a “nation of entrepreneurs”. Genuine democracy is rendered unattainable by the work obsession. What can supply an alternative to work?

As representative democracy sinks into crisis, we need to go back to democracy in its original meaning as rule of the people. It is time to imagine what real democracy would look like and to create institutions that could be the building blocks of genuinely democratic societies.

Thessaloniki’s State-owned water company is on sale. An initiative by the citizens is trying to get control of it in order to keep the price of water low and maintain its quality. Except being a public good, access to water is a fundamental human right recognized by the United Nations

The ascetic virtues of work are now espoused with an almost religious zeal. We must all work harder to pull out of economic crisis, we are told. Combating the new work evangelism requires finding alternatives to work whilst accepting the realities of our post-scarcity societies.

The ecological critique of industrial capitalism that we take for granted today was formulated by pioneers whose names are almost forgotten. Yet their aspirations and analyses remain remarkably prescient. In his new book, Brian Morris traces their tracks and brings their humanist ideas back to life.

Recently David Harvey has favorably cited Bookchin and his ideas of participatory democracy and confederalism. We take a closer look at Harvey’s latest book, "Rebel Cities," and ask if he has left his Marxist politics behind and turned to libertarian socialism?