The Credit Crunch…What We Can Do

Why did this happen?
Because the lords of the manors were desperate to get their land farmed and their animals looked after, the peasants usually got what they wanted. Then, in 1351, King Edward III created the Statute of Labourers to ensure that landowners had as many labourers as they wanted - and that they paid them no more than before the Black Death. This was one of the things which sparked The Peasants Revolt.

How is this similar to today?
Today over 700 years later, it’s work AND money that is in short supply, and although we no longer have a Feudal system in the UK, the ‘Peasants’ are still at the mercy of the Barons and Lords (The Financial Markets), who appear to hold all the cards.

What can we do about it?
However, due to the advent of Social Enterprise and Social Networking, once again the will and the voice of the ordinary folk will be heard. Not by marching to London, but by talking quietly amongst each other in the ‘Taverns’ e.g. websites and forums, and creating opportunities through enterprise and innovation. The savvy ones aren’t sitting in their haystacks waiting for the Feudal Lords to let down the drawbridge, they are pulling together, forming alliances with ‘Human Capital’ instead.

Has the events of 2008 blown the fuse of the financial markets for good, and will the City of London ever return to its original shape? And whatever rises up in its place resemble something entirely different? Who knows, but in the meantime people still crave the same thing our peasant cousins fought for centuries ago: control over their livelihood, a better quality of life and freedom to choose.

If you ‘wait and see’ what the future brings, you’ll be waiting a very long time and could miss a massive opportunity to be part of a change revolution that’s going to happen whether we like it or not…