Common Good Games
Well you know what the Olympic Games are And the Commonwealth Games. The Common Good Games are slightly different. Whereas the others need to flatten whole communities in the cities the they are held in to accommodate them.
The Common Good Games does the opposite. Here we are trying to create community - not knock it down.
Lets hear about your Games. Remember they don't need to be high powered physical games, they can be of your own invention. The more colourful and fun the better.
Kick the can
Hide and seek ???
Trampoline
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As part of the "Common Good Games" celebration at the January Reshuffle. Our city council, who are full of people of challenging ambition for our city and are keen for the competitive sports. We challenge you to a tug-of-war on any of the bomb sites of Govan that are not earmarked for business development or green space invasion. If we win, we demand proper democratic decision making and consultation on developments that are public led for the benefit of the public first - That is, not forced on the public by the inducement of seemingly benevolent business schemes and public relations propaganda. A "Win-Win" situation as you are often heard to say. Come on down to Govan this Sat. 26th. And by the way, don't think to use school kids as cheerleaders for your team by giving them a day-off lessons - It's on a Saturday |
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Bob I send you the record of the inaugural Commongood Games. I am delighted to be able to report the following result: Fatcats 0, Kelvingrove residents 1. A 3&2halfs team turned out at the Kelvingrove park blaise pitches tonight for a game of footnoball in the pitch dark to celebrate the end of the fatcats disco-in-a-tent event. Yes, everyone making a fuss won a great win for commonsense. I would like to think that my efforts as a councillor were backed up by residents' and others' efforts in drawing the various committees and boards attention to the obvious (to us anyway) daftness of drink-all-you can to a loud band in a tent within a few metres of private homes. The two pix show us in front of the compound wherein deconstruction seemed to be underway. Yay! |
Why
To create awareness and draw attention to the total lack of accountability of the Glasgow City Council, to public opinion. To object the Councils full attention being focused on foisting on the public extravagant spectacles such as the Commonwealth Games, which will only create a land grabbing culture, rather than a community culture. The destruction of the idea of Common Good, rather than preservation of it.
The Common Good Games (How to play)
Make up a game | Join in one | Take photographs of games activity - Sent Them to City strolls. Send pictures of places you see games being played - Football pitches - Park - Green spaces - Spare ground - Streets - indoors
Games you remember playing - Would like to play - Have seen of interest.
Finals of “Common Games” May Day Glasgow Green.
What is the Common Good (The simplest explanation)
The common Good can be found all around you. It is what makes up our communities. It is all of our cities institutions, Art galleries, museums, schools, parks. It is also the history of how these things came about. The Common Good belongs to everyone both rich and poor alike. It is common to us all. The Common Good is what we do for each other, and what we give to each other. If the common good is privatised it will be rendered meaningless. See links on right.
The page you are looking at is part of the Common Good.
The Commonwealth Games is a kickback from British Empire days. There is nothing Commonwealth about them, apart from the robbery of the commonwealth into the pockets of the not so common wealthy.
Now it is much easier to convince people that the Commonwealth Games is a wonderful achievement for the city and we will share and benefit from winning this prestigious event. People like sport - so our kind and generous city administrators are giving the people what they want? Did they not give us "The Garden Festival" "Culture City" "City of Architecture" and many more accolades that we can be proud of? Did we not enjoy ourselves for a few weeks? Did not each succeeding council leader in turn promise that the profits from these events would be spent on creating social inclusion? And do we not see the benefits of this social inclusion all around us? All these beautiful flats along the river - nice hotels, bistros all the shopping retail outlets and Tesco's we could only dream of before these accolades became ours - the people's of Glasgow.
It is through the profits of these events and achievements that we have been able to afford to welcome so many asylum seekers to our city. Have we not spread this wealth and social inclusion to the folk in
Keppochhill, Parkhead, Hutchesontown, Bridgeton, Dalmarnock, Queenslie, Royston, Braidfauld, Ibrox, Barlanark, Ashfield, Milton, Wyndford, Easterhouse, Summerhill, to mention a few. OK perhaps a few of these places fell through the regeneration net. But we really promise this time. If you let use have the Commonwealth Games and allow us to sell of some old dusty buildings a few parks that no ones bothered about anyway. We will make sure everyone benefits. Honest.
What is a game?
Games are about interaction enjoyment therapy fun. When we were kids we learned through playing games.
The Olympics and such like aren't about games, they are about power and the glorification of power.
Imagine folk training for 4 years just to run round a track faster than everyone else. Is that fun. It night be for those who do it and those who watch. I'm OK with it up to here. But why should it create so much human misery, devastate so much community and cost the poorest the most money. For if we take the time to study what happens before and after these short lived gatherings - we would understand why the people of New York were ecstatic about - not by winning the bid for the Olympics - but losing it.
Are you fed up listening to this rubbish? Then the Common Good Games are for YOU
What action you take will become part of the Common Good
There are 4 ways you could contribute.
Do some serious research,
some scholarly militancy.
You Could help to create noise, create informative propaganda,
Do your own thing then link up, or have unbridled "meaningful" fun.
Or all 4
The Common Good Concept (For armchair gamists)
Common good
The common good is a term that can refer to several different concepts. In the popular meaning, the common good describes a specific " good " that is shared and beneficial for all (or most) members of a given community This is also how the common good is broadly defined in philosophy, ethics and political science
Common good (economics)
In economics the term common good is used to refer to competitive non-excludable goods .
Other games
Play Democracy Rules: (
"rule by the people" ) This game is participatory and has been played for centuries
Play Accountability Rules: (
In leadership roles, it is the acknowledgement and assumption of responsibility for actions)
Play "Practicing real Consultation"
listening to and taking on-board the views of the public and interested groups."
Enough of this stuff. If the Common Good games are to be successful they need to be visible. After all the games committee, [you] do not have a million bucks to spread adverts all over buildings. We are not allowed to spend public money without the bosses making sure we don't do anything useful with it. So we need to use what is already here, what we got.
