Yesterday, I was asked, in an examination on Urban History and Theory, to situate Patrick Geddes in the anarchist tradition. Anarchy, I have recently found, is much more disciplined than a slashed red "A" would lead you to believe. It's not about recklessness, but about cooperation -- inherently Utopian. So my assignment for myself (which all one or two of you are party to) is to read up a bit on Proudhon, Reclus, La Play, Bakunin, and Kropotkin and see what it is that the public might be able to accomplish if given the means.

And it seems that French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin envisions the European Union as an international policeman, protecting the general interest (social justice and the environment) from short-term private interests. This, I suppose, would put the EU in a bit of a difficult position relative to the flurry of trade liberalization agreements which have identified the public interest to BE short-term, unjust, environmentally degrading private interests. The consensus is that the French PM's version of the future of the EU has more to do with internal political grandstanding than with reality. It's a shame.