Julian King - Patriots vs Elites

SUMMARY:
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I was genuinely excited to present Julian McKinley King’s talk — even though he only had a few days’ notice and we’d accidentally missed his name on the programme (apologies again!). Julian is a geologist, ecologist and social-ecology advocate who’s worked across Australia, Asia, the Pacific and Africa and even did PhD research with the UN in East Timor. In this talk he skips the heavy paper-reading and speaks passionately about real, bottom-up alternatives to the top-down systems we’re used to. He recounts visiting the Mondragon co-operatives in the Pyrenees, meeting ordinary people who built an economy from five workshop workers into a vast, community-owned network with free housing, universities and hospitals. He points to inspiring global examples — Zapatistas, Kurdish women’s co-operatives — and explains how profit-sharing, community banks and reinvestment can spawn new co-ops without debt traps. Julian ties this into a warning: while politicians talk optimism, we’re entering perilous times of unaccountable elites. His message is hopeful but urgent — that grassroots co-operation can rebuild communities and resist elite capture. A must-watch for anyone interested in practical alternatives and community resilience.

RUMBLE DESCRIPTION:
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Apologies on the programme mix-up — Julian McKinley King only had a couple of days’ notice but brings a powerful, lived perspective that you don’t want to miss. Julian is a geologist and ecologist with international experience and PhD research with the UN in East Timor. Rather than read a paper, he speaks from the heart about practical, bottom-up solutions to economic and social collapse.

Julian shares his personal experience visiting Mondragon in the Spanish Pyrenees — how five people in a small village workshop grew a co-operative network that now provides motor cars, washing machines, universities, hospitals, free housing and community banking. He explains the simple yet transformative idea: members get a basic wage, annual profit is split between worker bonuses, co-op reinvestment and community funds. That community fund underwrites housing, education and even startup capital for new co-ops — no interest, no predatory debt.

He connects Mondragon to other inspiring examples: the Zapatistas in Mexico, the Kurdish women’s movement in Syria and grassroots experiments worldwide. Julian warns we’re living in a perilous period with unaccountable elites, and suggests community co-operation, social ecology and mutual aid as practical defences. This talk is both a warning and a guidebook — full of hope, lived examples and clear ideas for how ordinary people can build resilient alternatives.

If this resonates, please like, share and comment with examples from your town. Tell us about local co-ops, community banks or mutual aid groups — let’s keep the conversation going and build practical momentum.

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