Soros and a ‘Marshall Plan’ for Ukraine
It was February 2014 when George Soros made his appeal for the EU to get involved in Ukraine, pointing to the need to tackle endemic corruption with a ‘Marshall Plan’ approach. He described how those on the streets prevailed against armed assailants.
What Guardian readers will not know is that several weeks earlier, the same call was made by Ukraine’s Maidan activists. An appeal I shared with my MEPs in South West England.
“Support political reforms and economic development: When the new government is in place, support Ukraine financially to get on a path of sustainable economic revival. A kind of „Marshall Plan“, can bring long-term economic benefits to Ukraine and save it from otherwise imminent long-term default.
We would like to call you to do everything in your power as a MEP to assist Ukrainians to win this vehement fight for their rights and values for which Europe stands for too. We kindly ask you to discuss these issues within the European Parliament during the discussion on Ukraine and raise them with the EU institutions, EU member states and international organisations who may assist Ukrainians in their struggle for justice, citizens’ rights and return to political and economical stability.”
Nataliya Zubar,
“Maidan Monitoring” Information Centrer, Chairman of the board,
Journalist, Member of Independent Media Trade Union
In 2011 Nataliya had discovered the body of our founder Terry Hallman, who had been raising awareness of corruption in state childcare.
“The author of breakthru report “Death camps for children” Terry Hallman suddenly died of grave disease on Aug 18 2011. On his death bed he was speaking only of his mission — rescuing of these unlucky kids. His dream was to get them new homes filled with care and love. His quest would be continued as he wished.”
Terry was also the author of a ‘Marshall Plan’ for Ukraine which was delivered to government in February 2007. It argued that capitalism could be applied to resolve a wide range of social problems. Terry was a pioneer of business for social purpose.
“An inherent assumption about capitalism is that profit is defined only in terms of monetary gain. This assumption is virtually unquestioned in most of the world. However, it is not a valid assumption. Business enterprise, capitalism, must be measured in terms of monetary profit. That rule is not arguable. A business enterprise must make monetary profit, or it will merely cease to exist. That is an absolute requirement. But it does not follow that this must necessarily be the final bottom line and the sole aim of the enterprise. How this profit is used is another question. It is commonly assumed that profit will enrich enterprise owners and investors, which in turn gives them incentive to participate financially in the enterprise to start with.
“That, however, is not the only possible outcome for use of profits. Profits can be directly applied to help resolve a broad range of social problems: poverty relief, improving childcare, seeding scientific research for nationwide economic advancement, improving communications infrastructure and accessibility, for examples — the target objectives of this particular project plan. The same financial discipline required of any conventional for-profit business can be applied to projects with the primary aim of improving socioeconomic conditions. Profitability provides money needed to be self-sustaining for the purpose of achieving social and economic objectives such as benefit of a nation’s poorest, neediest people. In which case, the enterprise is a social enterprise.”
In 2008 he appealed for support from USAID and others, describing the urgent need for an anti-corruption network including Maidan and Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group as members. He was fobbed off,
Later that year, I introduced the ‘Marshall Plan’ to the EU Citizens Consultation pointing out the extent of the crisis a negative circle of poverty which threatened to destroy Ukraine.
Terry’s work began in 1996, with an argument that challenged Milton Friedmans assertion that social responsibility of business was to maximise shareholder return. I shared the story in the Long Term Capitalism challenge.
So where are we now, with business leaders falling over each other to proclaim their commitment to social benefit?
