The village green isn't the only loss to the commons, but it was one of the earliest losses. In the past century, and particularly in the past few decades, we've seen the Commons shrink is almost every way conceivable - indeed, the Commons have become such an easy target for public service cuts that "every way conceivable" may well be the extent of it. To take something out of the Commons, all that needs to happen is for it to become commodified. And the Commons are often lost through ideology, not necessity. Austerity is one such ideology.
Common Defence
In the past year the Mayor of Toronto (a right-wing businessman who inherited his wealth) attempted to close a third of Toronto libraries, claiming it was necessary to balance the budget. Libraries are one of the oldest institutions of the Commons, and the public outcry was fortunately strong enough to stop Mayor Rob Ford's plan. A few months later, the city actually discovered it had a $300 million surplus, revealing Ford's flawed ideology as being out-of-touch with reality.
Another failed attempt to sell off the Commons occurred last year in the UK, when the Austerity-driven Tory party attempted to sell off woodlands to international developers and power companies. It would have been the largest change of land ownership since the Second World War, and would have resulted in the loss of over 250,000 hectares (an area the size of Luxembourg). Again, the public outcry was enough to stop it.
Common Sales
However, not all the Commons have been successfully defended. In many countries, the water infrastructure is still part of the Commons, water being a necessity for (human) life. Privatization of water is often met with mass protests, as people (rightly) fear for their very survival. Until 1989, only 4 countries in the world had privatized their water, but after Margaret Thatcher (another right-winger) privatized water in the UK, 27 more countries have have also seen their water privatized. Against this, Bolivia saw historic protests in 2000 as water prices seared to 30% of income. Greece and Italy also saw anti-water-privatization protests in 2011, and much of the Americas are in long-term battles against it, often deadly.
The Internet is another area of the Commons, which is now under continuous attacks from bills such as SOPA, CISPA and Canada's Bill C-11. Health-care (particularly elder-care) has also seen massive moves into the private sector, often resulting in elder abuse and 'flying visits', where care staff hours are so stretched they only have time for the bare minimum of 'care'. Art has also seen the attack, as public funding is cut and art projects are increasingly forced to look for private money (often resulting in certain 'restrictions').
Common Losses
Another major concession of the Commons has been research. Research used to be done primarily by publicly-funded universities, and the discoveries would be kept in the Commons, available for all. This allowed for a diverse and creative era of progress, resulting in many useful inventions. It also allowed researchers to take chances, combining fields of study, and making leaps in human thought. However, as public funding for universities has been continually reduced, researchers have been forced to look for private grants to continue their research.
For example, Monsanto and other private interests now contribute more towards agricultural research than public funds in the US (which includes the USDA's notoriously pro-corporate public money). This has resulted in biased research, leaving policy makers unable to make unbiased policies. It has also captured the imagination of scientists and researchers, forcing research to continue in an areas like GMOs that have been shown to reduce yields and contribute to food scarcity and environmental decline. Finally, the research done (even in public universities) are kept out of the Commons by privately-constructed, draconian intellectual property laws and patents, which are enforced by heavily funded teams of lawyers, as well as legal threats and private security companies. Once something leaves the Commons, it not given back.
Un-Common Extremes
Lawmakers have allowed human DNA to be privatized, which is surely about as 'common' as anything we share.
The atmosphere too, is being negotiated away through international cap-and-trade schemes - the commodification of the air we breathe.
As these attempts to commodify (and thus eradicate) the Commons continue, we are finding that nothing is to be spared. Indeed, while we used to fund ventures into space from the Commons, asteroid mining is now being contemplated, bankrolled by billionaires. And although we'll probably never make much of our time in space, how long will it be before even space is commodified, divided, and sold off?
But this loss of the Commons needn't be the case. This is not the only possible future for humanity. It can be reversed, and it should be.
Common Revival
Although touted as such, Austerity is not a way to balance the budget. Not only are we finding austerity is ineffective at what it claims to do, Austerity is actually an attempt to sell off the Commons as quickly as possible. It is driven by the interests of private finance, and associated with a domineering mindset of oligarchical control. It is, quite simply, elitism, paid for by us all.
Fortunately, people are beginning to fight back. Greece is currently working out how to scrap austerity, France voted in Hollande for his anti-austerity promises, and Germany's largest state just rejected Merkel's austerity. Popular grass-roots movements like Occupy and Blockupy continue to grow, exposing austerity's Commons-crippling agenda. And as awareness grows, anger grows, meaning action grows.
The tide is turning - the Commons will grow again!
