The State and your interior life

Guy Herbert of Samizdata at a conference called Turning the Tables on the State came across this demand.

We need a right to a rich interior life.

Sorry, but it does remind me of the famous Land Rights for Gay Whales badge.

Herbert had attended to speak on encroaching government power, but is surprised that the rest of the speakers build their cases on the evils of transnationals and globalisation. He should have looked on the website of the organising body, A World to Win. This is a movement that calls for

the building of new democratic institutions at local, regional and national level. The first task of these assemblies will be to encourage workers in every sector of economic life to take control of their workplaces and set up democratic management systems.

Haven't these assemblies already been tried? Weren't they called 'soviets'?