Marinaleda The land of utopia
Marinaleda, a community of 2645 inhabitants in Andalusia, has no unemployment, no policemen, housing, work, culture, education and health are considered a right. "The land belongs to no one, the land is not bought, the land belongs to everyone! We practice a participatory democracy, we decide everything from taxes to public spending in big assemblies. Many heads give many ideas". The residents belong to the local cooperative and work 6.5 hours a day, all receiving the same daily wage (45 euros), regardless of whether they are employed in the fields or in the local factory processing the products. Revenues are not shared but invested in the cooperative to create new jobs. There is no priest or policeman in the village, while renting a house costs 15 euros a month.