This is just an initial gathering of a few materials. The story starts with a graduate engineer's choice - inspired by the Lucas steward' vision and organisation - to back into industry in the mid 70s as 'a subversive', organising alternative forces of 'workers' knowledge' It moves into the 80s 'Livingstone GLC' and - as computers begin to become part of the furniture of homes and workplaces - into other movements of participatory design, focused on other kinds of workers and alternatives to 'workerist' politics.

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More to be added.

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These are some materials to work with:

• Steve Sprung, The Plan - A film about a 1970s workers plan to switch from arms manufacture to socially useful production.

• A new Lucas plan, a just transition (Breaking the Frame).

• Hales (1980), Living Thinkwork - Where do labour processes come from? Chapter 6, 'Making labour power'. On Lulu.

• Hales (1992), The location of humans, ordinary people and women in system design - 'At the centre'?, in Location - Explorations of power and landscapes of design. On Lulu.

• Collective Design / Projects (eds) (1985), Very nice work if you can get it - The socially useful production debate. Nottingham: Spokesman Books.

• Bodington, George & Michaelson (eds) (1986), Developing the socially useful economy, Basingstoke: Macmillan.

• Catherine Forrester (??), Alternative technology in 1970s Britain.

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