[Campaignforrealdemocracy] Last Saturday's Democracy Picnic, Minutes and Request for Help

[Mark Barrett]

Hi Everyone :-)

Am in the middle of a million things, so, this sent in haste..

Whether with words, ideas, plans, music or poetry, a huge thanks to all who
came along and made the Parliament Hill Democracy picnic last Saturday such
a lovely event. Especial thanks to the musicians and poets who we all had
the pleasure to enjoy, and to Sandra and Attica for hospitality afterwards.
A brief report is given below.

Hopefully some photos will follow (do send if you have any for the
website..) ?

Also, Sally, Baraka &  I need a bit of help with getting the next picnic
organised. Any offers of help with Facebook admin and designing / putting up
posters much appreciated  (see below)

*Next Democracy Picnic:* provisionally scheduled for SUNDAY SEP 27th at
ALEXANDRA PALACE. PLs join the Facebook group at
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19199003786 and consider becoming an
administrator so we can share the load of getting the info out there. Also
we need people to help put up posters in the local area; we can all go
together one day and do it if people are up for it.. will be fun.  Again,pls
email me if you'd be able to help with this.

*Rough Future Plan*  is to travelling democracy picnic now and next spring
at a number of London highpoints, eg Ally Pally, Greenwich, Crystal Palace,
Richmond Park, Primrose Hill before descending from the heavens to the
bowels of hell (aka the GLA) Scoop Amphitheatre for a theatrical festival
type picnicky thing. Plans are also afoot for a nationwide real democracy
gathering in the midlands in November. More on this later. Especially
appropriate to send this message today as it is the 20th Anniversary of the
Pan European Picnic which helped to bring down the Iron Curtain and so make
possible a united, grassroots Europe. Scroll down to below the following
Picnic Minutes section to where it says *The Pan European Picnic Anniversary
* for more info. Picnics rock!

*Picnic Minutes*

For all those that couldn't make it on the 15th, here is a quick report...

Sun shone, view great, blank placards (though not enough) were in
attendance. Including children, around 40 people (plus, wider Heath public
who enjoyed various performances). Atmospher: fun, spiritual-political,
fam-friendly, a bit bolshy in places but overall good natured: serious yet
light-hearted -  a good start :-)

First we enjoyed delicious food together, then chaotic but lovely go-round
with introductions, a bit of scrapping for attention between young and old,
some spontaneous poems, songs and various statements of information and
belief. Turned out, not only was it Indian Independence day on Saturday, it
was also the eve of  mother Mary's (Catholic) Feast of Assumption, which
supplanted the original, Pagan sacred day of Isis. Someone pointed out that
the stars on the EU flag apparently represent the stars of Mary's crown
("When I went down to the river to pray, studying about that good old way
and who will wear the starry crown, oh Lord show me the way") so here's to a
Europe Grassroots United for REAL Democracy!

Also, it turned out that Saturday was the good Raga's 68th birthday, which
we calculated to be 884 years in lunar cycles. A good sing song was of
course had by all.

Intros were then followed by a lively debate. About democracy, its failings,
potentials, requirements for realisation and origins. Controversy over
whether we live in one (ie a democracy) or not, how much further we can go
on the present paradigm, what democracy might actually look/ feel like and
whether there has ever been a successful, good, democratic society in the
past. On latter point, some wanted to big up the Greeks, subject to obvious
failings in  excluded women and slaves from Forum, but as instigators of
first "real-ish" democracy (in that they required their people (or, more
accurately "free citizens") to attend and (directly) make decisions, even
going so far as paying them.

Others put forward the view that many indigenous have been practicising
forms of democracy for eons, way before flashy Athenians. Debate ensued as
no-one could actually name a good tribe that had a fully democratic society.
Eventually the Iroquois were put forward as a model, although I have since
been told they practised cannibalism. ha ha .

ANYWAY, what we seemed to agree on - in that no-one took issue to these
points - was that (a) democracy works best at the human -scale, face to face
level (b) this means a much needed revival of community will come with it if
we achieve it  (c) it's about genuine and a truly radical equality at heart
and (d)  a democratic society in which communities are strong will be good
for both the environment and renewed social relations and(e) things need to
change a lot and that therefore, perhaps, real democracy - whatever that
actually is - is our only hope.

Important questions about how to link cultural / social change HER with
changes to the world economic system,  so that our struggle supports not
only our fellow man and woman here, but everywhere else at the same time,
were also raised

Go-round included a discussion - and some controversy about - process. So,
what actually makes for democratic process? Following this, some wayward use
of a hastily introduced piece of serioulsy advanced technology: the talking
"broad bean pod" - in place of a stick - ensued. This was far from perfect,
but seeing as we hardly new each other and we were made up mainly of a bunch
of opinionated types. a humourous balance between rules, flexibility, ego
and discipline was, er, at times  approached ;-)

Some may have found the anarchic quality of proceedings frustrating.
although undeniably amusing. Myself, I was just happy to hear Blake being
quoted and even sung at every opportunity, and to meet some lovely people
who had made the effort to come along and find out more.

And then, thanks to the good lady Baraka, the head-part was followed by the
heart. A beautiful maori(?) song in honour of our brothers and sisters
struggling on the other side of the world - thanks for this, really really
special.

Ok, enough discipline already - back to the picnic!

Last but most definitely not least, we split off to enjoy each others
individual company before enjoying performances from, among others, space
girl, david pepper, poet tree man, rob rub and rainbow lizzie. huge thanks
to all of you,  and to everyone else who made it so sweet and special. Here
is Space Girl's poetry page..
http://www.myspace.com/spacegirlspoetrysalon

*Next picnic, as mentioned will be at Alexandra Palace*, which has great
access and also we can support Sally and the local people there's project to
make it what it should be, the People's Palace (see
http://sallyallypally.wordpress.com and (now out-of date
http://www.saveallypally.com ) Provisional date for this is Sunday 27th
Sept; pls put in yr diary for - "the peoples' palace picnic", and as
mentioned before, pls can people volunteer to be Facebook administrators
(and promoters) and / or to help put up posters the local area?

*What Would Gandhi Do?* One thing we didn't do, which was the original idea,
lost in the spontaneity was debate what Mohandas Gandhi would do, if alive
today, about the state of democracy and community in this land. Answers on a
postcard or recycled paper picnic plate, please :-)!

*The Pan - European Picnic Anniversary*

Today August 19th is the anniversary of the first pan - european picnic,
which helped to bring down the iron curtain (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-European_Picnic and see also today's
article by Adam Lebor, below). Can we make another one happen in coming
years, only this time for the walls to come down in a different kind of way?

Will now subscribe newcomers to the project 2012 forum / planning list...

And thanks again for a lovely day!!

Peas,
Mark
PS here's that article and more info about the 1989 picnic
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6801126.ece

*Freedom is now flowing from West to East*
*In August 1989 as communism collapsed, Britain was a beacon to the new
regimes. Today we are squandering our liberty*
Adam LeBor

I’ve spent much of the past 20 years living in or reporting on the former
communist countries of Eastern Europe. Nowadays, with Budapest, Prague and
Warsaw two hours away by budget airline, it’s hard to imagine that before
1989, half a continent was imprisoned behind landmines and barbed wire, its
citizens terrorised by secret police, intentionally ground down by the
endless, intrusive demands of the one-party state.

I saw those borders torn down, democracies arise and the basic freedoms that
we take for granted — speech, movement and public protest — enthusiastically
embraced.

Twenty years ago today the world witnessed the power of the crowd. Hungary’s
reformist communist Government permitted the pan-European picnic near the
city of Sopron, on the border with Austria, as a symbol of its commitment to
a united Europe. The border was to be opened so that about 100 dignitaries
and officially approved picnickers could cross freely back and forth. But
Hungary was crowded with thousands of East Germans desperate to escape to
the West. Many camped near the site of the picnic, waiting for the crucial
moment. When the border was opened at three o’clock they surged forward. The
guards did not open fire. They stepped back and allowed the East Germans to
break through.

This, not the opening of the Berlin Wall in November, was the tipping point.
August 19, 1989, accelerated a chain of events that brought down communism
and the Soviet Union itself. Such is the power of the crowd.

After 1989 Big Brother was no longer welcome in Budapest, Prague or Warsaw —
he moved to London to be ever more warmly embraced by successive Labour
administrations. The birthplace of political liberties, the home of the
Magna Carta, is now one of the most intrusive democracies in the world.
Labour governments have introduced surveillance and monitoring systems of
which the communists could only dream. Of course, Britain is not a real
police state. But it is certainly sliding further into authoritarianism.

Perhaps because I live abroad, each time I return home I can clearly see
quite how subtle and dangerous a process is unfolding. A series of Home
Secretaries have presided over a steady, stealthy shredding of our civil
liberties. I am amazed at how supine citizens allow local and national
government to intrude ever further into their daily lives, logging, tracking
and recording everything from household waste disposal to mobile telephone
use.

These small changes seem to herald a more dramatic constitutional shift: the
rewriting of the social contract under which citizens are apparently
regarded not as active participants in society, but, at best as irritants to
be monitored, and at worst as potential criminals to be pre-emptively
arrested, just as George Orwell predicted in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The phrase Big Brother has entered common parlance. But Orwell’s book was
published in 1949 as communist regimes in Eastern Europe cemented their
control through “salami tactics”. These were invented by Matyas Rakosi,
Hungary’s communist leader from 1948-56. He sliced away freedoms sliver by
sliver, until he established one of the most feared dictatorships in Eastern
Europe. When the communists took over a town, for example, they did not
appoint the mayor, but a deputy, to work behind the scenes and stealthily
take control of the police and municipal administration.

In my more cynical moments I imagine Labour ministers following a similar
methodology. They would never say openly: “We intend to criminalise public
protest; to grant sweeping blanket powers of arrest to the police and change
the very foundation of law, making citizens prove their innocence, rather
than have the police and judiciary prove their guilt while demonstrating.”

Nor would they say: “We intend to privatise formerly public spaces and hand
over state functions of public order to armies of unaccountable security
guards.” Instead, changes are introduced stealthily, rarely debated by
Parliament and are nodded through with the acquiescence of the Opposition,
in the name of that useful catch-all “security”.

Whether by design or not, that seems to me to be happening.

Security is an issue. Communist regimes sought control for its own sake, to
preserve their monopolies of power. The Labour Government has had to respond
to a new wave of terrorism, perpetrated by British citizens who use the
internet and covert communication techniques.

Preventing further terrorist attacks is part of a government’s duty. But
preventing government from intruding too far into our daily lives is our
duty — one we have so far singularly failed to carry out.

In the communist era Hungarians, Czechs and Poles looked to Britain as a
beacon of fairness. After 1989 our Parliament, judiciary and free press were
models for them. The former one-party states are now vibrant democracies.
Despite corruption and a sometimes prickly nationalism, most of the new EU
members can be proud of their transformation into modern civic societies.

While our freedoms wither, theirs flourish. It’s a common sight to see
far-right demonstrators in front of the Hungarian parliament, hurling abuse
and calling for the resignation of the Government. The police watch, nobody
is arrested and everyone goes home peacefully. And when the police do use
force, there is a vigorous national debate about balancing the right to
protest and public security.

Twenty years after the collapse of communism, Eastern Europe is showing us
what freedom means. At last, there are signs that we are waking finally from
our stupor. in 1989 the East Germans camped on the Hungarian-Austrian
frontier showed the world the power of the crowd. So take to the streets,
people. While you still can.

The Budapest Protocol, Adam LeBor’s thriller set in present-day Hungary, is
published by Reportage Press

Also, *for a more in-depth article on Aug 19th 1989*, see
http://www.berliner-mauer.de/laszlo-nagy/lazslonagy-en.htm
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