[Campaignforrealdemocracy] national climate camp proposals - People's Assembly -

[Mark Barrett]

I put this in with a climate camper comrade, for consideration on this years
campaigning work:


Following the CJA/CJN! 'System Change not Climate Change' and 'Reclaim
Power' actions:

*The Peoples Assembly*
Bottom-up inclusive initiatives: everywhere



We propose CC commits itself to building a bottom-up social movement,
following the CJA / CJN general call out for Decentralised Days of Action by
(a) working with other parts of the protest movement and (2) co-organising
simultaneous Peoples' Assemblies at Town Halls or other public spaces.



These actions would lay the foundations for a new society by using PAs to
bring new ideas and democratic processes to people in their local
spaces. Within
these spaces, and by the joined up nature of the project, people will
glimpse a new world in the making. They can then decide where their
allegiance really lies (state, capitalism or ... revolution!)



CC have the national / regional / local reach, so what's missing is the
vision around which we can unite across the localities. We propose that (a)
the content from the Klimaforum declaration, together with (b) the
development of a working relationship with the wider UK activist community
and (c) a democratic, bottom-up, decentralised Peoples' Assembly process
could form the vision for a new society. This is what democracy looks like!



Our job would be to secure the space and facilitate large public meetings,
where we can present the CJA / CJN! movement's proposals for responses to
climate change, and related problems. These proposals will reflect our
radical politics - but they will also be presented as practical solutions to
the converging ecological, social, political and economic crises. These
solutions will be presented as they came out of the Klimaforum declaration:

•A complete abandonment of fossil fuels within the next 30 years, which must
include
specific milestones for every 5-year period. We demand an immediate cut in
GHG of
industrialized countries of at least 40% compared to 1990 levels by 2020.

• Recognition, payment and compensation of climate debt for the
overconsumption of
atmospheric space and adverse effects of climate change on all affected
groups and people.

• A rejection of purely market-oriented and technology-centred false and
dangerous solutions such as nuclear energy, agro-fuels, carbon capture and
storage, Clean Development Mechanisms, biochar, genetically
“climate-readied” crops, geo-engineering, and reducing emissions from
deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), which deepens social and
environmental conflicts.

• Real solutions to climate crisis based on safe, clean, renewable, and
sustainable use of natural resources, as well as transitions to food,
energy, land, and water sovereignty.


What's missing here is a clearer emphasis on the need for a decentralised,
democratic, local community (not state / capitalist) political economy,
although the last word 'sovereignty' can lead us there. A well planned,
decentralised Peoples' Assembly at Town Halls would emphasis this better
than any document, and would also build a far greater capacity for UK
actions in the future.



Only through engagement and learning will the necessary social and political
change become possible, and the Peoples' Assembly can provide the necessary
model. Democratic processes and ideas must be brought back to local spaces
around the world, and with PAs we can help people everywhere to engage with
the complexity of problems and solutions.


Mobilising for Peoples' Assemblies will create a stronger climate justice
movement by drawing in the wider community while also making the point about
democratic processes and presenting bottom-up solutions. Local PAs also have
the benefit of being a beacon to actually get ordinary people and locally
focused groups talking to each other, sharing info about their concerns and
campaigns and thereby strengthening and consolidating the networks that
already exist at the local level. A perfect antidote to the general
election.

The People's Assembly at COP15:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGY9ruYpx3o
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.aktivix.org/pipermail/campaignforrealdemocracy/attachments/20100111/86ef5261/attachment.htm>