[Campaignforrealdemocracy] Fwd: [rdwg] Towards a new democracy. Saturday afternoon - 6 July @ South Bank Uni

[Mark Barrett]

*Towards a new democracy *

What is the future for democracy in England and Scotland? What would a more
inclusive, democratic society look like? You are warmly invited to join our
discussions on Saturday July 6 when the Republican Socialist Alliance is
holding a day school from 1pm in Room L120 at London South Bank University,
London Road, London SE1 OAA.

The meeting will be discussing the different ways the crisis democracy in
the UK is affecting England and Scotland. In England should campaigning
priorities focus an Agreement of the People? In 2014 will the independence
referendum in Scotland lead to the break up of Britain?

Events in Turkey and Brazil are the latest in a long line of people’s
protests and uprisings against the lack of democracy, corrupt politicians
and austerity programmes since the financial crisis in 2008. Beginning in
Iceland, Tunisia and Egypt they evolved into what became known as the Arab
spring spreading to Greece and Spain and to the Occupy movement in Wall
Street, London and across the world.

The Occupy movement came to express the demand for real democracy not only
in dictatorships but in countries where people already had the right to
vote. In Egypt, Libya, Syria mass opposition came onto the streets against
the corruption of politics and the brutality of the police and military
forces. But in so-called ‘democracies’ such as the US and the UK many
people came to see that their votes were more or less irrelevant because of
the power of the multi-national corporations and international banks to
decide policies.

On 22 June 4,000 people gathered at the ‘People’s Assembly Against
Austerity’ to discuss what action they could take against the state's
austerity programme. One issue, largely ignored by the left in England, was
how to challenge the failed parliamentary democracy and replace it with a
new system of democracy, a people’s republic, in which government of the
people would be conducted by the people and for the people.

Over five hundred activists attended the workshop session on democracy,
organised thanks to the work of campaigners from the Occupy movement, to
discuss the crisis of democracy and the democratic deficit. There was
considerable support for the idea of a new democracy based on people’s
assemblies. The creation of local People’s Assemblies around the country
would be an important step on the road to creating a democratic alternative.

On July 6 the Republican Socialist Alliance day school will be discussing
the future of democracy in England and Scotland and how we can campaign for
a new constitution through an ‘Agreement of the People’. The event is
sponsored by Chartist magazine, RCN (Scotland), People’s Republic of
Southwark, Ateneo Republicano de Villaverde (Spain), Bermondsey Republican
Socialists, A World to Win, Occupy Real Democracy Working Group and the
Socialist Alliance.
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