[Campaignforrealdemocracy] Fw: [rdwg] People's Assemblies - beyond resistance

Tue Jun 18 09:29:47 UTC 2013

Reasons to be cheerful? Dangerous possibilities for People’s Assemblies
http://www.strikemag.org/reasons-to-be-cheerful/

Cheers for the link Obi!

 JD  Taylor <http://www.zero-books.net/authors/jd-taylor&i=9> examines
dangerous possibilities for the People’s Assemblies – and reminds us that
actions speak louder than words. Can the British left be less conservative,
and will the People’s Assemblies
<http://thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/>provide the spark that ignites the
flame?

>
> @Obi_Live
> @OccupyNN
> http://occupynewsnetwork.co.uk/
> http://occupylondon.org.uk/livestream
>
>
> On 18 June 2013 08:58, Lorenzo Abadinas <madman8london at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Thanks for the update.
>>
>> Is that statement going to be up on the occupylondon webpage?
>>
>> I do think that the People's Assembly is in danger of becoming yet
>> another talking shop.
>>
>> If they manage to form another socialist party,  pull the Labour party
>> back to socialism, or perhaps get the Unions to support the Greens, more
>> power to them.
>>
>> Yours Respectfully.
>> Obi
>>
>> @Obi_Live
>> @OccupyNN
>> http://occupynewsnetwork.co.uk/
>> http://occupylondon.org.uk/livestream
>>
>>
>> On 18 June 2013 08:28, <marknbarrett at googlemail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> **
>>> FYI
>>> Sent from phone
>>> ------------------------------
>>> *From: * Mark Barrett <marknbarrett at googlemail.com>
>>> *Date: *Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:08:22 +0100
>>> *To: *rdwg at googlegroups.com<rdwg at googlegroups.com>; squares<
>>> squares at lists.takethesquare.net>
>>> *Subject: *Re: [rdwg] People's Assemblies - beyond resistance
>>>
>>> Published
>>>
>>> http://www.peoplesassemblies.org/2013/06/peoplesassembly-against-austerity-london-june-22/
>>>
>>>
>>> On 18 June 2013 07:43, <paul.feldman at talktalk.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>>  People's Assemblies can move beyond resistance
>>>> ** **
>>>> The powerful response to the call for the People’s Assembly against
>>>> Austerity on June 22 confirms that the build-up of opposition to the ConDem
>>>> cuts is reaching boiling point, presenting a unique opportunity to move
>>>> beyond resistance.
>>>>
>>>>  Over 3,000 people have registered for the Assembly, many with the
>>>> support of the major trade unions. Clearly, people welcome the fact
>>>> that the Assembly brings together all those fighting against austerity. The
>>>> support of key figures like Tony Benn, Owen Jones and Ken Loach has helped
>>>> boost attendance.
>>>>
>>>> What is crucial is the perspective for and beyond the Assembly. The draft
>>>> statement <http://thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/draft-statement/> is
>>>> absolutely explicit about the intended direction of travel, declaring: “We
>>>> have a plain and simple goal: to make government abandon its austerity
>>>> programme. If it will not it must be replaced with one that will.”
>>>> ** **
>>>> The statement insists that the government’s austerity programme is not
>>>> “necessary” and that the “banks and the major corporations should be taxed
>>>> at a rate which can provide the necessary resources”.
>>>> ** **
>>>> To that end, there is a call for a national demonstration and civil
>>>> disobedience towards the end of the year, the building of local Assemblies
>>>> and a recall of the national Assembly in 2014.
>>>> ** **
>>>> In practice, the central demand is based on the notion that this most
>>>> reactionary of governments is for turning and, if not, that Labour is an
>>>> alternative. Both are utterly misguided.
>>>> ** **
>>>> The ConDems are cutting not simply because they are viciously
>>>> anti-working class (which they are) but in response to an historic crisis
>>>> of the financial and economic system, aka capitalism. The dreaded “C” word
>>>> does not get a mention once in the draft statement, however, which is a
>>>> major weakness.
>>>> ** **
>>>> Its exclusion leads to the idea of restoring the status quo of the
>>>> welfare state through taxing the corporations as the main policy idea. With
>>>> key analysts forecasting another global crash, such a policy does not begin
>>>> to match the gravity of the situation we face.
>>>> ** **
>>>> As to installing a government that will “abandon austerity”, the
>>>> implication is that this is Labour. But Ed Miliband’s party, which is
>>>> taking shape as New Labour Mk II, intends to continue with austerity and
>>>> cuts and every day incorporates another ConDem policy.
>>>> ** **
>>>> So Owen Jones’ view that “there is a battle to be won in compelling the
>>>> party to fight for working people” is based on faith rather than judgement.
>>>> Unions like Unite which bankrolled Miliband’s election have put the
>>>> pressure on already – and come away empty handed.
>>>> The central issue is the fact that the system is broken – economically
>>>> and politically. A semblance of democracy is rapidly being replaced by an
>>>> authoritarian, surveillance, security state as the leaks about the US/UK
>>>> spy network reveals.
>>>>
>>>> A minimal amount of time has been found for discussing this crisis of
>>>> democracy. Yet it is the key to our future. A World to Win and others have
>>>> campaigned  <http://www.aworldtowin.net/frontline/C421launch.html>for
>>>> a network of People’s Assemblies since August 2006.
>>>> ** **
>>>> We and others in Occupy and the Agreement of the People for the 21st
>>>> Century <http://www.agreementofthepeople.org/> see People’s Assemblies
>>>> as integral to a strategy for moving beyond resistance towards a real
>>>> democratic political and economic system in place of the façade we have
>>>> today.
>>>>
>>>>  Permanent People’s Assemblies should:
>>>> ** **
>>>> -         be inclusive, inviting all sections of the community to be
>>>> part of their work
>>>> -         discuss in depth why there is a global economic crisis
>>>> -         draw up, with the help of experts, alternatives to
>>>> austerity/cuts that go beyond the profit system
>>>> -         discuss how to introduce democracy throughout society – in
>>>> ownership and control of workplaces, land, etc
>>>> -         debate the crisis of democracy, where our voices/votes count
>>>> for very little
>>>> -         consider alternative forms of democratic government and
>>>> self-rule throughout the **UK**
>>>> -         consider plans to deal with the eco-crisis.
>>>>
>>>>  People’s Assemblies should not develop into talking shops, but into
>>>> rival centres of power to a system that has lost its legitimacy and the
>>>> right to rule over us. That’s the big challenge and we call on others to
>>>> help us campaign for this on Saturday.
>>>>
>>>>  Paul Feldman and Corinna Lotz
>>>> 17 June 2013
>>>> www.aworldtowin.net
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> http://occupylondon.org.uk/
>>> http://www.peoplesassemblies.org
>>>
>>> --
>>
>>
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