<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Sally Wood</b> <span dir="ltr"><a href="mailto:info@thepeoplespalace.org.uk">info@thepeoplespalace.org.uk</a></span><br>
<br>
<div><font face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Hi Mark,<br><br>I am not in London on the 6th but would still like to help as much as I can. I shall look forward to your feedback from that meeting.<br>
<br>Here are my thoughts on it:<br><br>Pro real democracy = Progress towards a future time where we have more autonomy over our lives. Where we are responsible for each other and provide for ourselves. In this future, central and local government exist but they exist as a collective not as competing sides, politicians work together, they do not play games and their role is to protect the people they oversee and collect and distribute information on behalf of and to benefit the whole.<br>
<br>Real democracy is not something that we have to fight for, it is something we have to remember we already have. We are in a fortunate situation in this country because we are not overtly repressed, however, we are hoodwinked instead! Our systems of finance and governance combined hoodwink us into thinking we have choice but I have been alive for a good 31 years now and I have never witnessed anything like choice as to who runs the systems apart from the same people who have always done it. !<br>
<br>Real democracy means people led decision making. This is something we can already do, we don’t need permission. We just need a groundswell of people to tip this message into society at large in order to activate people to stop looking out and complaining and start looking in and connecting up. (It would be very useful to get the journalists on side). The beauty of this is that increasingly, we are all becoming aware of the lack of control we have over our lives and it effects everyone. So, this is something that everyone can stand alongside. We the people are it, frankly, we already run the show, we just don’t see it that way.<br>
<br>So, the picnic can be an opportunity, not to just stand in solidarity against because we have nothing to fight for, we already have it we just need to meet up more often, discuss the options, invite discussion on this, share ideas that help people to connect or connect people to their local Transition towns / similar local group, etc. I think my point is that it is not just a day to stand up and be counted in the vain hope that someone in parliament sees the light, but it is a day where practical information can be given, plans made, links created, people connected etc etc etc.<br>
<br>I keep thinking about groups like North London Lets or TimeBank. Also, check out the abundance project in Sheffield for an example of projects that locate sources of free fruit: <a href="http://www.growsheffield.com/pages/groShefAbund.html" target="_blank">http://www.growsheffield.com/pages/groShefAbund.html</a> I think this is more for Transition towns but there are lots in London. Good to get them there and also at the 23rd? However, another practical thing re. thinking about self sufficiency may be to ask people whether they have fruit trees in their gardens that they don’t really use, maybe provide transition towns with this info if they are happy. Also, lists of books or research that people can access ideas / each other. We need helpers to talk to groups at the picnic and give this info. . .<br>
<br>I really like the idea of drawing on each others placards. No words, just pictures and no protest symbols just pictures, just people inspired art. Just expression. Can we encourage people to bring felt tip pens or water based paints? Oh, and send shouts out for jugglers, performers and face painters. . . Can help with this <br>
<br>Also, please supply a draft email that people can send to their friends, facebook contacts, mailing lists etc.<br><br>Sally<br>x:)<br><br>PS: I have just launched a blog - <br><a href="http://sallyallypally.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://sallyallypally.wordpress.com/</a><br>
<br><br><br>On 25/6/09 7:59 pm, "Mark Barrett" <<a href="mailto:marknbarrett@googlemail.com" target="_blank">marknbarrett@googlemail.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></span></font>
<blockquote><font face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">>I am glad that the plan is for the Parliament Fields [Hampstead Heath] picnic to go ahead. We need to focus on Democracy - be it local or national.<br>
<br>Yes, and don't we need to work together to offer activism to people who do not want to do actions "against" but who yearn for a different world. If we want a mass movement we need to show what we are for and that this is about liberation not just shutting reactionary stuff down, important thought that is it is just battle as distinct from war. Sometimes it seems to me that influential people on the left are not actually serious about winning. We are so very good at showingh what we are against, but this tactic on its own seems to keep us in a ghetto, or at best always doing single issue work, and sometimes even giving extra publicity to our enemies*. If only we could work so well with our friends on the same side of barricade we might actually change the whole thing. <br>
<br>But for the 15th to be big we need to promote it from now on. Who's up for helping with this? If we get it right - and the weather works for us - it can be quite big, will reach out beyond the usual activist circles, and with blank banners, very symbolic. Shall we have a Monaday meeting at the Vegan Cafe Panda found for us say Monday 6th? Specifically to plan the picnic? Who else is up it - not just coming but helping promote and vision it? We need to make it clearer what it's about, make and distribute fliers, contact newspapers and London listings people - lots! I can also get the <a href="http://peopleincommon.org/" target="_blank">peopleincommon.org</a> <a href="http://peopleincommon.org/" target="_blank"><http://peopleincommon.org></a> site updated with info once we've done the basics. Monday 6th meeting? <br>
* about danger of giving any kind of publicity to the BNP, see today's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/24/bnp-race-watchdog-court-action" target="_blank">http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/24/bnp-race-watchdog-court-action</a> but I do support any block to their activities - it's just a shame when they manage to make hay from it. On the subject of historical precedent, someone sent me this a month or so back "It is imperative that we learn from experience. The eclectic Popular Front of the 1930s against fascism failed to prevent WW2 and Hitler's rise to Germany in 1933 in the first place was a failure of the social democrats and communists to form a united class front against the nazis thus betraying the workers in their rank-and-file and their supporters"<br>
<br>I think a democracy picnic can help with this. But also we need to work with the anarchist and union movement, and build a strong vision and organised movement for democracy / community sovereignty, or some such. Yes? <br>
<br>Much to do :-) Monday 6th July - Planning Meeting: Big Democracy Picnic, venue tbc. Please help!<br> <br>Mark <br>2009/6/ <br></span></font>
<blockquote><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><font face="Arial"> I am glad that the plan is for the Parliament Fields picnic to go ahead. We need to focus on Democracy - be it local or national.<br></font><font face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"> <br>
</font><font face="Arial">As an example of what I mean about the links between the local and the prisoner maintaining innocence may I suggest you google in Innocent Manchester and go to cases and take for example Mario Periere - a north east London case.<br>
</font><font face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"> <br></font><font face="Arial">Jenny<br></font><font face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"> <br>--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~<br>You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Project2012" group. <br>
To post to this group, send email to <a href="mailto:project2012@googlegroups.com" target="_blank">project2012@googlegroups.com</a> <br> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to <a href="mailto:project2012%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.com" target="_blank">project2012+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com</a> <a href="mailto:project2012%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.com" target="_blank"><mailto:project2012%2Bunsubscribe@googlegroups.com></a> <br>
For more options, visit this group at <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/project2012?hl=en-GB" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/project2012?hl=en-GB</a> <br><br>-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---<br>
<br> <br>
<hr align="center" width="95%" size="3">
</font></span></blockquote><font size="2"><font face="Monaco, Courier New"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10px">_______________________________________________<br>Campaignforrealdemocracy mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Campaignforrealdemocracy@lists.aktivix.org" target="_blank">Campaignforrealdemocracy@lists.aktivix.org</a><br>
<a href="https://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/campaignforrealdemocracy" target="_blank">https://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/campaignforrealdemocracy</a><br></span></font></font></blockquote><font size="2"><font face="Monaco, Courier New"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10px"><br>
</span></font></font></div></div><br><br clear="all">
<div></div><br>-- <br>"We hear men speaking for us of new laws strong and sweet /Yet is there no man speaketh as we speak in the street.” <br>