<div class="gmail_quote">Hi folks </div>
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<div class="gmail_quote">Please find below some notes about last Thurs 23rd's CRD meeting. Thanks for these Simon :-) and to everyone who came and made meeting a good one. Simon I've made a few additions / changes, mainly typos, hope that's ok. </div>
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<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Simon</b><span dir="ltr"><a href="mailto:wellssimo@googlemail.com" target="_blank"> </a></span><br><br>Hi Mark and James,<br>
<br>Can you forward these notes/points of the discussion of last Thursday of CRD at the Whitechapel Gallery, 23 July. 10 people were in attendance.<br><br>Recap of last meeting - Discussion about looking for organisations making democratic decison making, some features of those organisations, would be that the individuals/organisations would be the owners of the decison whether through localism, workplace, place of study, the objective of this would be to bring groups together.<br>
<br>Action points from last meeting - Map of democracy groups in London; calendar of meetings and other group events.<br><br>Proposed items for agenda, (1) Proposal for action/demonstration around land issues, (2) Usury, (3) What do we mean by real democracy, and what other bodies are exploring the issue, (4) Talking circles, (5) Next meeting.<br>
<br>General discussion around finding a community space.<br>Comrade noted that he was working with Land Reform Group with the objective of creating structures that get people working together.<br>Maloka - International School of Bottom up Organising - Squating/Requisition.<br>
Suggestion of film evening showing the Bill Douglas film, 'Comrades' about the Tolpuddle Martyrs and origins of trade unionism</div>
<div class="gmail_quote">Vision - Space where powerful decisions are made.<br>Campaign for building constituionally based peoples palace.<br>Suggestion - Lewisham Bridge School - an example of where people are dissatisfied with what the authorities are doing.</div>
<div class="gmail_quote">Also Wards Corner in Seven Sisters. Kew Bridge land occupation <br><br>Discussion over what spaces means, squatting, hierarchy and bottom up organising.<br>Boundary/geographical definition, the high street/town centre is the natural centre.<br>
Seven is a significant number in terms of townships.<br>Discussion - Strong and local powerful communiites.<br>People know which postcode they live in, discussion on what areas are most suitable for communities, natural watersheds for example.<br>
Cannot artificially set boundaries.<br>Question - what are people doing in their local communities.<br>To be effective, people have to have a conituing purpose for the local management of the area they live in, a purposeful framework.<br>
Democracy - freedom<br>Suggestion - meaning of democracy, democracy halfway between anarchy and fascism [this view needs quite a bit of elaboration, to say the least. MB] & 'the world as a permaculture garden' idea...</div>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br>Final round up - what are individuals involved in? </div>
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<div class="gmail_quote">Various including 21st Century Network, Ally Pally People's Palace, Tree Watering, supporting other initiatives (eg Wards Corner, Lewisham School), Climate Camp, Ecotort, Government of the Dead and various local community endeavours <br>
<br>And Theoretical Projects: </div>
<div class="gmail_quote">Barry Fineberg - see ?? = Barry pls advise</div>
<div class="gmail_quote">MB working on CRD manifesto [more on this at end of August] . </div>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br>Dates:<br>July 27 Camden Town Hall (Housing Sell Off Campaign, public meeting) <br>August 15 - Picnic (Parliament Hill)</div>
<div class="gmail_quote">Aug 27 - Climate Camp <a href="http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/gatherings">http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/gatherings</a></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">August 30th - Peoples Palace meeting at the Royal Festival Hall </div>
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<div class="gmail_quote"><strong>Next CRD meeting</strong> will be either a Monday or Thurs eve in mid / late Sept. </div>
<div class="gmail_quote">More info and calendar details at newly updated, yet still to be tweaked further <a href="http://www.peopleincommon.org/" target="_blank">www.peopleincommon.org</a> (thanks Anna :-)!)</div>
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<div class="gmail_quote">Finally, Barry, please can you provide us with a link to your work about spatial ordering as I'm struggling to locate via google, would be happy to pass on the info. Also, Barry you may be interested in the work of Anthony Jay, which I posted about before (thanks to Mark Brown for sending me a reminder about this), see at <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6684542.ece">http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6684542.ece</a> </div>
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<div class="gmail_quote">Cheers, Mark </div></div>