<div>Hi everyone</div>
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<div>I've just updated the Ning site opening page for the Campaign for Real Democracy blurb. Here's how it reads. Comments v.welcome. The location of this blurb is at <a href="http://21stcenturynetwork.ning.com/group/CivilRights">http://21stcenturynetwork.ning.com/group/CivilRights</a></div>
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<div>Welcome to the Campaign for Real Democracy (CRD) group page. <br><br>What is meant by 'real democracy' is an open question, but our group believes it must include local sovereignty (the importance of local, democratic neighbourhood structures with real political and economic power), greater use of consensus (horizontal) decision-making, and building a viable, grassroots social movement. <br>
<br>So far the group has identified the following priorities:<br><br>(1) To map, and, where possible connect the various local and other campaigns for real democracy already in existence. To provide a resource, skills-share, cross fertilisation of ideas and raise awareness. You can find a calendar of campaigns at <a href="http://www.peopleincommon.org/" target="_blank"><font color="#66858d">People in Common,</font></a> and please email us with any campaigns, in London or elsewhere that you think we should know about. <br>
(2) To encourage campaigners to raise their aspirations to the level of seizing power and ensure their own group's decision-making is really democratic.<br>(3) To look for ways to encourage one really big, effective campaign for democracy.<br>
(4) To develop a 'real democracy' manifesto for an alternative democratic political economy, a new political settlement to grow alongside the present one, and eventually supplant it.#<br><br>One further priority is to encourage a 21st Century Network Social Action group to affiliate with CRD and further support its aims in some way. We hope this possibility will be explored at the meeting on <a href="http://www.meetup.com/21stCenturyNetwork/calendar/10410683/" target="_blank"><font color="#66858d">August 19th</font></a>. <br>
<br>One interesting conceptual framework for all this is Henri Lebfevre's "The Right to the City". This has been described as the "collective right to shape the city to your hearts' desire, and be changed ourselves in the process". This is essentially the democratic right to take part in decision making and so create with your friends the political, social and economic culture of the places and spaces you individually and collectively inhabit. We think this fits well with the 21st Century Network's aim of opening up public space to consider (and we would add, act upon) the great issues of our time. We will be exploring this concept, aswell as looking at practical campaigns, at a 21CN meeting on <a href="http://www.meetup.com/21stCenturyNetwork/calendar/10863366/" target="_blank"><font color="#66858d">December 2nd</font></a> and we hope to be able to build upon that for a bigger event in 2010. <br>
<br>In the meantime, this space will be used to collate the CRD manifesto. So far this has been developed on a Wordpress site and on the Project 2012 and CRD mailing lists, and I'm in the process of transferring the info across to here. Sorry for the delay in getting this done.<br>
<br>Here are the <a href="http://api.ning.com/files/wEmKpXpNPLiknsh9TPoHpNQcSm92*ThRc*gTku*ab436QAqzuQDIS2iM8qZozGwNRv1z7kG9ejVysyYcYt*wH-FQPSgcWWqr/MinutesfromourfirstCRDMeeting.doc" target="_blank"><font color="#66858d">Minutes from our first CRD Meeting.doc</font></a><br>
<br>And the second one...<a href="http://api.ning.com/files/eFEyqotybvr4a0pexZBT5TP723o-Ihve0D9jkwvQJ2R5biKCM3unfqWEFEZuE8KeQuRm4Nfz3SdXpfdf-UuqROY8hvqk8CfI/23rdJulyCRDMinutes.wps" target="_blank"><font color="#66858d">23rd July CRD Minutes.wps</font></a> <br>
<br><b>NEXT (THIRD) CRD MEETING - TBC in September</b> <br><br>The next CRD (Campaign for Real Democracy) meeting will be in September. The last meeting was held on the eve of Thursday 23rd July in the Guernica Tapestry round table space at the Whitechapel Gallery. More info on this to follow. <br>
<br><b>Come to one of our meetings if:</b><br><br>1. You think there are a few people in your area who might want to run their own affairs in a really democratic way (for convenience we're defining 'local area' using council wards - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wards_in_Greater_London" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wards_in_Greater_London</a><br>
2 .You've experienced something you think is real democracy-in-action (in organisations like the climate camp) and want to see it spread <br>3. You'd like to see your area become democratic but don't really know anyone else that thinks the same or even what real democracy might look like.<br>
4. You want to find ways to join up the campaigns. <br><br><b>Also, come to the Democracy Picnic:</b> August 15th, Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath - an opportunity to get together for fun, plan the London/wider campaign and make the point about the need for people to take back control of their communities from the state and corporate hegemon. The Facebook group for this is <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=93829936659" target="_blank"><font color="#66858d">here</font></a> <br>
<br>Here is a link to a new, independently written document to which we have been invited to contribute, once it goes on-line for open source editing: <a href="http://www.brooklyndhurst.co.uk/media/A%20Sustainable%20Economy%20for%20London%20-%20Final%20June%202009%20version.pdf" target="_blank"><font color="#66858d">A Sustainable Economy for London</font></a> <br>
<br>Finally, if you wish to join our wide ranging email discussion forum, please do so at <a href="http://groups.google.co.uk/group/project2012" target="_blank"><font color="#66858d">Project 2012</font></a> or to join the low-traffic, dedicated CRD list, pls email <a href="mailto:james@dogmanet.org" target="_blank">james@dogmanet.org</a></div>