<div><strong>Independent Civil Society as the Third Way</strong></div>
<div> </div>
<div>We need to struggle together for a political economy that allows space to be opened up, in effect new land rights in every local community for a new sovereignty to be exercised. This vision must include all the decision making powers usually associated with governance, eg new structures for the bringing up of children, lending money to green businesses, supporting the unemployed, local housing provision, the right to raise and spend revenue, as a public corporation and thereby provide local public services, all to be placed in the hands of ordinary people so that the tools are in place for a new culture, based on community sovereignty and full equality for all, to be created. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Constitutional issues relating to the exercise of that sovereignty, based on the values of real democracy ie inclusivity, equality, responsibility in the form of 'do no harm' environmental care, and also how each community relates to other communities and the 'higher' levels of administration all need to be worked out, but most of them are commonsense. A written constitution guaranteeing such sovereignty and granting the judiciary the power to overturn Acts of Parliament whenever they come into conflict with local communities actions that are in keeping with the terms of the new, environmentally conscious and equalising settlement, aswell as defining the decentralised delegate decision making rights, between communities and the regional / national level might also be a good thing although such a constitution would need to be reviewable by the people, say, every 15 years and include a sunset clause so it lapses if the people do not affirm it.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The success of a third way (ie people, not state or private led) recovery to the multiple crises might depend on this sort of thinking?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>These thoughts have been developed in collaboration with the teams at </div>
<div>Project 2012, Campaign for Real Democracy, Community Sector Coalition and A World to Win</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Mark<br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">On 5 March 2010 08:44, Kathryn <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kathryn@seedsforchange.org.uk">kathryn@seedsforchange.org.uk</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote style="BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; PADDING-LEFT: 1ex" class="gmail_quote">Another try!<br><br>---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------<br>Subject: Common Ground for Local Action<br>
From: "Kathryn" <<a href="mailto:kathryn@seedsforchange.org.uk">kathryn@seedsforchange.org.uk</a>><br>Date: Wed, March 3, 2010 6:20 am<br>To: <br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>Hello all<br><br>It was good to meet you and to hear your presentations at the Common<br>Ground for Local Action Event on 20th February.<br><br>I've been asked by Matt to pull together a report of the day. It would be<br>
great if we could include the key points from your presentations. Could<br>you let me have a few brief paragraphs or a list of key points from your<br>presentation?<br><br>I hope to finalise the report by the end of next week. If you could get<br>
something to me by Wednesday 10th March that would be really helpful.<br><br>with best wishes<br><br>Kathryn<br><br>Kathryn Tulip<br>Seeds for Change Oxford<br>01865 403 134<br><a href="http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/" target="_blank">www.seedsforchange.org.uk</a><br>
<font color="#888888"><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>Kathryn Tulip<br>Seeds for Change Oxford<br>01865 403 134<br><a href="http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/" target="_blank">www.seedsforchange.org.uk</a><br><br><br></font></blockquote>
</div><br><br clear="all"><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>