metagovernment do lots of cool stuff <a href="http://www.metagovernment.org/wiki/Main_Page">http://www.metagovernment.org/wiki/Main_Page</a><br><br>my questions would be less about technology but about relevance to the community. you need to get a certain amount of critical mass engaged before it makes sense for everyone to put in so much effort to collaborate. so the human network side of things. how may ppl do you need, can you get them. the tech is the easy bit.<br>
<br>there's good direct democracy party in denmark that uses the internet a whole load, but i think our main hurdle at the moment is the lack of PR. the critical mass you need to get this idea up and viable are probably spread across consitutencies - mayb enot though<br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 12:02 PM, Mark Barrett <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:marknbarrett@googlemail.com">marknbarrett@googlemail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div>HI Everyone</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Here's an idea just sent me from Nigel Ware. Assuming we could identify a suitable constituency does anyone know anyone who could help set this up ? James ?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Mark<br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">nigel ware</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:nigelrware@me.com" target="_blank">nigelrware@me.com</a>></span><br>
Date: 27 April 2010 17:52<br>
Subject: Re: direct democracy through the back door<br>To: Mark Barrett <<a href="mailto:marknbarrett@googlemail.com" target="_blank">marknbarrett@googlemail.com</a>><br><br><br>Basically I have an idea, which might already exist some where? To find some php script writers who can create a political forum website that we can offer the use of to local MPs.<br>
<br>The site would work as a forum and could be used for a local MP to gauge public support or to gauge their constituents gripes etc. Polls could also be run on the site, polls could be created by any user of the site. The site could run both locally and nationally for national debates on laws etc.<br>
<br>To make this site really work and become a powerful tool for direct democracy it needs to work best at the local level and would need to be advertised locally and obviously in time nationally. The main reason to get a local MP on board and enthusiastic is that they can get the money that would be needed to create and run and advertise it. I think that the term "direct democracy" may need to be avoided at first due to most if not all MPs as far as I know, being against direct democracy, so this site would have to be sold as a major tool for local MPs.<br>
<br>As the site becomes established and popular and for example in my constituency with the MP having a 10,000 majority at the last election, gets the numbers of users for my constituency up to 5,000 or so, then how could my MP ignore the popular demands made on the site.<br>
<br>I am sure it would not take long before various threads locally and nationally along with the polls on the site would start to demand voting on national budgets, going to war, and further down the line law. I think the polls on the site would be most popular, as the governments petition site is a bit of a joke with its 12 month maximum duration time limit.<br>
<br>As I said this is all just an idea buzzing around my head so feel free to shoot it down in flames or play with it as you see fit.<br>
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<div><br>On 25 Apr 2010, at 15:38, Mark Barrett wrote:<br><br>> Hi Nigel. Thanks for your message which was forwarded to me. Please<br>> send info and I will link you in to lots of others who might be able<br>
> to help. Cheers, Mark<br>><br>> On 25/04/2010, nigel ware <<a href="mailto:nigelrware@me.com" target="_blank">nigelrware@me.com</a>> wrote:<br>>> Hi,<br>>><br>>> Can you tell me who I can contact with some ideas I have for introducing<br>
>> direct democracy to our awful political system we have at the moment? Please<br>>> send me email addresses as I want to run some ideas about and see if they<br>>> can be finely homed by more clever doods than myself.<br>
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