<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"><html><head><meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></head><body>FYI <div>Sent from phone</div><hr/><div><b>From: </b> Mark Barrett <marknbarrett@googlemail.com>
</div><div><b>Date: </b>Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:08:22 +0100</div><div><b>To: </b>rdwg@googlegroups.com<rdwg@googlegroups.com>; squares<squares@lists.takethesquare.net></div><div><b>Subject: </b>Re: [rdwg] People's Assemblies - beyond resistance</div><div><br/></div><div dir="ltr">Published<div><a href="http://www.peoplesassemblies.org/2013/06/peoplesassembly-against-austerity-london-june-22/">http://www.peoplesassemblies.org/2013/06/peoplesassembly-against-austerity-london-june-22/</a><br>
</div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 18 June 2013 07:43, <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:paul.feldman@talktalk.net" target="_blank">paul.feldman@talktalk.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<font color="black" face="arial">
<div class="MsoNormal"><font size="5">People's Assemblies can move beyond resistance</font></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><u></u> <u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">The powerful response to the call for the People’s Assembly
against Austerity on June 22 confirms that the build-up of opposition to the
ConDem cuts is reaching boiling point, presenting a unique opportunity to move
beyond resistance. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><br>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">Over 3,000 people have registered for the Assembly, many
with the support of the major trade unions. <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Clearly, people welcome the fact that the Assembly brings
together all those fighting against austerity. The support of key figures like
Tony Benn, Owen Jones and Ken Loach has helped boost attendance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">
<br>
What is crucial is the perspective for and beyond the Assembly. The <a href="http://thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/draft-statement/" target="_blank">draft
statement</a> is absolutely explicit about the intended direction of
travel, declaring: “We have a plain and simple goal: to make government abandon
its austerity programme. If it will not it must be replaced with one that
will.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><u></u> <u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">The statement insists that the government’s austerity programme
is not “necessary” and that the “banks and the major corporations should be
taxed at a rate which can provide the necessary resources”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><u></u> <u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">To that end, there is a call for a national demonstration
and civil disobedience towards the end of the year, the building of local
Assemblies and a recall of the national Assembly in 2014.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><u></u> <u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">In practice, the central demand is based on the notion that
this most reactionary of governments is for turning and, if not, that Labour is
an alternative. Both are utterly misguided.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><u></u> <u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">The ConDems are cutting not simply because they are
viciously anti-working class (which they are) but in response to an historic
crisis of the financial and economic system, aka capitalism. The dreaded “C”
word does not get a mention once in the draft statement, however, which is a
major weakness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><u></u> <u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">Its exclusion leads to the idea of restoring the status quo
of the welfare state through taxing the corporations as the main policy idea.
With key analysts forecasting another global crash, such a policy does not
begin to match the gravity of the situation we face.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><u></u> <u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">As to installing a government that will “abandon austerity”,
the implication is that this is Labour. But Ed Miliband’s party, which is
taking shape as New Labour Mk II, intends to continue with austerity and cuts
and every day incorporates another ConDem policy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><u></u> <u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">So Owen Jones’ view that “there is a battle to be won in
compelling the party to fight for working people” is based on faith rather than
judgement. Unions like Unite which bankrolled Miliband’s election have put the
pressure on already – and come away empty handed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">The central issue is the fact that the system is broken –
economically and politically. A semblance of democracy is rapidly being
replaced by an authoritarian, surveillance, security state as the leaks about
the US/UK spy network reveals.<br>
<br>
A minimal amount of time has been found for discussing this crisis of
democracy. Yet it is the key to our future. A World to Win and others have <a href="http://www.aworldtowin.net/frontline/C421launch.html" target="_blank">campaigned </a>for
a network of People’s Assemblies since August 2006.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><u></u> <u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">We and others in Occupy and the <a href="http://www.agreementofthepeople.org/" target="_blank">Agreement of the
People for the 21st Century</a> see People’s Assemblies as integral to a
strategy for moving beyond resistance towards a real democratic political and
economic system in place of the façade we have today.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><br>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">Permanent People’s Assemblies should:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><u></u> <u></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt;margin-left:36pt">-<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
</span>be inclusive, inviting all sections of the community
to be part of their work</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt;margin-left:36pt">-<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
</span>discuss in depth why there is a global economic
crisis</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt;margin-left:36pt">-<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
</span>draw up, with the help of experts, alternatives
to austerity/cuts that go beyond the profit system</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt;margin-left:36pt">-<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
</span>discuss how to introduce democracy throughout
society – in ownership and control of workplaces, land, etc</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt;margin-left:36pt">-<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
</span>debate the crisis of democracy, where our
voices/votes count for very little</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt;margin-left:36pt">-<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
</span>consider alternative forms of democratic
government and self-rule throughout the <u></u>UK<u></u> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt;margin-left:36pt">-<span style="font-size:7pt;font-family:'Times New Roman'">
</span>consider plans to deal with the eco-crisis.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt;margin-left:36pt"><br>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">People’s Assemblies should not develop into talking shops,
but into rival centres of power to a system that has lost its legitimacy and
the right to rule over us. That’s the big challenge and we call on others to
help us campaign for this on Saturday.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><br>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt">Paul Feldman and Corinna Lotz<br>
17 June 2013</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:10pt"><a href="http://www.aworldtowin.net" target="_blank">www.aworldtowin.net</a></div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888">
</font></span></font><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888">
<p></p>
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</font></span></blockquote></div><br> <br><div><a href="http://occupylondon.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://occupylondon.org.uk/</a></div><div><a href="http://www.peoplesassemblies.org" target="_blank">http://www.peoplesassemblies.org</a></div>
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