[ssf] Fwd: ACT

Wed Jan 26 01:26:49 GMT 2005

hi
They seem to be a charter 88 'return our democracy
outfit',some serious backing though. I wondered when
such an  organisation based completely on civil
society would appear. Politics abhors a vacuum, so
with New Labours headlong rush to the right, we can
expect to see many such new initatives, not just
social forums. Unfortunately i think we will also see
them on the right as well, soaking up other perceived
grievances. One such mooted link up is between FTJ
andd the countryside alliance though it is being hotly
denied by the CA, there will be others. 

dt
--- Alan Dawson <aland at burngreave.net> wrote:

> Any body got clue on this
>  ----- Forwarded message from * -----
>     Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 18:55:17 +0000 (GMT)
> 
> 
> Do you all know about this?
> 
> ***
> 
> PRESS NOTICE
> LAUNCH OF NEW POLITICAL MOVEMENT IN SHEFFIELD
> Monday 31st January
>  
> “Politicians think there are no votes in the
> environment, no votes in democracy
> and no votes in a new constitution.  ACT aims to
> change that.”
> 
> 
> 
> On Monday 31st January, at 7pm in the Friends
> Meeting House, 10 St James Street,
> Sheffield, a new non-party political movement - ACT
> – Active Citizens Transform
> – will be launched. ACT’s aim is to kick-start a
> democratic revolution in
> Britain – The Reasonable Revolution. 
> 
>  
> 
> ACT’s 400 founding members want to see a fundamental
> transformation in the way
> Britain is governed, and in the priorities on which
> the running of society is
> based. The British way of life and our economy are
> simply not sustainable.
> Fundamental economic and social inequalities, and
> degrading environments,
> divide our world – splitting countries, communities
> and citizens apart, and
> ruining the places in which we live. As government
> ignores the problems, and
> gathers ever more powers for itself at the expense
> of our elected
> representatives in parliament, so people feel
> increasingly isolated and
> marginalised. There is widespread public concern
> about these failures of
> government, cynicism about politicians and distrust
> of party politics. 
> 
> We need politics to work and be seen to work, and
> deliver justice in the present
> and for future generations. This is what
> sustainability and democracy mean for
> us. ACT believes that only citizens and communities
> can drive these changes.
> This is what we call The Reasonable Revolution.
> 
> 
> In short, ACT is about building up political clout
> from the grassroots.  We have
> the backing of Charter88, and are initially building
> support in 18 public
> launch meetings and campaigns.   ACT’s agenda is to:
> 
> 
> 1. secure new planning and development powers for
> communities and local
> authorities, including over public services,
> housing, energy, transport, waste
> and High St. development schemes
> 
>  
> 
> 2. win new powers for Parliament to hold the Prime
> Minister and Cabinet to
> account for delivering manifesto commitments and
> Department policy
> 
> 
> 3. build up public and cross-party political support
> for a range of new laws,
> tax codes and public spending priorities to tackle
> problems like climate change
> emissions, polluting and resource wasting industries
> and the plight of poor
> families and neighbourhoods who suffer the worst
> effects of environmental
> degradation and pollution
> 
> 
> 4. secure new political rights for individual
> citizens and communities,
> including: to participate meaningfully in setting
> national as well as local
> public policy priorities; to choose their own local
> electoral voting system; to
> be able to hold government and companies to account
> for causing avoidable harm
> to public health and the environment; and, to
> determine local economic and
> market trading conditions to favour local
> businesses. ACT is also campaigning
> for a written constitution that will empower
> individual citizens and
> Parliament. 
> 
> 5. motivate and mobilize a nation-wide network of
> voters, tax-payers and
> constituents, and unite a wide range of national
> organizations and community
> groups, into an effective political movement driving
> this democracy and
> sustainability agenda. We will publicly support
> those politicians who back this
> agenda, and expose those who do not.
> 
> 
> ACT’s four launch campaigns are: 1) The
> Representation of the People (Local
> Electoral Systems) Bill; 2) Statutory Carbon
> Reduction Targets, and Supportive
> Tax Codes; 3) a Bill of Sustainability Rights,
> supported by a written
> constitution; 4) The Sustainable Communities Bill.
> (See Launch Pack for
> details).
> 
> 
> Charles Secrett, Co-Director, stated: “Britain’s
> economy and way of life are not
> sustainable. We consume too much, pollute too much,
> and government tolerates
> too many environmental, social and economic
> injustices. Politicians think there
> are no votes in the environment, no votes in
> democracy and no votes in a new
> constitution. ACT aims to change that.”
> 
> 
> Ron Bailey, Co-Founder and Co-Director of C88,
> stated: “ACT is flagging up two
> of the fundamental flaws in our democracy: the
> increasing inability of
> parliament to hold the executive to account ,and the
> complete lack of any
> facility by which electors cans hold their own MPs
> to account.  By trying to
> build a non-party citizens movement around those two
> issues, and by linking the
> issue of democracy to sustainability, ACT is filling
> an important political
> vacuum.  It must succeed!”
> 
> For further information, please contact:
> 
> 
> Charles Secrett, Co-Director ACT: (w) 020-7833-9898;
> (m) 079770-16119
> 
> 
> Ron Bailey, Co-Director ACT: (w) 020-7833-9898; (m)
> 07951-761229
> 
> 
> Stephen Shaw, ACT Network Coordinator: (w)
> 020-7833-9898; mobile 07788-646933 
> 
> ACT website: www.actnetwork.org.uk
> 
> E-mail contact: info at actnetwork.org.uk
> 
> 
> NOTES TO EDITORS:
> 
> 1) ACT has been founded and set up by Charles
> Secrett , Ron Bailey, and Martyn
> Williams.
> 
> Charles Secrett, Co-Founder ACT: Director, Friends
> of the Earth 1993-2003.
> Started peaceful direct action campaigns with
> communities to protect threatened
> nature reserves in Britain (1981); began the first
> Rainforest campaign (1985),
> including widespread consumer boycotts and
> constituent political lobbying; and,
> at FOE, prioritized the development of citizen
> action, consumer/shareholder
> pressure and constituent campaigns, including on
> environmental justice issues,
> GM foods, fuel-poverty, habitat protection, and
> traffic reduction (1993-1999).
> 
> Ron Bailey, Co-Founder ACT: From his initiation of
> the squatters’ movement in
> 1968 to the present day, Ron Bailey has always been
> a keen advocate of citizen
> mobilisation.  He set up the Parliamentary Units at
> FOE 
=== message truncated ===
---------------------------------

Do you all know about this?

Saleema

PRESS NOTICE
LAUNCH OF NEW POLITICAL MOVEMENT IN SHEFFIELD
Monday 31st January

“Politicians think there are no votes in the
environment, no votes in democracy and no votes in a
new constitution.  ACT aims to change that.”

On Monday 31st January, at 7pm in the Friends Meeting
House, 10 St James Street, Sheffield, a new non-party
political movement - ACT – Active Citizens Transform –
will be launched. ACT’s aim is to kick-start a
democratic revolution in Britain – The Reasonable
Revolution. 

ACT’s 400 founding members want to see a fundamental
transformation in the way Britain is governed, and in
the priorities on which the running of society is
based. The British way of life and our economy are
simply not sustainable. Fundamental economic and
social inequalities, and degrading environments,
divide our world – splitting countries, communities
and citizens apart, and ruining the places in which we
live. As government ignores the problems, and gathers
ever more powers for itself at the expense of our
elected representatives in parliament, so people feel
increasingly isolated and marginalised. There is
widespread public concern about these failures of
government, cynicism about politicians and distrust of
party politics. 

We need politics to work and be seen to work, and
deliver justice in the present and for future
generations. This is what sustainability and democracy
mean for us. ACT believes that only citizens and
communities can drive these changes. This is what we
call The Reasonable Revolution.

In short, ACT is about building up political clout
from the grassroots.  We have the backing of
Charter88, and are initially building support in 18
public launch meetings and campaigns.   ACT’s agenda
is to:

1. secure new planning and development powers for
communities and local authorities, including over
public services, housing, energy, transport, waste and
High St. development schemes

2. win new powers for Parliament to hold the Prime
Minister and Cabinet to account for delivering
manifesto commitments and Department policy

3. build up public and cross-party political support
for a range of new laws, tax codes and public spending
priorities to tackle problems like climate change
emissions, polluting and resource wasting industries
and the plight of poor families and neighbourhoods who
suffer the worst effects of environmental degradation
and pollution

4. secure new political rights for individual citizens
and communities, including: to participate
meaningfully in setting national as well as local
public policy priorities; to choose their own local
electoral voting system; to be able to hold government
and companies to account for causing avoidable harm to
public health and the environment; and, to determine
local economic and market trading conditions to favour
local businesses. ACT is also campaigning for a
written constitution that will empower individual
citizens and Parliament. 

5. motivate and mobilize a nation-wide network of
voters, tax-payers and constituents, and unite a wide
range of national organizations and community groups,
into an effective political movement driving this
democracy and sustainability agenda. We will publicly
support those politicians who back this agenda, and
expose those who do not.

ACT’s four launch campaigns are: 1) The Representation
of the People (Local Electoral Systems) Bill; 2)
Statutory Carbon Reduction Targets, and Supportive Tax
Codes; 3) a Bill of Sustainability Rights, supported
by a written constitution; 4) The Sustainable
Communities Bill. (See Launch Pack for details).

Charles Secrett, Co-Director, stated: “Britain’s
economy and way of life are not sustainable. We
consume too much, pollute too much, and government
tolerates too many environmental, social and economic
injustices. Politicians think there are no votes in
the environment, no votes in democracy and no votes in
a new constitution. ACT aims to change that.”

Ron Bailey, Co-Founder and Co-Director of C88, stated:
“ACT is flagging up two of the fundamental flaws in
our democracy: the increasing inability of parliament
to hold the executive to account ,and the complete
lack of any facility by which electors cans hold their
own MPs to account.  By trying to build a non-party
citizens movement around those two issues, and by
linking the issue of democracy to sustainability, ACT
is filling an important political vacuum.  It must
succeed!”

For further information, please contact:

Charles Secrett, Co-Director ACT: (w) 020-7833-9898;
(m) 079770-16119

Ron Bailey, Co-Director ACT: (w) 020-7833-9898; (m)
07951-761229

Stephen Shaw, ACT Network Coordinator: (w)
020-7833-9898; mobile 07788-646933 

ACT website: www.actnetwork.org.uk

E-mail contact: info at actnetwork.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1) ACT has been founded and set up by Charles Secrett
, Ron Bailey, and Martyn Williams.

Charles Secrett, Co-Founder ACT: Director, Friends of
the Earth 1993-2003. Started peaceful direct action
campaigns with communities to protect threatened
nature reserves in Britain (1981); began the first
Rainforest campaign (1985), including widespread
consumer boycotts and constituent political lobbying;
and, at FOE, prioritized the development of citizen
action, consumer/shareholder pressure and constituent
campaigns, including on environmental justice issues,
GM foods, fuel-poverty, habitat protection, and
traffic reduction (1993-1999).

Ron Bailey, Co-Founder ACT: From his initiation of the
squatters’ movement in 1968 to the present day, Ron
Bailey has always been a keen advocate of citizen
mobilisation.  He set up the Parliamentary Units at
FOE and ACE, and has been responsible for over 20
successful campaigns to change legislation on
environment and democracy issues.

2) ACT’s Board members are: John Jackson (Chair of
Countryside Alliance and Board of openDemocracy); Judy
Ling Wong (Director, Black Environment Network);
Stuart Weir (former Editor New Statesman, and founder
of Charter88); Helen Furtado (London First); Richard
Sandbrook, (former Director of International Institute
for Environment and Development); Martyn Williams
(co-founder ACT, and Parliamentary Coordinator for
Friends of the Earth) and Andrew Warren, (Director, of
the Association for the Conservation of Energy).

3) ACT has agreed campaign partnerships with Charter88
and the New Politics Network, and is jointly running
campaigns with them for a written constitution, the
Bill of Sustainability Rights and for Local Electoral
choice.

4) ACT Launch Meetings: 10 January, London; 12
January, Cardiff; 13 January, Norwich; 17 January,
Birmingham; 18 January, Tunbridge Wells; 19 January,
Leeds; 20 January, Truro; 21 January, Bristol; 24
January, Plymouth; 25 January, Oxford; 26 January,
Brighton; 27 January, Southampton; 31 January,
Sheffield; 1 February, Newcastle; 2 February,
Manchester; 3 February, Cambridge. Launch meetings in
Edinburgh and Belfast will take place later this
Spring.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF ADDRESS 
Sheffield Community Recycling Action Programme  -
SCRAP promotes recycling schemes to benefit local
communities in Sheffield. 
40 Earsham Street,Pitsmoor, Sheffield, S4 7LS. 
tel: 0114 2755055 / 0114 2755599, fax: 0114 2755055. 
Company limited by guarantee no. 2236177, charity
no.1002780
Registered office 127 Spital Hill, Pitsmoor, Sheffield
S4 7LD.

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