[OccupyComms] PA Against Austerity report

[Mark Barrett]

Dear All

Here's a quick report on the People's Assembly Against Austerity movement.

I was at a sponsor / supporters' meeting last Friday which was attended by
quite a diverse group of individuals from different community and trade
union campaigns (as I recall it - sorry should have made a list) Barnet
Alliance for Public Services, BARAC, Climate Alliance, UK Uncut, Occupy, a
Pensioner group, DPAC, Unite, plus at least on Local Gov Cllr)  aswell as
obviously CoR people.

Apparently over 100 national trade unions are now in support of the project
as it stands. The June 22nd meeting now has over 2200 registrations and
they are expecting about 3000 on the day at present rate of take up and
there are also a lot of trade union block bookings.  There have been
rallies in Southend, Glasgow and some universities and this week 1000+
rallies in Manchester, 300+ Sheffield, 400 + Nottingham (the latter
organised a whole day event see  http://www.nottspeoplesassembly.org/ ) and
there are also local group events emerging in Brighton, Bristol North
London and elsewhere. The Peoples Charter initiative (6 reforms set out at
http://www.thepeoplescharter.org/ ) is also now included although in terms
of exact long term agenda it seems as though the process is quite open (see
below for reasons why).

There will be two press conferences before the event, headed up by Owen
Jones but also including grassroots activists from local campaigns.

In the meeting we discussed:

(1) local rallies ( see above)
(2) volunteers meeting - if you would like to volunteer on the day to help
run the event please get in touch.
(3) venue / logistical issues on the day (about road closure and over-spill
Marquee + stalls o/s as the Methodist Hall only takes 3000) so definitely
there will be an outside - and near Parliament Square -  presence.
(4) Ideas for workshops on June 22:

A list of around 25 possible workshops was circulated. Idea is that
workshops should set the tone of the follow on processes coming out of the
movement (see 6 below). Proposals were quite diverse and the plan is to
condense them. Supporters were invited to suggest how and any missing
topics. i proposed there should be one on alternative systems of
governance, political rights and democratising the state through new
institutions at the local and workplace level  (you know, the usual give
the revolutionaries a voice) and i am told this has now been put on the
list for wider consultation and confirmation. The workshop i proposed is
based on one that Preeti Paul and myself are planning to facilitate at the
Global SkillsXchange and is set out at (7) below. AFAIK workshop list
should appear soon by email to all those who have registered to attend on
June22.
(5) Declaration of People's Assembly statement - drafted by John Rees and
others.Everyone present ok with statement (although speaking personally it
could go much further. However it is phrases in quite an open way and it
was presented as something not set in stone and that could be built upon /
amended / criticised in the year to come by local peoples assemblies and
fed back by way of delegates from local areas into follow up national
assembly in spring of 2014). Statement will go public AFAIK after
organisers' meeting tomorrow ie Friday - will forward it on as soon as i
get it.
(6) Proposed actions - a statement was circulated, again this will be
public after next meeting AFAIK. intention of proposed actions is to
'increase co-ordinated anti-austerity activities across the country to
change the political atmosphere'
(7) Here is the workshop I have proposed. It is based on one that Preeti
Paul from IOPS and myself are planning to facilitate at the Global Skills
Share on June 8/9. There is no other workshop proposed for June 22 that
focuses on the state / new political institutions. I am told it will appear
on a list and that those registered to attend June22 will be consulted on
the workshops that are offered. therefore it would be excellent if more
people from real democracy / awtw / occupy / iops / pan and so on could
register for the event. if you do not want to pay (4 pounds unwaged mainly
because Methodist Hall is expensive to hire) then why not offer to
volunteer I am told that will be very welcome.

  *Participatory Alternatives to Austerity*

Occupy and related social movements have recently brought alternative
models of decision making, the ideal of real democracy and an anti-systemic
critique into the public eye.

This workshop will consider how the People's Assembly against Austerity
could take the participatory agenda forward by building new political
institutions as a complement to resistance against cuts, privatisation and
attacks on the welfare state.

Duration - 1 hour and 30mins
> - what's wrong with our system of representative democracy (*5mins)*
> - why new institutions / alternative systems of political governance are
> needed in the fight against austerity and for common ownership (*5mins *)
> - pre-figuratism and radical state reform, possible ideal alternatives (*
> 10mins*)
> - how can alternative models of governance best be taken forward in the
> People's Assembly against Austerity movement ?
> * Intro (5*mins*)
> * Group discussion (*15mins*)
> *Feedback (*15mins*)
> -Taking the idea forward to the local assemblies
> * Group discussion (*15mins*)
> *Feedback and close (*15mins)*
>

 Please support this workshop so we can have the idea included in the
movement from the start by registering for the event via
http://thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/  or to offer volunteering in lieu of
paying try Sam at office at thepeoplesassembly.org.uk

I hope this is of interest

Salaams

Mark
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