[OccupyComms] Fwd: PAAA Halloween Update

[Mark Barrett]

HI again

Some feedback / update from my recent interactions with the PAAA.

In addition to my liaison with John Rees I have now, following the
signatories meeting earlier this month (where I raised, with quite a few
others in support -  including some from unexpected quarters - crucial
issues of participation, democratic diversity support for horizontalism and
'the vision thing' etc) made good working links with Romayne Phoenix (who
chaired the meeting) Pilgrim Tucker (a female activist who works for UNITE
and interested in promoting real democracy and fixing the political system)
and another sister on the inner PAAA organising committee. All three of
them have shown themselves to be vocally supportive of the more alternative
/ Occupy-like approach in signatories meetings.

And, as referenced in the earlier mail following recent meetings of the
PAAA Committee (inner circle) and signatories (outer) the next signatories
meeting will be on 7 Dec and will be open to one rep from each PA group
across the land.

The 're-call' document which the meeting will be asked to consider (along
with any other resolutions we can get to them)  is going to be
substantially the same as the one set out below at 1. with a 'slight change
to delegate numbers'. As you will see we have been successful in getting
mention of the horizontal approach and other aspects of people's critical
feedback and we op you will feel empowered by this to take the ideas
forward further in your local PAAA engagement work or otherwise.. Thank you
for your support in this and please do continue to send feedback and
suggestions to myself direct or via your local rep, including comments that
you have made before but still await action on. Also any specific feed back
on how the reps are being chosen (for Dec 7 Signatories and local Reps
meeting, see 5 below) and / or  suggestions about how delegates for the
actual conference should be or actually are being proposed / chosen for
 the re-call conference by local PAs is most welcome.

1.

Electing delegates to the recall People’s Assembly

The founding conference of the People’s Assembly on 22nd June agreed that
we would recall the People’s Assembly in the first few months of 2014. This
recall Assembly will be a decision making conference and it will be
delegate based, reflecting the growth local People’s Assemblies around the
country and of support for the People’s Assembly among trade unionists,
students and cross the anti-austerity movement.

What follows are a set of basic arrangements for organising an effective,
working recall conference. This is not intended to be a final constitution
or even a basis for calling future conferences. Those arrangements will be
made at the recall conference itself. This is just meant to get us to the
recall conference in a way that reflects the state of the organisation as
it currently exists.

In order to send delegates a local People's Assembly should be affiliated
to the national People's Assembly, and we encourage them to operate within
the national guidelines circulated recently and re-issued alongside this
document. Delegates should be elected, and any resolutions to the
conference should be discussed, at a properly publicised meeting.

For the process to be democratic we also need to ensure respect and support
for different organising approaches and demonstrate a commitment to
transparency and accountability.

To ensure the different currents in the Peoples' Assemblies movement are
treated fairly and able to play their full part, where practical we welcome
local Peoples Assemblies sending delegates from all elements of the
movement: the variety of anti-cuts campaigns, the trades and student
unions, the Labour Party, Green Party, the horizonalist organising groups,
the revolutionary left and, most important of all, those who simply oppose
austerity and are in no organised group at all other than the People’s
Assembly. So, in the delegate entitlement of 10 for a local Peoples
Assembly, please try and reflect the diversity of traditions in the
movement.

Please attempt to involve as many groups as possible (if, say, hacktivists,
or pensioners,  opposed to austerity are not included, please contact them
afresh). Perhaps groups like Liberty or the Haldane Society would want to
be involved.  We hope the event will also be live-streamed so everyone can
observe and where technically possible respond on-line so that we can take
advantage of the new media to develop a new model of political convention.

This structure is not set in stone. It can be altered by the recall
conference and future conferences after that.

With this in mind, here are the delegate entitlements:

   -

   Every local People's Assembly is entitled to send a maximum of 10
   delegates.
   -

   Local and regional union trade union organisations, including trades
   councils and student unions, are entitled to send 5 delegates.
   -

   Local anti-cuts campaigns that are recognised signatories of the
   People’s Assembly are entitled to send 2 delegates.
   -

   National organisations (unions and campaigns) are entitled to send 5
   delegates.
   -

   Individuals who are financially supporting the People’s Assembly are
   entitled to attend as observers without speaking rights.
   -

   The delegate and observer fee will be 5 pounds each.
   -

   We should agree a Conference Arrangements Committee to take this work
   forward.


Additionally I wrote the following draft text (at 3)  for the PAAA as
Romayne Phoenix asked me to write a welcome message on their front page.
She's suggesting the extract at 2 .is used on the front page and I hope
they will link to the rest of the document. However I imagine it won't fly
with them however, so I'm posting it here in case anyone can think of it
might be useful (obviously subject to a few amendments) in any other
context ie coming campaigns work or whatever..

2.  "whether you are coming from a traditional socialist background or the
new politics of participation and horizontality, your local Peoples
Assembly should be a welcoming and supportive space where you can take your
work forward as an integral, valued part of a greater movement"


3

Welcome to the web-site of the Peoples Assembly against Austerity!

We are a UK-based movement aiming to support all people, trade unions and
other campaign groups wishing to challenge the government's austerity
agenda. We are determined not just to resist but also to formulate a real
alternative to our unjust, undemocratic and unsustainable political and
economic system. We are committed to supporting people from all walks of
life and established organising traditions so that everyone, without
exception can work together in a transparent, democratic and inclusive way.

In addition, we are committed to making links with similar movements
internationally. This is because we see ourselves as part of the wider
struggle against a global capitalism which cannot be defeated by one
country alone. By working together nationally but also for one shared
struggle worldwide we believe capitalism can and must be replaced by a
democratic global system which puts people and planet before money, both
here in the UK and elsewhere in the world.

So whether you are coming from a traditional socialist background or the
new politics of participation and horizontality, your local Peoples
Assembly should be a welcoming and supportive space where you can take your
work forward as an integral, valued part of a greater movement.

We hope you will get involved in this important struggle, and help us to
find ways of uniting the left in a democratic, non-coercive way!

In solidarity
The Peoples Assembly against Austerity

Finally I have proposed the following at 4. as a resolution for the 7th Dec
meeting to discuss but I don't know how far I will get with it


*4. It is proposed that the December Signatories (and local Delegates)
Meeting agrees the following statement* making clear that, in the interests
of increasing democratic participation in the movement and in the UK
generally those responsible for convening local Peoples Assemblies should
ensure

- requests for specific and ongoing inclusive horizontal decision making
assemblies, events and activities are actively supported
- that in the absence of such requests, active efforts are made to invite
local Occupy and/or similar-minded groups or supporters to develop a
participatory strand to the local Peoples Assembly work so that both
traditions can operate in parallel, learning from one another and securing
a genuinely inclusive local movement
 - that a healthy balanced mix of approaches to process and full
transparency in decision making is seen at every local Peoples Assembly as
a sign of health and vitality in the movement

[rationale: local convenors are asked to recognise that local Peoples
Assemblies should reflect the community as a whole. A way has to be found
to bring in the wider class of precarity: young people, minorities, the
unemployed, service users, tenants as distinct groups. They need to find a
voice in the Peoples Assemblies and this  has to be a conscious effort
involving a welcoming, inclusive form. The time between now and the spring
conference should be spent building these links and developing democratic
forms of representation at local level. Where possible local  peoples
assemblies should also spend time discussing how to widen their
perspective. What are they for? What's the vision beyond coming together
next spring. What are the aims? How do we get beyond austerity? How if at
all do we wish to add to or amend the founding statement of the Peoples
Assembly against Austerity ? What is the alternative to neo-liberal
capitalism and what is the role of local Peoples Assemblies in making it
come to pass ]

5.

> ------------------------------
> *From: * "People's Assembly" <office at thepeoplesassembly.org.uk>
> *Date: *Wed, 30 Oct 2013 13:23:47 +0000
> *Subject: *Nov 5 and next signatories meeting
>
> Hi all
>
> November 5th is looking very good - we now have actions set up in over 40
> places across the country ranging from leafleting with action for rail to
> roadblocks and occupations / sit ins of banks, jobcentres and post offices.
>
> In London we will are assembling at Jubilee Gardens and marching to
> Westminster Bridge. We are focusing this around energy prices and
> encouraging people to bring their bills to burn.
>
> Please do all you can in the last few days to spread the word through your
> networks. The London facebook event can be found here:
>
> https://www.facebook.com/events/210482052457970/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular&source=1
>
> And all the national actions can be found here:
> http://thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/5nov
>
> *Next signatories meeting 7 Dec*
> At the next signatories meeting, we will be inviting one representative
> from each of the local People's Assembly groups. This will take place on
> Saturday 7 December from 11am - 1:30pm at Unite.
>

 OK that is where it's at from my side at this stage - will be sure to keep
you posted and as I said please do share any insights concerns or (God be
praised) actual progress you are party to as and when

Cheers

Mark
www.peoplesassemblies.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://www.email-lists.org/pipermail/occupycomms/attachments/20131030/9c68610e/attachment-0001.html>