<div dir="ltr">Dear All <br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div>Here's a quick report on the People's Assembly Against Austerity movement. </div><div><br></div><div>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.</div>
<div><br></div><div>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 <a href="http://www.nottspeoplesassembly.org/" target="_blank">http://www.nottspeoplesassembly.org/</a> ) and there are also local group events emerging in Brighton, Bristol North London and elsewhere. The Peoples Charter initiative (6 reforms set out at <a href="http://www.thepeoplescharter.org/" target="_blank">http://www.thepeoplescharter.org/</a> ) 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). </div>
<div><br></div><div>There will be two press conferences before the event, headed up by Owen Jones but also including grassroots activists from local campaigns. </div><div><br></div><div>In the meeting we discussed:</div>
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(1) local rallies ( see above) </div><div>(2) volunteers meeting - if you would like to volunteer on the day to help run the event please get in touch. </div><div>(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. </div>
<div>(4) Ideas for workshops on June 22:</div><div><br></div><div>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. </div>
<div>(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. </div>
<div>(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' </div>
<div>(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. </div>
<div><br></div><div> <b style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Participatory Alternatives to Austerity</b></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
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. </div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<br></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">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. <div>
<div><br></div><div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Duration - 1 hour and 30mins</div>
<div><div>- what's wrong with our system of representative democracy (<strong>5mins)</strong></div><div>- why new institutions / alternative systems of political governance are needed in the fight against austerity and for common ownership (<strong>5mins </strong>)</div>
<div><font color="#000000"><span style="background-color:rgb(243,243,243)">- pre-figuratism and radical state reform, </span></font>possible ideal alternatives (<strong>10mins</strong>)</div><div><div>- how can alternative models of governance best be taken forward in the People's Assembly against Austerity movement ?</div>
<div>* Intro (5<strong>mins</strong>)</div><div>* Group discussion (<strong>15mins</strong>)</div><div>*Feedback (<strong>15mins</strong>)</div><div>-Taking the idea forward to the local assemblies</div><div><div>* Group discussion (<strong>15mins</strong>)</div>
<div>*Feedback and close (<strong>15mins)</strong></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div> <span style="font-size:small;font-family:arial">Please support this workshop so we can have the idea included in the movement from the start by registering for the event via </span><a href="http://thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/" style="font-size:small;font-family:arial" target="_blank">http://thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/</a><span style="font-size:small;font-family:arial"> or to offer volunteering in lieu of paying try Sam at </span><span style="white-space:nowrap"><a href="mailto:office@thepeoplesassembly.org.uk" target="_blank">office@thepeoplesassembly.org.uk</a></span></div>
</div></div></div><div> </div><div>I hope this is of interest</div><div><br></div><div>Salaams </div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><div><br></div><div>Mark</div><div><br></div><div> </div><div> </div></font></span></div>
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