<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr">Dear All<div><br></div><div>On our interaction with the above matter <span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">it would be excellent to create a horizontal UK-wide platform for a more participatory approach and potentially radical alternative political and economic set of demands, policies and practices to emerge from within (and/or outside) the Peoples Assembly against Austerity movement. </span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">If you would like to be involved in such an initiative a preliminary meeting is being convened for 6.30pm Wed 17th July. Please get in touch if you would like to know more. <div>
<br></div><div><b>Here is the info on local PA work as sent out very recently by the Coalition of Resistance / PA team:</b><br></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><a href="http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dd957c6eb39e2c25a43db43d5&id=4e595aa8c7&e=" target="_blank">http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=dd957c6eb39e2c25a43db43d5&id=4e595aa8c7&e=</a></span></div>
<div><br></div><div><b>Here is their official guidance for local groups </b></div><div><a href="http://thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/guidance-for-local-groups/" target="_blank">http://thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/guidance-for-local-groups/</a></div>
<div><br></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><b>Here is what I have written so far about process of the meetings in London</b> as follow-on PA organising meetings, please comment / add your own insights :</span><br>
</div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:13px"><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">So far there have been quite good turn outs on London geographical lines ie North London East London Lambeth are the ones I know about but also West London and others are in pipeline which it would be good to attend and interact with and identify fellow travellers on the participatory front </span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">A variety of chair / facilitating styles but a tendency to go down the old way of doing the meetings and rallies while calling them assemblies and also to avoid discussion about the need for a new politics, genuine participation and a new political system. However when the issues have been raised they have been responded to quite well in some respects and there has been a 50/50 or near split ie a sizeable minority or more than half in favour of a new approach. We have also seen a potentially creative tension between organising for the big left set pieces like Tory Conference and so forth and the need to develop sustainable platforms for ordinary people to make their voice heard and build a democratic democracy movement from the grassroots. <div>
<br></div><div>Therefore we are encouraging people to promote resolutions to take forward the participatory agenda in solidarity with the traditional left agenda and as a means to develop a genuine and positive better alternative to the present system while also defending the welfare state and public services we have - however flawed - from cuts. Also to create Minutes of the meeting independent of the official ones where needed. In Lambeth a democracy group was proposed and formed at the planning meeting, for example, and is being convened by one of Occupy London's Real Democracy Working Group people. <i> It might also be worth considering whether local groups like Occupy should make some kind of statement in critical support of the statement and process </i> </div>
<div><br></div><div>As at the end of the day we are talking about a getting beyond the old socialist model some of us in London are discussing use of social media tech aswell as an independent platform within the movement to push for a more radical alternative political agenda aswell as a more horizontal process. </div>
<div><br></div><div>If you are interested in connecting up over this please get in touch so we can start creating a London / UK wide comms infrastructure - and also of course please encourage fellow horizontalist / participatory and also tech people elswhere in the UK to do the same. It would be excellent to have remote attendance on the 17th from elsewhere say by way of google hang out or other platform. </div>
<div><br></div><div>I hope this is of interest</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers</div><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><div><br></div><div>Mark</div><div> </div></font></span></span></div></span></font></div></span></div>
</div></div><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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