<div dir="ltr">Regarding support for the <b>participatory approach at local Peoples Assembly meetings </b><div><br></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Some of us are working on this by way of a support group for participatory (bottom up inclusive as opposed to top down / centralised) minded types within the Peoples Assembly against Austerity movement and beyond. You can read about our work at </span><a href="http://participativeassemblies.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://participativeassemblies.</a><a href="http://participativeassemblies.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">wordpress.com/</a></div>
<div><br></div><div>Please join up with us at <a href="http://lists.appropriatesoftware.org/listinfo/assembly-discuss">http://lists.appropriatesoftware.org/listinfo/assembly-discuss</a> if you'd like to participate - we are very interested to map what is going on across the UK and ideally we will have at least one 'point' person at each local PA who we can support and also learn from in terms of what is going on. </div>
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<div class="gmail_quote">The 50/50 approach (referred to below this email by a comrade in East London) is a strategy some of us are employing / arguing for in the Peoples Assembly against Austerity. </div><div class="gmail_quote">
<br></div><div class="gmail_quote">What we mean by it is that we have 50% of meetings / events / discussions on the old format of top table and possibly (depending on how top table runs meeting) questions / proposals / votes from floor and 50% on the participative horizontalist model. This way perhaps we can showcase how it will work in practice, demonstrate its attraction bringing in new people interested in a new way of doing politics and generally help shape the movement over time ( while still suporting the campaign against austerity and being in solidarity with the unions etc) </div>
<div class="gmail_quote"><br></div><div class="gmail_quote">By way of background info I spoke with John Rees of the national peoples assembly co-ordinating group and Coalition of resistance last week at length about this, and Mr Rees<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> says we have the right to suggest participatory meetings as a part of the whole movement, and that people should feel empowered to plan and propose them as part of the events being planned and they should be <b>supported in that by the convenors of the local PAs</b>. And if that's not happening, we need to let <span>John</span> know so he can support us. He says we are<b> a legitimate strand to the movement against austerity / the left spectrum and we have a right to have our views heard and our processes honoured and supported</b>. Definitely given this we need to come up with a strategy to get the word out to local activists to present the case for a participatory approach in a professional way and to have a systematic approach to supporting their work on that from this platform. <span>John</span> basically said to me if you are getting a unreasonable response to a reasonable, sensibly thought out and clearly presented proposal then I should let him know so he can tell the local convenors to respond appropriately (ie supportively instead). </span><br>
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<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></span></div><div><font class="" face="arial, sans-serif"><span class="" style="font-family:arial">I will share more info about how this is going as and when but also please can people let me know if they have info about their local PA in this regard and / or do sign up to the discussion list at </span></font><a href="http://lists.appropriatesoftware.org/listinfo/assembly-discuss">http://lists.appropriatesoftware.org/listinfo/assembly-discuss</a> so we can start to co-ordinate ourselves as a platform across the land. </div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> </span></div><div class="gmail_quote"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Also we should definitely be thinking about 5th Nov and encourage eg Occupy Uncut others to get stuck in as it is definitely the day to do Direct Action rather than just march as on Sep 29 at Tory conference. TUC members have just endorsed this a a day of civil disobedience btw and it's also being called around the world. Autonomous actions eg occupying banks and so forth are being encouraged [and also there is a planing meeting for the overall call out wording strategy etc this Thurs 19th Sep 2pm at Unite HQ for those who are in / can reach London]. </span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></span></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Cheers </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><div>
<br></div></span><span class="" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Mark</span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;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"> </span></div></span></div><div><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------</div><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div>Hey all, <br>
<br></div>Just to let you know that today 7-9pm at Chats Place on Brooksby Walk in Hackney, we are having the Hackney Peoples Assembly.<br></div>Will be a good opportunity to see how this 50/50 approach works out and what chance there is for really moving forward in this process. <br>
<br></div><div>Heres further details of the event: <br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/640218589336340/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/640218589336340/" target="_blank">events/640218589336340/</a></div>
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