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Unlocking Democracy - Join UK Projects on Open Government unlockdemocracy.org.uk
In Autumn 2006, Charter 88 and the New Politics Network came
together to launch a new campaign to tackle the crisis of legitimacy
facing British politics. For several years now we have worked on a
variety of projects together. The creation of Unlock Democracy means
that will be working together more closely than ever before to keep our
mutual concerns on the agenda and to minimise unnecessary duplication
of resources.
The premise of Unlock Democracy is simple: far too much power is
locked up in the hands of far too few people. In particular, we want to:
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Exopolitics UK - Comment: Please contact this organisation and request that they consider the exopolitical and disclosure processes as a key part of their approach. For a standard template please contact us. Their details are here:
Phone +44 (0) 20 7278 4443 | Fax +44 (0) 20 7278 4425
Email
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Who We Are
“If
men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to
govern men, no controls on government would be necessary. In framing a
government of men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must
first enable the government to control the governed, and in the next
place oblige it to control itself. Just as we have civil laws to
restrain men in society, so we have constitutional laws to restrain men
in power”
- Former US President James Madison (1751-1836)
In Autumn 2006, Charter 88 and the New Politics Network came
together to launch a new campaign to tackle the crisis of legitimacy
facing British politics. For several years now we have worked on a
variety of projects together. The creation of Unlock Democracy means
that will be working together more closely than ever before to keep our
mutual concerns on the agenda and to minimise unnecessary duplication
of resources.
The premise of Unlock Democracy is simple: far too much power is
locked up in the hands of far too few people. In particular, we want to:
Unlock Government: the combination of the inherited
powers of feudal monarchs, modern media’s concentration on the Prime
Minster and overuse of the party whip has turned Britain in to one of
the most centralised countries in Europe. Governments have become
locked in a vicious circle of centralising power in an effort to
improve public services, only to find this leads to increased
dissatisfaction. The quango state - unelected and unaccountable bodies
which have a direct impact on ordinary people’s lives - has become a
common feature of our political life.
Unlock the Constitution: despite advances such as
the creation of the Human Rights Act, a simple majority in the House of
Commons can curtail our rights and freedoms by changing our unwritten
constitution. At a time of heightened security and fear of terrorism we
believe that Britain needs a new constitutional settlement in which
basic rights and freedoms are entrenched.
Unlock Political Parties: representative democracy
is in long-term decline. However, instead of simply taking the populist
stance that polticial parties are part of the problem, we need to
recognise the important role they play in connecting the vast majority
of voters to our political system. Unlock Democracy will be a critical
friend of the political party: while being honest about its
limitations, we will embrace its potential for encouraging greater
participation. This means reforming the way parties are funded to
incentivise meaningful engagement and talking up party activity as a
public good rather than some sort of anti social behaviour.
Unlock Decision-making: participation is about more
than consultation. Nothing encourages cynicism more than a public body
asking for views on an issue that has already been decided upon. The
public should be given a real say in issues that concern them, using
tools that provide genuine engagement such as Citizens’ Juries. But
such tools are expensive and can only involve a limited number of
people at any one time. Citizens should be given the right to petition
for Parliamentary debates, public inquiries and, where necessary,
referendums on issues that concern them.
Unlock Democracy will continue campaign for individual reforms such
as a predominantly elected Second Chamber and initiatives such as the
Sustainable Communities Bill, and will play our part in reskilling the
political process by holding events such as People and Politics Day.
Ultimately however, we have two main goals in mind:
- A Citizens’ Initiative Act: this would give
citizens the right to initiate legislation and public inquiries at a
local or national level if enough people - say 5% - call for it. If the
elected body concerns fails to respond satisfactorily, the petitioners
could trigger a binding referendum. Unlock Democracy plans to draft and
table a Parliamentary Bill outlining this process within the next few
months.
- A Citizens’ Convention: the UK needs a
Constitutional Convention look at how the various tiers of government
work together and to consider the entrenchment of basic rights and
freedoms. However, such a convention must not be made up of the Great
and Good. It needs to be created and agreed by the citizens of the
United Kingdom because ultimately it is their freedoms and interests
which it will serve and protect.
Unlock Democracy will work closely with any individual or
organisation which shares our desire to unlock power and to change the
nature of British democracy. Furthermore, as both Charter 88 and the
New Politics Network are membership organisations, we practice what we
preach: by joining both or either organisations you will be given a say
in and a vote on what our priorities should be.
Following a ballot of all members of Charter 88 and the New Politics Network, the two organisations are currently in the process of merging.
Contact Details
6 Cynthia Street London N1 9JF
Phone +44 (0) 20 7278 4443
Fax +44 (0) 20 7278 4425
Email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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