Showing posts with label mature democracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mature democracy. Show all posts

Power, decision making, ethics and humane living: a choice

Interesting ideas are a starting point for this necessary discourse.

There ought to be a place in Parliament for some pensioners, disabled folk, some children and teenagers, and other vulnerable people, providing a commentary on the proceedings, a bit like the two old geezers at the end of the muppet show, humorous but with more bite.

PR, NOTA, and many other progressive and humane practices regarding a humane democracy are all possible.

Ask the disabled what they need, let them decide on policy on the disabled.

Ask the 'disruptive children' in schools what they need, let them inform how they are helped.

Ask the renters what they need, and let them inform how renting is regulated.

Ask mothers what they need, and then let those needs inform policy on family and community.

Ask elders what they need, and let those needs inform policy on family and community.

Ask Survivors of trauma and criminal abuse what they need, and let that inform policy.

Tell the banks what we need of their services, and ensure they comply to the 'market' : those who need their services (apart from criminal organisations, speculative betters etc etc )

Tell the police how they ought to relate to troubled youth, as carers as well as protectors, and let the troubled youth inform how they are to be treated.

Ask the Military how they can best help Society, and let that inform how they are deployed (Chavez did this in his 'exile' in the remote parts of Venuzeula, and directed the military under his command to build infrastructure, schools, wells, etc etc... which built his base from which he re-emerged to engage in Democratic Governance.)

There are a myriad of genuine examples of all of this kind of democratic behaviour that demonstrate it is both practical and effective.

We, the people, are the majority tax payers, and we need to take up the responsibility of how we organise our part of Society and not devolve that to others. We ought to employ some to do what we decide, not vote for others to decide for us. That's infantile.

The current political paradigm represents peoples fears more often than their needs or 'interests' as a means to manipulate the electorate, to gain Power over the people.


A truly representative figure head is a spokesperson carrying the message of those who have decided. Not a leader.

We need to become leaders who can select spokespersons, who can employ civil servants and politicians and direct them.

There was a time when those skills lived within the community. Amongst people known who could be trusted because if they bodged the job, you would come around to their house. This is oversight.

The time for grass roots oversight has come. Be part of it. Participate in decision making, in deliberation, in the exploration of the issues, the problems, the solutions and be a learner, a grower, a fully matured human being.

I want to live fully humanely. I do already, to a large degree, and recognise that I need to take up my shared responsibility, to all other living humans, my family to mature fully and become fully participative. I need to do this to honour my connections to you all, to honour my sense of self and to exercise the loving care I feel for all humanity.

What do you want?


Kindest regards

Corneilius

Do what you love, it's Your Gift to Universe

Politics, Arguments, Debates and Institutionalised Emotional Blindness

Politics, arguments, debates and the abdication of responsibility.


The Power Inquiry Report 2006.

If you have not heard of it, then I suggest that you need to know more about it. We all need to read the report and understand it's full implications, not least because it emerged from the grass roots, rather than a think-tank. And it challenges a number of assumptions about the ability of grass roots folk to engage with shared responsibility, robust governance and detailed policy deliberation.

The Power inquiry, an independent investigation into the condition of democracy in Britain, was set up in 2004. The members of its commission (chaired by Helena Kennedy) hosted meetings around Britain and heard submissions from a wide variety of interest groups, professionals, and concerned citizens. The commission published its report on 27 February 2006.

"After eighteen months of investigation, the final report of Power is a devastating critique of the state of formal democracy in Britain. Many of us actively support campaigns such as Greenpeace or the Countryside Alliance. And millions more take part in charity or community work. But political parties and elections have been a growing turn-off for years.

The cause is not apathy. The problem is that we don't feel we have real influence over the decisions made in our name. The need for a solution is urgent. And that solution is radical. Nothing less than a major programme of reform to give power back to the people of Britain..."

Examine it.

D. Cameron, E. Milliband and Menzies Campbell paid lip service to the report and initiative at the time. Cameron said, in public, and it's on video, that The Power Inquiry was the 'most important initiative in Democracy in the UK' in a long, long time.

I was there. I heard them speak and mouth hearty support for the report, as they stood and spoke before the assembled crowd of more than 500 people. 

Less than a week after attending the launch of the report, at a conference in Queen Elizabeth Hall, Parliament Square, after praising it during that weekend conference, after saying how important it was, after speaking about it in glowing terms to the attendees, they dismissed it as 'impractical.'

'Impractical'? Well, yes. Ceding power to people is always 'impractical' to the Ruling Class.

Here's an outline of the recommendations:

http://www.lgcplus.com/give-citizens-power-to-make-laws-urges-inquiry/513437.article

Here's the full document, PDF download, very much worth a reading.

http://www.jrrt.org.uk/publications/power-people-independent-inquiry-britains-democracy-full-report

Power without accountability or shared responsibility is always going to be a serious problem, and open to abuse.

Quite a lot of the comments flying around about Russel Brand, UKIP, and politics in general are antagonistic 'debating' style, rather than mature deliberation or critical analysis. Trying to win or batter the other side down as opposed to learning enough to develop a win-win solution.

What's that phrase they use about the Court system?

Adversarial.

I find that appalling. An abdication of responsibility. Politically immature. Psychologically immature. An adversarial Parliament is immature, and unworthy, easily corrupted - a collegiate parliament would be mature and worthy and would repel corruption.

Because the issue of power and legislation is really about us, we, the people who form the community and how we work together (or not) to create a society that nurtures, that cares for the vulnerable.

The issue is about relationships based on kindness, rather than power.

Healthy discourse is about sharing, exploring and growing together.

Debate is about power, it's about who wins.

The Power Inquiry emerged out of the Community Voluntary Sector, which has decades of providing services at the local community level, dealing with amongst other things : finances, governance, research, best practices, transparency, service provis
ion, understanding their 'clients' needs, overcoming institutional obstacles, overcoming Institutionalised Emotional Blindness, campaigning, fund raising, discourse on policy formulation and much else besides. These are real life skills.

It was these people that David Cameron's BIG SOCIETY was aimed at, as a direct institutional assault. And it was their clients, the vulnerable who suffer doubly as a result.

And it's working.

Speak to any disabled people currently being denied benefits on the false basis of 'austerity'?

Use your voice to nurture the active grass roots, as well as to chastise the powerful.

In another comment, elsewhere, I pointed out how appalled I was at the sniping that is so common.

Instituionalised Emotional Blindness. There's something here for everyone to consider.

The immaturity of the debating style of the discourse, as opposed to an effort to share, learn and grow in order to create a more nurturant society.

An abdication of responsibility. It's really quite ugly.




Kindest regards

Corneilius

"Do what you love, it is your gift to universe."

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