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Wednesday, January 14th 2004
Room G, Blackrod's Entrance, 6pm-9pm (free): John
Bunzl, Brian Wills, Francis Irving and Julian Todd: "Citizen's
Diplomacy - a joint effort with the Simultaneous Policy Initiative:"
John Bunzl
will describe what the International Simultaneous Policy Organisation
ISPO is and does see: www.simpol.org.
Brian Wills will explain the origin and progress of the S+ project,
including the collaboration that has developed with Public Whip
www.publicwhip.org.uk
. Francis Irving will speak about this website and what information
it offers enquiring citizens. Our organiser Sabine McNeill will
'embed' these activities in relation to the Forum's own campaigning
work. And the Chairman will then open discussion for whatever
creative exchanges arise.
There are
a number of initiatives that use web and net technologies with
a view to making politics on-line since the ballot box does not
seem to be sufficient any more. www.publicwhip.org has taken the
official transcripts of the House of Commons since 1988 and turned
them into a data base that is searchable by the votes of our MPs.
Voting patterns give us an indication about our MPs just as their
signatures of Early Day Motions www.edm.ais.co.uk
With a view to getting our concerns heard by the Treasury Select
Committee, concerned citizens from the respective constituencies
are now invited to 'adopt' its members for developing informed
dialogues:
John McFall (Chairman), Labour, Dumbarton
Nigel Beard, Labour, Bexleyheath; Jim Cousins, Labour, Newcastle
upon Tyne
Angela Eagle, Labour, Wallasey; Michael Fallon, Conservative,
Sevenoaks,
Norman Lamb, Lib Dem, North Norfolk
John Mann, Labour, Bassetlaw; George Mudie, Labour, Leeds East
James Plaskitt, Labour, Warwick; David Rujjley, Conservative,
Bury St Edmunds
Andrew Tyrie, Conservative, Chichester.
www.church-poverty.org.uk/dood.htm reminds us of debts on
our doorstep caused by extortionate interest rates for cash loans.
www.jubilee2000uk.org examines the debt problem with emphasis
on Third World debts, www.lifeanddebt.org
illustrates the impact of the IMF on Jamaican farmers. How
many more generations will need to pay interest for National Debts
when the Government could increase its interest-free share in
the money supply???
For more
information see: www.intraforum.net/money
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NOTES FROM THE MEETING -----
The secretary,
Canon Peter Challen reports on the FSC meeting on January 14 that
exceeded its considerable promise. We are in a significant phase
when active alternatives are growing as protest wanes'. We considered
four closely related issues in the development of 'citizen's diplomacy'.
Where there is a * the contributors own more detailed paper could
be sent to you on request:
1. International Simultaneous Policy Organisation [ISPO] - www.simpol.org
the "destructive competition" of nations pursuing our
own interests must be countered by co-operation amongst citizens
world-wide
2. ISPO Sustainability-Plus project - identifying voting
patterns on Parliamentary Bills relevant to global justice
3. www.PublicWhip.org.uk
- a fast developing tool that you can use to examine your and
other MPs voting patterns
4. The new EDM and its 18 signatures to date - example
of information you can download yourself - before you write to
your own MP !!!!
5. Note : On Radio - Resonance FM 104.4 and on
www.resonancefm.com Mondays at 6.30 Jane Taylor of Positive
News is pioneering this programme. Would welcome comment
1. John Bunzl read his paper. There is no short cut to reading
that presentation.
ISPO attracts people to adopt a commitment to a future wave of
new democracy, which does not threaten their current contribution
to the system we have. If seeking to get people to pledge their
votes a raft of policies is required, not a single issue. SP seeks
to align self interest and general interest (an evolutionary process)
in two ways:
a) an evolving Policy, and b) a Democratic Process. Already 1085
people in 17 countries have 'adopted' and local SP campaign groups
are being established in each of those countries to generate interest
and action.
By adopting SP, citizens world-wide pledge to vote in future elections
for ANY political party or candidate - within reason - that also
adopts SP. As more and more citizens act in this way, politicians
will adopt it too if they wish to remain in office. Adopting SP
involves no risk because simultaneous implementation removes every
nation's fear of first-mover disadvantage. SP thus transcends
party politics by providing a powerful tool for citizens to drive
politicians and governments to deliver the measures our world
so desperately needs. In so doing, SP enables a simultaneous move
to co-operation as the assumption in economics and politics within
which 'beneficial competition' remains, but 'detrimental competition'
no longer sets the dominant conventions. It is as though the
World is running on a PC with 'Competition' soft ware. SP aims
to change the soft ware to 'Co-operation' - not to change the
PC.
- The target in the SP strategy at this stage is the NGOs that
need the SP tool.
- SP offers a carrot and stick to any politician who will commit
him/her self to the vision that will be implemented as the new
democratic voice, expressed as 'adoption', gains effect in election
processes.
- There is no political risk in adoption - but failure to adopt
is a grave risk.
- It is a new appeal to apathetic voters - especially as the signs
ecological and social disaster mount.
- Adopting SP costs nothing and takes just a few minutes. Go to:
www.simpol.org/dossiers/dossier-UK/html-UK/
2. Brian Wills - as an SP supporter - gave an example of
individual initiatives - and made these points. SP is global political
leverage - "a new way to make politicians listen" -
he spoke of 50,000 young people in EuropeanSF in Paris discussing
dire domino effect of peaking oil production, SP represented the
potential for this policy approach - we are in a significant phase
when active alternatives grow as protest wanes - fear of ballot
to be countered - turn a banner into political leverage - introduce
a new sense of responsibility /transparency in politics - so he
aims to monitor UK MP voting choices on Sustainabilty, Economic
Justice and Accountable Governance and create 'Accountability
Profiles' for each MP in collaboration with the Public Whip. This
is a database that records cumulative plus and minus scores in
a 'Sustainability-Plus Index', that can be used as acampaigning
tool at the next generalelection - no short cut to requesting
his paper "ISPO's Sustainability-Plus project".
Contact Brian brian.wills@wanadoo.fr
3. THE PUBLIC WHIP: Francis Irving and Julian Todd,
self-employed computer analysts, have developed an astonishing
web site as described below . MPs are our employees and so transparency
is important. The web tool monitors all Divisions - highlights
rebellions and the rebels - tables exactly how each MP voted -
notes abstentions- gives text of Motions - it provides the only
publicly visible record of the use of power - shows attendance
rates ( though not so important - means of encouraging critique
and supportive criticism - but it takes 50 Bills to make a meaningful
map - public whip sheet potential - notes written replies - has
an improving search facility e.g. search for 'Central Banks' -
lists questions any MP asks e g search ..Austin Mitchell; - each
Party is showing interest but we must encourage the public to
use it in constructive criticism - it is a technology to bring
more power back to people -
1.
Made by two in spare time !!!! It is Public and flexible in use
2. Please tell us of possible uses by e-mail
3. The chart below describes this most versatile and valuable
tool.
Counting
votes on your behalf www.publicwhip.org.uk
Problem
› Last year we were frustrated that we didn't know what our
MPs were doing in parliament.
› Although the information is all in Hansard, it was distributed
across too many pages to see.
Public Whip now
› Counts the votes in parliament of MPs
› First time this has been done
› Completely free for anyone to use at www.publicwhip.org.uk
› Written over six months in spare time (10000 lines of code)
› Is open source tool built on open source software
Consequences
› Voting records have always been compiled by party whips
by hand
› Whips use the information to control their MPs
› Could this be used by the public to get their concerns
heard?
Gaps in the system
› Attendance to vote is not same as attendance to debate
› We have to guess at party whip by using majority party
vote
› Whips could be recorded in Hansard, as they are visible
› Why is this information not published?
Future directions
› Recently added Parliamentary Written Answers database
› Need co-operative filtering and sifting tools to help people
pick out good info from the hot air
› Corporations do not have a monopoly on useful software,
although they do have a monopoly on contracts. Get programmers
to do work directly, and everyone owns the work.
› To make it better, we need to hear from people using it.
What do you think?
support@publicwhip.org.uk
Francis Irving and Julian Todd, 2004-01-13
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SIGNIFICANT DISCUSSION FOLLOWED ON ALL THREE PRESENTATIONS
Some points follow :- We are moving towards a daily referendum
- with a tool that also brings past into present - Internet now
has recorded parliamentary Bills etc. from 1988. + subsequent
instruments and legal - as some groups are bringing conventional
economists and alternative economists together on "global
public goods", so this tool can make transparent the movement
in a changing paradigm as reflected in our representatives' voting
- join SP and 'Arrive with understanding of one ingredient of
change and leave with several others' - strength of all .... of
united diversity. - we must 'educate, educate, educate', and here
are wonderful tools for that - note the caution that Public Whip
might create a negative back lash - Positive reflection to Keynes
v beggar my neighbour - Bancor - we have more work to do on how
to get agreement on what is to be implemented - the temptation
is to say I am not an economist - but the fact is we are all jobbing
economists and this toll will help us improve our positively critical
part in the new democracy - Do for the world what Europe has done
for itself on Arms ...gradually no customers for arms as co-operation
becomes the norm in fair trading. - must work on the Global Institutions
WB, WTO, BIS : with the tools of PublicWhip and SP, hierarchy
gives way to network; tho' it is important to recognise that there
is a Manager in the system ... Citizen Managers via ISPO.
Does the SP paradigm lead to inefficiency - co-operative governance
- is SP monolithic ? Yes ...democracy is in a sense a monolithic
way of achieving. - SP only applies to the shared global issues
... we need global policies to activate local initiatives. - Could
SP replace Brussels ? ... yes... the EURO arises from the competitive
drive - could the Publicwhip tool Develop Virtual MPs to represent
Green ISPO etc.... with which to check MPs' stances in relation
to e.g. Green Peace research. If you wish to know more don't forget
to ask me for copies of John Bunzl's and Brian Wills' papers and/or
to visit the web sites www.simpol.org
and www.publicwhip.org.uk
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4. Here is a printout on the new EDM which we are supporting
- use it in relation to contacting your own MP.
Printable Early Day Motion 323
Search______EDMs_______Members_____Help______________________________Current
Session
Printable EDM
EDM 323
PUBLIC CREDIT FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES 17.12.03
Mr Austin Mitchell 18 signatures
John Austin - Mr Harry Barnes - Mr Harold Best - Mr Martin Caton
- Mr David Chaytor - Mr Tony Colman - Mrs Ann Cryer - Mr David
Drew - Mr Kelvin Hopkins - Lynne Jones - Mr Elfyn Llwyd - John
McDonnell - Mr Kevin McNamara - Mr Alan Meale - Alan Simpson -
David Taylor - Jon Trickett
That this House notes with concern the contrast between the enormous
expansion of private credit and the growing debt burden that this
imposes on society; further notes that public credit, as measured
by the proportion of publicly created money in circulation, has
fallen from 20 per cent, of the money supply in 1964 to three
per cent, today; believes that using public credit and increasing
the proportion of publicly created money should be used to cut
the costs of, and to boost the quantity of, public investment
and to allow the Chancellor to fulfil his golden rule without
further borrowing; further believes that this can be done without
any impact on inflation; and, therefore, urges the Treasury to
commission an independent review of the benefits of using the
public credit and increasing the proportion of publicly created
money.
http://edm.ais.co.uk/weblink/html/printable.html/ref=323
Peter
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