IR+R NEWS July 2009 OXFORD ACADEMIC/OUTRAGE/RESOURCES FAQS

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IR+R NEWS - news about democratic reform, citizens' initiative,
referendum, recall of elected officials. A service of
Citizens' Initiative and Referendum I&R ~ GB
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IN THIS NEWSLETTER THERE ARE THREE ITEMS ::::::::::::::::::::

1) THE OXFORD TIMES
2) HOWL OF OUTRAGE AND THEN?
3) RESOURCES FOR CITIZEN-LED DEMOCRACY: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS "FAQS"

1)
THE OXFORD TIMES Thursday 16th July 2009
http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/features/4489974.The_man_to_lecture_our_leaders/

Interview with Vernon Bogdanor, Professor of Government at Oxford University
Prof. Bogdanor is quoted as follows:
“People are saying we should have more control ourselves. Not just elites."
“People are demanding a greater degree of political control of public
services."
"Direct democracy could take the form of five per cent of the local
electorate being able to trigger a referendum on any given subject."

I&R ~ GB REPLIES:
In the UK and England many important public services, such as health,
education and others, for instance, regional investment (thereby jobs
and prosperity), are governed from the centre. So, gaining more say ONLY
locally, in parish, town or county affairs could bring further
frustration for those who try to get involved.

Effective participation in democracy could be achieved by using the
"citizens' proposal" (initiative) at all levels, from UK/Westminster
"up" to local politics. To proceed, a proposal must be supported by a
very large number of voters and if parliament rejects it a referendum
must be held. Unwanted laws or government proposals can be vetoed by
optional referendum. These "tools" of democracy are up and running and
have been well tried in other countries.

More detail may be found via the following links:
http://www.iniref.org/
http://www.iniref.org/steps.html
http://campaignfordemocracy.org.uk/directdemocracyexamples/ 0

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2)
HOWL OF OUTRAGE AND THEN?
After a global howl of outrage, we have returned to business as usual:
The nation watches and either feels its veins bulge with rage or shrugs
with resignation, despairing at society's inability to change. Jonathan
Freedland guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 23 June 2009
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2009/jun/23/banks-mps-reform

I&R ~ GB REPLIES:
Changing the electoral system promises to improve representation of
citizens' views and desires but it allows only indirect democracy.
As with "first past the post" you give away your vote to a candidate or
party (-list) and have no effective way to influence policy for around
five years. This applies to a vast majority of the population.

In the introduction to the Power Inquiry report 2006 we find

"This is not a report simply about constitutional change. It is a report
about giving people real influence over the bread and butter issues
which affect their lives."

"The disquiet is really about having no say. It is about feeling
disconnected because voting once every four or five years does not feel
like real engagement. Asking people set questions in focus groups or
polling is a poor substitute for real democratic processes."

How do you pundits and chatterers suggest that we should achieve this
"real engagement" which is clearly not allowed through "voting once
every four or five years" ?

Some ideas may be found in our "Our reply to the Power Inquiry" via
http://www.iniref.org/latest.html
(scroll down the page)
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3)
RESOURCES FOR CITIZEN-LED DEMOCRACY: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS "FAQS"

Better Democracy New Zealand <http://www.betterdemocracy.co.nz/faq.php>
http://www.betterdemocracy.co.nz/faq.php

Canadians for Direct Democracy (CDD) <http://www.npsnet.com/cdd/FAQs.htm>
http://www.npsnet.com/cdd/FAQs.htm

Direct Democracy Campaign: Twelve Questions and Answers
<http://www2.prestel.co.uk/rodmell/quest.htm>
http://www2.prestel.co.uk/rodmell/quest.htm

Tim Clarke's
FAQ about Direct Democracy A NEW PRODUCTION: YOUR COMMENTS INVITED
<http://www.iniref.org/faq.doc>

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I&R ~ GB Citizens' Initiative and Referendum

Campaign for direct democracy in Britain
http://www.iniref.org/

Discuss or comment at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/democracy-forum
Donate via http://www.iniref.org/index2.html
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