[IntDPD Debate] "A political party of the area of "direct and participatory" democracy is a left/progressive or a right/conservative party?" (Answer 10/10) Direct Democracy" www.paparty.co.uk (United Kingdom)

10/10 Direct Democracy" www.paparty.co.uk (United Kingdom)

 

"In a DD, being that individuals and not parties will decide upon all law, isn't it obvious that DD isn't within the left/right spectrum and that only parties are?
DD is anti-partisan and so does not occupy the same political dimension - partisan politics divides us [and starts ALL civil wars] where DD unites.
Isn't this the point on what we're all supposed to be working on? Replacing the partisan political system with a people-based political system?
The fact that this comes-up as an issue/question indicates that some [in their naivety] believe that 'representative' politicians will bring in DD. I can tell you from my own direct experience of working with them that this is the last thing they will ever do and, isn't it obvious why?
Pasted from our site:
MP Anne Widdecombe has stated that she would "never let majority public opinion voiced on my website influence my parliamentary votes." and she also states; "I would never let voters make decisions upon policy implementation." Before realising who he was talking with, MP George Galloway told the PA founder directly that "Direct democracy is the best way for the country to go!" adding "You could get rid of all us lot too." confirming that we can have what hypocritical politicians themselves admit is best for us but, only when it doesn't compromise what's best for them.
David Cameron recently remove any mention of even using technology simply to improve comms between reps and voters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WZ158KkeT0&feature=youtu.be
Just as the ones who said "It's okay I have nothing to hide." have now let in the state surveillance, the ones among us who think DD can happen under Rrep Dem are making us weak and vulnerable.
Do you guys really think that Switzerland, Iceland, EU Initiative [for example] are DD? If you do, you've already bought into the propaganda of the reps who want to control any aspect of public participation and so you do us and DD a great disservice.
Do not confuse public participation with DD because they are not the same by any measure and all the reps want to do is to make people think that DD is part of Rep Dem [so they can control land tame it] but this can never be true [for obvious reasons].
Also, in both the UK and US, the pattern now clearly shows that public proposals that get voted upon in the UK Parliament and the US Senate, are proposals which politicians have already scheduled to vote on - what does this tell you?
'Public participation' under Rep Dem is a wholesale scam."

[IntDPD Debate] "A political party of the area of "direct and participatory" democracy is a left/progressive or a right/conservative party?" (Answer 9/10) Jim Rough (www.wisedemocracy.org) Wise Democracy (USA)

9/10 Jim Rough (www.wisedemocracy.org) Wise Democracy (USA)

"I like Cosmin’s comment about how people might garden the growth of new methodologies. And he asks: how do we disseminate to the masses the idea that they are powerful and can use their power (my words)?…  My answer is that you facilitate them to experience their collective power.”

Twenty three years ago I developed a new methodology called the “Wisdom Council” for sparking people to come together as a powerful “We the People.” See www.WiseDemocracy.org. And it’s now starting to gain traction. I hope you will become familiar with it as a possible way of addressing society’s big problems.

Yesterday I returned from a conference in Austria called “Surfing Democracy,” where the Wisdom Council was a main focus. This is the second conference in the past two years arising from the successful application of the Wisdom Council in Vorarlberg, Austria, the Westernmost state of Austria. Six years ago a government Office of Future Related Issues discovered the Wisdom Council and started convening them. They have experienced such amazing success in solving difficult public issues, involving citizens, and shifting the public conversation to be more collaborative that they convened this FREE conference to people from anywhere in the world to come learn how they are using this and other new approaches. They have even convinced politicians … unanimous from all four parties … to change the state Constitution to include the Wisdom Council. And now nearby states are planning the same thing.

I think true democracy is something like this …  where all the people come together in respect, face their collective problems, creatively determine answers that work for everyone, and then provide leadership to government in implementing the people’s will. I think the Wisdom Council can approximate this. 
The actual change to the constitution is to include a focus on "participative democracy" as well as "direct democracy" and "representative democracy." There are three resolutions explaining "participative democracy" that mention the Wisdom Council directly: 1) There will be two statewide Wisdom Councils each year on topics chosen by government. The governor chooses one and political parties take turns choosing the other. 2) The citizens can spark a state-sponsored Wisdom Council simply by submitting a topic with only 1000 signatures supporting that topic. 3) Government will officially respond to any points Wisdom Councils raise that are directed to government."

[IntDPD Debate] "A political party of the area of "direct and participatory" democracy is a left/progressive or a right/conservative party?" (Answer 8/10) David Ding (www.thrivenz.org.nz) Thrive NZ (New Zealand)

8/10 David Ding (www.thrivenz.org.nz) Thrive NZ (New Zealand)
"Any balanced structure of representative governance that allows for top down and bottom up governance (ultimately with everything open to public scrutiny) renders the political spectrum obsolete. In fact the only thing the political spectrum serves to do is polarise the nation by perpetuating the belief that it is not possible to create solutions that serve everyone...it must be either/or. This is a logical absurdity in context of Direct Democracy being the official structure of governance as the needs and wants of the nation don't need to be labelled, just heard and acted upon in the most balanced and empowering ways possible."

[IntDPD Debate] "A political party of the area of "direct and participatory" democracy is a left/progressive or a right/conservative party?" (Answer 7/10) Iain Walker (www.newdemocracy.com.au) The newDemocracy Foundation (Australia)

"Or perhaps its all of the above [DD is Left or Right?]. We have found that elected representatives and governments will commission deliberative processes because of ideology: those on the Right see a group of individuals capable of making decisions rather than a paternalistic government, while those on the Left see everyday people taking power back from established and moneyed donor/lobbyist interests.  
Moreover most elected people on all sides hold a view that “if people could only see all the facts they would agree with our side of politics” – a good deliberative process delivers on the promise of seeing citizens consume a much greater depth of information than they do in today’s representative/vox pop democracy. It’s fair to note that we advocate deliberative processes rather than direct democracy though."

[IntDPD Debate] "A political party of the area of "direct and participatory" democracy is a left/progressive or a right/conservative party?" (Answer 6/10) Evan Ravitz (http://www.Vote.org) (USA)

"Those who work for direct democracy show humility by working for the humble instead of the elite, and by not imposing our own views. It shows faith in the process as a collective learning experience including learning from making mistakes. Politicians usually cover up mistakes because their "brand" could be damaged. In the Zapatista communities in Chiapas, Mexico, each village chooses by direct democracy, including how much private ownership and how much collective ownership. This is about what works not ideology."

[IntDPD Debate] "A political party of the area of "direct and participatory" democracy is a left/progressive or a right/conservative party?" (Answer 5/10) Cosmin Hodrea (Direct Democracy Party of Romania) http://www.pddr.ro/en/ (Romania)

"I share the opinion that direct democracy is not a "classical" political doctrine, so it can not be label neither as left or right. Instead, is more of a way of organizing the society and returning the power to the people. This is just in the same way that the French revolution for example changed the monarchy into a republic as a way to rule a state.
So, in my opinion, any political party that supports direct / participatory democracy is an activist in the field of the way a state is organized and not in the field of making the social and economic policies. Thus, it will have a limited role in time, with a precise goal of changing the state`s Constitution (the primary law) in order to create the tools for the people to rule themselves. Once this goal is achieved, the party should dissolve itself."
(...)
"As society develops and new ways of human interaction and communication arise, new models of ruling and organizing the society should arise as well. And so it seems. Like a new bud coming out of a seed, so the DD makes its first steps into the political arena.
My only question is how can we act like responsible gardeners and guide its growth correctly. If I may ask you, what is the best way to approach the dissemination of the concept to the masses? How do you teach a child (the people) to recognize his power, and most important, to use it in a constructive way?"

[IntDPD Debate] "A political party of the area of "direct and participatory" democracy is a left/progressive or a right/conservative party?" (Answer 4/10) Alex Napoli (Direct Democracy Brazil) http://www.democraciadireta.org (Brazil)

"Direct Democracy is a more efficient and just tool than representative democracy to be used for progression or conservation of a society.
Those who support direct democracy tend to be more democratic than those that support representative democracy.
But the true test of a progressive is what they do when they have power and money, there are many circumstantial progressives that are in fact conservatives.
There is a saying that people are democratic and socialist with other people's power and money, but autocratic and capitalist when the power and money is theirs.
Direct Democracy is a constitutional right, not a privilege to be conceded by representatives who are subordinated to the citizens.
The best system is direct democracy with zero taxation/legislation with a coordination state of last resort to only step in with counter-cyclical  entrepreneurial action if market fails. Self-financed organizations (selling products and services) and a direct judicial system (proving damage and danger) can solve any social-economic problem or challenge.
All taxation and public property must be incorporated and deposited in citizens Individual Social Security Accounts guaranteeing basic income for all. The age of city states has passed, the age of national states is passing, the age of global states is beginning."

[IntDPD Debate] "A political party of the area of "direct and participatory" democracy is a left/progressive or a right/conservative party?" (Answer 1/10) Joám Evans Pim (Partido da Terra) http://www.partidodaterra.net (Galiza)

"(...) Advocacy for direct democracy is neither left/progressive or a right/conservative. Those empowered through direct democracy to make decisions will adopt positions that they consider appropriate regarding the problem that is being discussed.
(...)
Or abolishing the State as an anti-democratic institution (i.e., libertarian municipalism)"
(...)"I think it is important to discourage any paternalistic approach of teaching the masses. I'm not sure what is the case of Romania, but most rural societies (at least in Europe) keep traces of their past assembly (direct democracy) form of community government. In our case in Galiza (which is also applicable to most of Northern Iberia and Portugal), our work is directed mainly at helping people connect the old form of community assembly government with politics, i.e.: we are all "politicians" (not just those elected), there should be no such thing as "professional politicians", and no issue is beyond the capabilities of discussion, deliberation and decision by a sovereign community assembly.

This is very much in line, as Evan pointed out, with the community councils and Good Governance Regional Juntas of the Zapatistas or the ideas of Libertarian Municipalism, even though we are not emulating any model here in Galiza but creating our own from our past experience and current communal ways of organization. If you can read Portuguese or use an online translator, here is an example of an attempt to introduce assembly direct democracy at the municipal level using the breaches of current State law: http://concelho.titanpad.com/1 Even though we do try to run in all elections to make use of the free media space to send the message out (and discredit professional politics and representative parliamentarism by all means), we feel there are only options (in our case) of making political change at this moment at the municipal level."

[IntDPD Debate] "A political party of the area of "direct and participatory" democracy is a left/progressive or a right/conservative party?" (Answer 1/10)

2/10 Digital 2 (Democracia Directa Digital [D3]) http://www.d-3.info (Spain)
"Of course it's note right-wing. But it's not clear if it is left-wing. Some might say that direct democracy is a value of the libertarian left, but others might as well argue that if not included a political program against private property and the rest, it's not libertarian communism...
So I personally prefer not to consider it in those parameters."

[IntDPD Debate] "A political party of the area of "direct and participatory" democracy is a left/progressive or a right/conservative party?" (Answer 1/9)

1/9 Ted Becker (Auburn (Australia) University political science professor and Independent researcher on DD issues):

"None of the above. If a political group runs in an election solely to democratize the system through a variety of constitutional reforms, it is devolving power from a political elite to the people in general, thus it has no "party interests".  Thus it is unique in history and needs a new label, like a "transformational or evolutional entity." If a political party promises to do so as part of their platform, don't believe them."
(...)
"As I have written at length: "representative democracy" is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms.  In actuality, those who developed the system that they camouflage with this phrase, actually constructed a new kind of autocracy, one I call an "Elected Oligarchy."  I think that is the most accurate phrase to describe all variations of them including USA, EU nations, Russia, Brazil, Iran and on. The CCP hates the word "democracy" and uses the word "republic" to hide its own autocratic ways.
So, it doesn't matter whether it is a one party state, two party, or multi-party: these are just factions of the ruling elites and counter elites.  They are all anti-democratic by their very nature."
(...)
"The question was clear and all the answers so far have been pretty clear that it is "None of the Above." This reminds me of the old schism in the Grunen in Germany, the rift between the fundis and the realis. The fundis did not want to become or back a party. They had their ideological pillars and did not want to engage in the party system which primarily served elites' power. That is what the consensus is right now it seems. If the DD people ran for office and won, they would divest themselves of power back to the people in many ways and on many issues. Then disband and help facilitate and implement the process with as little corruption as possible."

[New Member] Thrive New Zealand - Political Party (New Zealand)

New Member of IntDPD !

Thrive New Zealand - Political Party
http://www.thrivenz.org.nz/

Welcome!

[New Member] Movimento Cidadania e Democracia Participativa (Portugal)

New Member of IntDPD !



Movimento Cidadania e Democracia Participativa (Portugal)
http://movimentocdp.wordpress.com

[New Member] Direct Democracy Party of Romania (Romania)

"The Direct Democracy Party of Romania is a political project at the very beginning of its life. We are a small team of young people who strongly believe in the necessity of a change. A change of perception of the people about their power, and especially about how close they are to actually use it. Now, more than ever, the Internet and the electronic means of communication offer the perfect tool for the people to tell their will, to make their laws as they seem fit, to reach the so sought after social consensus. This is the only way human society can progress, when every member of it reaches an agreement with the others. A real agreement, where all the parties involved act willingly, knowingly and responsibly.
Politics is the science of reaching such a social contract and it tried since the beginning of organized society to reach the best solution for governing the human settlements. It started at the family level, progressed then to the village level, tribe, city, country and reached now even the continent level. Those achievements were possible through the growth of the population and especially because of the progress of the communication means. There were three major steps in the process, namely the writing, the press (newspapers) and the modern media (radio and TV).
Today it is the time to take the next step, the Internet. By far, it is the fastest, the most direct and representative mean of communication of them all and because of this it empowers the voice of the people. Not through representatives, not through intermediaries but directly at the individual level. Every citizen can and has to have an opinion about the rules (laws) that affect his everyday life. Every one of us has to vote on how to spend our money, how to teach our children, how to treat the sick, how to provide for our elders.
This is the mission of our endeavor, to present this power to the Romanian people, to teach them how to use it and to build the political future of our country on the basis of direct democracy."

http://www.pddr.ro/en

[New Member] Partidul Democratiei Directe din Romania

New Member of IntDPD !

Partidul Democratiei Directe din Romania (Romania)

[New Member] Citizens Foundation (Iceland)

New Member of IntDPD !

Citizens Foundation (Iceland)

[Interview] Michael Nicula: Online Party of Canada

http://www.onlineparty.ca

Michael Nicula, leader of the OPC speaking about what if OPC
what are the objectives and tools used by OPC
the achievments and short term goals

[New Member] Democracia Universal

Democracia Universal (DU)
New Member of IntDPD !

[New member] Democracia Directa Digital [D3]

Democracia Directa Digital [D3] 
New Member of IntDPD !

[Interview] Iain Walker from newDemocracy Foundation (Demarchy and Deliberative Democracy)

[Interview] Olaf Bertram-Nothnagel from Lowercased.org (NYC) about Direct Democracy in NY and in the US

[Interview] Iain Walker from Newfoundation Foundation (Australia)

[Member] New Member of IntDPD!

Welcome to the new member of IntDPD !

Democracy International
www.democracy-international.org

[Project] Call to construct an international ideological and political space

"This is a call to construct an international political and ideological space on the basis of the Integral Revolution. You can read the call in the sections of this web page or download it as a single document in PDF format via the following link."

To learn more about this project, click HERE

[Argentina] n Buenos Aires, the Communes, participatory form of municipal governance, regain his power

Buenos Aires

The Court of Appeals of Buenos Aires annulled a decree signed by the mayor Mauricio Macri in 2011 in which he created the Citizen Care Units (UAC) thereby abolishing the former division of the city into Communes. The Court responded well to a complaint promoted by a group of citizens against the division of the Argentine capital on 17 UACs directly controlled by the municipal authority and which, in your opinion, would be an obstacle to active participation of citizens in their city. According to the Court: "The Constitution of the City of Buenos Aires states Participatory Democracy, in regulating Communes. Communes The aim is to decentralize government functions city (...) the creation of UACs alters this process." . The decision is not yet final, and the city can still appeal to a higher court, but the decision to suspend with immediate effect the division of the city into the UACs and reactive Communes in Buenos Aires.

At least temporarily, become the communes receiving skills in the areas of relationships with people, equipment maintenance public places (such as streets and avenues), decisions regarding green spaces and control over public spaces (streets and walks). Buenos Aires thus recovers its original form of participatory municipal management matrix and the mayor, elected by the Republican party Propuesta sees thus foiled its efforts to recover for the control of Argentine partidocracia municipality.

source:
http://www.argentinaindependent.com/tag/participative-democracy/

[Italy] Conference "Participative Democracy" (Lisbon) with Matteo Salani (4)

[Italy] Conference "Participative Democracy" (Lisbon) with Matteo Salani (3)

[Italy] Interview from +D to Matteo Salani (M5S)

[Italy] Conference "Participative Democracy" (Lisbon) with Matteo Salani (2)

[ECI] The European Citizens 'Initiatives", or ECI

 The European Citizens 'Initiatives', or ECI are very poorly known. And with good reason: created by european legislators with draconian requirements, intentionally designed to hinder its practical application, the ECIS were never materialized. Until today.

Indeed, winning the high bar that was imposed by Brussels Representative eurocracy eight hundred thousand (!) europeans are about to materialize the first ECI European Union arguing that "Water is a Human Right." Now missing "only" 200 thousand signatures to the high level required by Brussels.

The petition has grown very significantly in 2013 and aims to make access to quality water and sanitation services are regarded as a human right and which are placed outside the rules of the European Internal Market.

The ECI is now particularly urgent now that the European Commission is proposing legislation that aims to allow member states to privatize public services such as the distribution of water in what in the jargon is called internal eurocracy as "Policy Concessions."

The problem is that under the draconian rules of the European ECI after such an initiative to be formally presented to European Union citizens have only one year to collect a million signatures. And that this term ends April 1 this year!

Urge therefore to sign this ECI!! http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0526-28.htm

Source:
http://www.epsu.org/a/8598

[Italy] Conference "Participative Democracy" (Lisbon) with Matteo Salani (1)

[Brazil] The Participative Democracy tool named "National Conferences"

One of the most interesting participatory tools in Brazil and adopted since the last term of President Lula is the delivery of part of the democratic control directly to citizens in the form of "National Conferences".
The National Conferences are joint meetings between representatives of the State and Civil Society seek and build consensus on a certain policy. In fact, this format was not an invention of Lula da Silva but a reissue of a model used in Brazil for the first time in 1940 by President Getulio Vargas when he opened the first dedicated to the topic then Public Health. Not being your "inventor", Lula, certainly had the great merit of developing this tool Participatory Democracy: from 115 National Conferences nothing more or less than 74 were made during the eight year term of Lula da Silva.
The current model involves the convening by one of the ministers of the Government through an "Administrative Act" and after a series of meetings and discussions between citizens Crusaders and their agents and representatives of the Federal Government and States are presented recommendations to the Federal Government. If approved, the resolutions of the National Conferences become federal decrees signed by the President. In the eight years of Lula Administration over six million Brazilians participated in National Conferences, giving a great example of active citizenship to all democratic nations of the world. The themes were as comprehensive as Gender Equality, the Domestic Abuse or Violence in rural areas.
The National Conferences today represent a form of Direct Democracy and brought to the political segments of the population that have traditionally been alienated from her, either due to low levels of education, either by traditional low female representation in Congress in Brasilia.
The National Conferences are part of what is now the Dilma administration calls the "National System of Participation" and has the potential to grow, increasingly involving citizens in political decision-making at local, state and federal. Today, in its current state, has a lot of influence over important legislation produced this great country Lusophone and the application model of Participatory Budgeting in Porto Alegre are putting the country at the forefront of developing participatory forms that contribute to the regeneration of Democracy .
Source:http://www.bostonreview.net/BR38.1/leonardo_avritzer_brazil_direct_democracy.php

[Tools] Referendums

Referendums are perhaps the most important, effective and full instrument Active Citizenship to dispose of citizens. Through referendums, citizens gain the ability to constitute, revoke, or altered a law.
The word "referendum" comes from the Latin "referendu" ("for approval") has become a participatory instrument present in virtually all democratic systems of developed countries.
A referendum may be mandatory or optional. In the first case, the constitution stipulates that in cases where this data should be convened in the second it occurs only as a certain organ of the State decides to convene or when - the most advanced countries in front of participatory democracy - there is a petition complaining popular its realization. In Portugal and Brazil, the model is optional referendum. For a country like Switzerland, is mandatory.
The Swiss case is exemplary in this respect: the first referendums were summoned here in the fifteenth century, in the cantons of Valais and Grisons to adopt decisions taken at cantonal assemblies. Supreme expression of the participatory character of Switzerland is also the fact that all their constitutions - with the sole exception of 1801 - were all approved in a referendum.
In Switzerland, participation in popular assemblies (Landsgemeiden) of cantons is required leading to a penalty for failure. If the convening of a referendum on changes to the constitution of cases is practically mandatory, so even if legislation is completely mandatory: all changes to the constitution - whether federal or cantonal - must be countersigned. In the ordinary laws of the use of the referendum mechanism is even more common being countersigned most laws on taxation, the European Economic Area, national security, traffic, quality of life and immigrants, etc..
In the U.S., the referendums are an important part of the democratic exercise, practically since the time of independence. But currently, the referendum is rarely used at national or federal being used primarily within the states or local authorities. The themes that are required are typically fiscal, voting rights, public safety, public education and new technologies.
Conclusion:Referenda are probably the most important and useful tool that is available to anyone who wants to implement a revolution in these participatory democratic systems blocked and paralyzed today. People to return a portion of the powers and freedoms that have chosen to relocate to elected representatives and - often - disregard or forget this basic duty of representation. They have costs, certainly in time and financial order, but the Swiss example proves that the term obtains savings and efficiency gains in the quality of decisions. Thorough and well worth its widespread use and amplified the scale and effects, assuming effectively as the main weapon in this regeneration of democracy that imposes itself today as necessary and imperative.
Main Source:
http://www.conteudojuridico.com.br/artigo,o-referendo-e-sua-importancia-na-democracia-participativa,41970.html

[Member] New Member of IntDPD! Direct Democracy (UK)

Welcome to the new member of IntDPD !

Direct Democracy
www.PAparty.co.uk

[Concepts] Consensual Democracy

Let us not be fooled: it is not because we vote - every four years or every five - we live in a democracy. In fact, this perception is to generalize and explain the high (and increasing) levels of abstention that today are recorded in almost all over the globe.
The vote is not democracy at all ... especially when it is so conditioned in time, impact and effectiveness as in the current model of representative democracy. But a model of participatory democracy voting is really the basis of democracy: frequent, influential and informed. Building on that consensus-building - says the "conventional wisdom" - are utopian or impossible to achieve in large groups. But not just that: Consensual Democracy (one of the aspects of Participatory Democracy) is possible, provided that certain methods and procedures followed. One such method is to present the subject to a vote and soon after, requires an indicative vote, even before the moment of debate in order to identify how many people line up for and against. From here it is possible to target the meeting and discuss these two groups from two positions and not a multitude of individual positions, as typically occurs in a debate. The two groups choose among themselves a representative who can hit after another with a common position between both consensual and that after the final vote is taken.
On the issue of decision-making in meetings of participatory democracy is particularly interesting to follow the example of the Occupy movement in the U.S.: in this group, the methods are implemented Consensual Democracy from proposals that are outlined by individual groups of activists Occupy and then agreed Higher counties where these local groups are federated. From this level of decision option shall be followed throughout the movement.
It should be borne in mind that we are all conditioned to believe that these methods are "utopian" and "unrealistic". That's right we were papagueado to exhaustion by very organized and well-funded agents partidocracia and tell us that all forms of Direct Democracy is slow, inefficient and chaotic. But these examples prove that the system works and nothing prevents be adopted on a larger scale and in greater depth.

Source:http://tradeonion.wordpress.com/tag/direct-democracy/

[Tools] Voteit.com

The VoteIt is a U.S. startup based in New Orleans who want to create ways to assist citizen groups to use tools vote in real time. So far, nothing new... There are many tools and websites that offer the same service for free or paid. But VoteIt promises more. Promises that companies, associations and simple citizen groups or communities can improve their decision making process enriching their votes with interaction and feedback with comment threads, polls at the time of collection, integration with email and complex approval workflows. The system incorporates VoteIt rewards transparency and allowing there a way to record the progress and completion of voting.

The system allows VoteIt simplify the decision process by meeting in person, mail or video conferencing, enabling decision making without the costs associated with travel or face the confusion that often arises from the exchange of cross dozens of emails on a given subject.

The system is currently being used internally by the Swedish Green Party with very positive results.

source:
https://www.voteit.com/

Comentary to an interview to Joam Evans Prim (Partido da Terra - Galiza)

Joam Evans Prim

"Left or right?The two form part of the design of parliamentary politics. In view of the general meeting direct democracy are the people we deliberate and decide on each particular issue. The vital experience or ideas baggage each person can make certain postures we choose and not by others, but the rigidity and orthodoxy partitocracy own lack of sense in the context of the assembly, because it is not prescriptive in relation to the vast majority problems which may arise, for example, a county or parochial open neighborhood, where the long term, is most suitable logic seeking maximum consensus. "- We have no doubt also that the classical Left-Right dichotomy is exhausted. And exhausted by the sheer inability of when in power, to assert themselves the real difference between both trends and the crystallization in "extreme ungovernable" more radical wing of that party Manichaeism. Like Joam, we do not believe that the renewal of democracy can be achieved by the rise to power of a new party (Left or Right), but by developing mechanisms of direct and participatory democracy, able to return to the world citizens and civic and political effectiveness of governance. The crisis of democracy in Europe is indeed a crisis of representative democracy and partidocracia who hijacked the system. And its resolution can only pass through the promotion of civic life, the greater participation of citizens in political life and the rapprochement between the elected and the electorate.
(...)But a party is the right tool?With only abstention, even if it is active, we can not (yet) to delegitimize political professional. Delegitimize "politics" and "political" professionals is an essential strategy for the recovery of our state sovereignty and people policies. The PT assumes that strategy of delegitimization as a constant, a "guerrilla politics" (non-violent, of course) so if you want to see. The creation of autonomous zones with aspiration residence where the cracks of the system permit, such as parish or neighborhood assemblies with maximum possible sovereignty, is not utopian. There will is something that can be done in any city, and desprofissionalizando "destating" in fact these structures. I think that the desire of the people who are in the PT is that it can be dissolved as soon as possible because there is no place for parties in direct democracy and we all certainly other passions in life. "- A form of "political party" is in fact one that - in light of the current legal framework - allows better leverage the social and political intervention of a group of citizens. The forms of "association" and "informal movement" have their virtues, but given their legal limitations make it difficult for its ability to intervene and make a real difference. The term, however, and a foundational moment of elaboration of thoughts and principles, national deployment and experimentation of participatory democracy mechanisms and internal organizational construction, these intermediate forms may be the most appropriate. And that was - for now - the option of + D. The Galician Party Earth is already another level and their experimentation with popular assemblies or parish are closely followed in Portugal.

Fonte:
http://www.partidodaterra.net/peteiras/joam-evans/

[USA] Jon Jones, a Direct Democracy Candidate in Atlanta

Since mid-February which is officially open for registration of candidates for the districts of the "City Council" of Atlanta. As in other years, no lack of candidates "system", but this time there umaa novelty: Jon Jones, a young african american 26 year promises to enter the capital of the U.S. state of Georgia a new style of government: Direct Democracy.
Jon Jones is an unknown figure in politics, with a career in finance and no apparent social relevance before he started this municipal project, which earned him a great attention from local media because of the originality of their proposals and cybernetic form as guides and leads his campaign. This public record is very discreet indeed emphasized in his campaign Web site, where Jon Jones takes his status as "anonymous citizen" stressing that the discrediting of the current political system follows much of this obsession in looking for a "savior indeed" capable of - miraculously - cure all ills. And it is precisely because it is an "anonymous" that your application today is growing, especially among young people, tired and disillusioned with the "custom options".
The originality of the proposed Jon Jones comes to what Atlanta offers its voters, proposes to build a network of websites, SMS servers, telephone lines and mobile applications to allow residents in his district will actively participate in the legislative process and decision-making your city. If elected, Jones put on a website to have to make that decision and order vote "yes" or "no" to residents. Then, as most of these votes, as well voted also in the "City Council". Who does not have easy Internet access may exercise their vote by sending emails, sms or voice calls to automated systems. Obviously, for citizens to vote, they must draft a simplified version of the laws presented to them. And we must create ways to combat the apathy that seems to define most citizens, with studies indicating that forms of direct democracy encourage citizens to be more active, informed and engaged.

[Italy] Italian Elections

M5S is near an historical result for the participative movements of all the world, and namely those that are part of IntDPD.

Source:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/24/italy-elections-end-to-sleaze-cronyism

[Spain] Spain is being confronted with a succession of corruption of the highest degree

Spain is being confronted with a succession of corruption of the highest degree. These cases - as well as the scale of funds trafficked by PP leaders - are particularly shocking in the context of deep economic crisis and unemployment in Spain. Against this background of political immorality and chronic impunity, in a context where the Desperation begins to be stronger than the fear and confronting Greece collapsed, where the popular are looting supermarkets, chronic unemployment are signs of a state that has stopped working Spain is on the verge of a social explosion unprecedented in the last ninety years.

As in Spain, as in Greece, as well, in Portugal, the victims of this widespread corruption and impunity are citizens. Victims opaque business of grave harm to the state and leading to an increasingly oppressive taxation that feeds some powerful "businessmen" who live in dependence of the States.

But more guilty than these politicians are citizens who resign an active role in their society, they elect or elect partidocratas leave on a rotational basis and leaderless. Given this situation, it is necessary to activate Citizenship, stop being citizens of Protestant couch or facebook and we return to the spaces of citizen action that the representative system dominant left us (voting, demonstrations, citizen applications, petitions, associational life, militancy in anti-party system, etc.). Let us go forth from within us, this "we" restrained and frightened and redeem this public space that Major Interests - so much for our passivity - in stolen today exerts its empire.

[Link] democraciaparticipativa.net

democraciaparticipativa.net: The site is sponsored by the association democraciaparticipativa.net "Nuestra Cultural Initiative". The site has several pages in English and Spanish promoting issues related to direct and participatory democracy. The site is maintained by a group of volunteers and participates in and promotes events and conferences all over the world.

The major objective of democraciaparticipativa.net is to foster greater citizen participation in political life.

The "Nuestra Cultural Initiative" is not a party or a political organization, but a cultural initiative designed to promote participatory democracy and publicize their efforts, activities and news serving the goals of Direct Democracy and Participatory. The democraciaparticipativa.net a member of the International Observatory of Participatory Democracy, the World Movement for Democracy (WMD) and the Democracy International (DI), among others.
 
Source:
DemocraciaParticipativa.net

[Internet Democracy] Two good examples from Brazil: Votenaweb and Politicos.com.br

Regeneration Politics via the development and implementation of tools and methods of Direct Democracy or Participatory must be done through the Internet and new technologies.

In the field of Democracy Online tool most used in Portugal and the rest of the globe, is today - without margin for doubt - that of "Petitions Online" form of common citizens to come to power and left a mark on decision making of legislative processes. These petitions have fulfilled an important role in the rapprochement between elected and electors and the introduction of a logical system in a more participatory representative exhausted and deeply discredited.

The online petitions are one way of strengthening democracy by participatory component, a path that should be expanded, but not the only one: other ways to increase the involvement of citizens in political decisions and to monitor more closely the elect exist or can be developed: in this regard should notice two interesting sites in Brazil: the www.votenaweb.com.br and politicos.com.br.

In votenaweb, the legislative proposals under consideration and voting in parliamentary chambers may be voted by Brazilian citizens, after the site had written a simplified description of the same and with a space for comments. politicos.com.br in, you can see the absenteeism of MPs, the amount that had laws, the number of seats and even ... the amount of lawsuits that are pending ...

[News] Two very interesting participative sites Votenaweb.com.br and www.politicos.org.br

Citizens can vote laws in Laws on Parlament: http://www.votenaweb.com.br/
Representative Politians ranking: http://www.politicos.org.br/

Two good examples, that can be followed in many countries...

[Partido da Terra] "Partido da Terra" (Galiza) publishes on his site a reference do the IntDPD project

Full Article (in Portuguese):
http://www.partidodaterra.net/noticia/pt-participa-em-internacional-pola-democracia-direta/

[Concepts] The example of State Referendum in the US

In Mississippi (USA) will most likely take place in a constitutional referendum on its citizens will decide on an amendment to the State Constitution (which the legal framework of the federation that is in the U.S. is located immediately below the U.S. Constitution) about the nature and definition of "human personality" and in the context of the Abortion Laws. This particular does not concern us here, but we are interested in (and excessively) is the ability to have U.S. citizens to vote in a referendum and adopt amendments to its Constitution.In another U.S. State, the Ohio, the Constitution allows a certain percentage of voters that a petition may cancel some types of legislation approved by the Governor and the state Legislature. Using this mechanism (known as "Citizen Veto"), a group of citizens entitled "We Are Ohio" collected more than a million voters on a petition to hold a referendum and thus nullify a recently enacted law banning collective bargaining contracts work. The proposed canceling the referendum got 60% of votes thus leading to the annulment of the law passed by the state legislature and signed by the governor. Thus was fulfilled, "democracy", missing the "representative democracy", often kidnapped for defending the Big Interests, and winning this form of "direct and participatory democracy" whose promotion, development and exercise is so deeply based in principles and objectives Direct and Participative Democracy.Here is what is lacking also in many countries around the world: the ability for citizens to convene a national referendum on presentation in Parliament of a petition with a minimum number of signatures leading to a referendum that could nullify certain laws passed in Parliament. This tool would increase the scale of our participatory democracy, entrosaria more citizens in civic life, giving them an effective intervention tool in their goals and become destinations and MPs more accountable and aware in relation to the real interests of those they represent in the Assembly the Republic.

(text adaptated from an original publicaton on a blog from +D: http://Movv.org)


Source:http://last-lost-empire.com/blog/?p=1462 # more-1462

[Suggested Link] "My Vote is for Direct Democracy"

"My Vote is for Direct Democracy"
on http://tradeonion.wordpress.com

[Suggested Link] "The Return of Politics"

"The Return of Politics"
on  http://lookingbeyondborders.com

[New Member] democracylab.com (USA) !

Welcome to the new member of IntDPD !

DemocracyLab
http://democracylab.org/

[Events] Debate about "Participative Democracy in Lisboa" (+D = Democracia em Movimento)

2 march 2013 (Lisbon)


More details in http://www.facebook.com/events/100982950085216/

[News] With more than 800 000 signatures collected as of today, the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) 'Water is a Human Right' most likely is to become the first European Citizens' Initiative to reach one million signatures

"Brussels, Jan. 30.─ With more than 800 000 signatures collected as of today, the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) 'Water is a Human Right' most likely is to become the first European Citizens' Initiative to reach one million signatures. This is the necessary amount for a citizen proposal to be considered by the EC as a piece of law citizens want to see realised in the EU.

Since the beginning of this year tens of thousands of Europeans have increasingly signed the citizens' initiative, which aims at implementing water and sanitation as a human right and providing water as a public good by keeping it out of the internal market rules. The numbers jumped up while the European Commission proposed draft legislation that aims at granting public bodies the right to tender public services to private businesses, including water distribution ("Directive on Concessions").

Source:
http://democraciaparticipativa.net/consultas-referenda/5876-direct-democracy-takes-off-at-european-level.html

[Opinion] The Citizen Role in the development of Participative Democracy

We believe that this policy paralyzed by the Great Interests, subservient to Speculators and High Finance is a Gordian Knot that can be untied rescuing citizens for the public space of intervention that was stolen or that they let loose with in the last two decades.

This rescue will lead to increased civic and political participation of citizens and not just create conditions so that it can express. It should also encourage the development of a widespread desire for a significant number of citizens to Participate.

To enable a truly participatory citizenship, it must make Citizens did not reject the aspect of political and civic life in society. We must also promote and develop a public education but demanding sustainable, quality and universal and free media, immune to the pressures of big economic groups.

Renew Democracy for that become more participatory and direct, but to bring to fruition this goal is also to create the conditions for which people are willing to give this "quantum leap" in their levels of political participation and civic and they also want to occupy this space ... and this is indeed the great battle that still needs to fulfill.

Rui Martins (www.maisdemocracia.org)

[New Member] UnPartei (Germany) !

Welcome to the new member of IntDPD !

UnPartei (Germany)
http://unpartei.wikispaces.com/

[Events: maisdemocracia.org] +D Debate "Participative Democracy in Lisbon"

2 de March 4:00 PM WET

ISCTE-IUL Instituto Universitário de Lisboa

Event link:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/c7bdooelvn4bsega22duvdm37ek?authkey=CN_FtfiX-qekFw