CONFERENCE IN PREPARATION

Themes
Direct democracy in countries of Europe: It works!
"For debate: We need more direct democracy in Britain"

An independent event parallel with the European Social Forum
London School of Economics, October 16th-17th 2004

Our host Solidarity Village has invited a contribution in the section
"New Forms of Democracy"

Proposer and organiser
CITIZENS' INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM I&R
A campaign for direct democracy in Britain presents

Direct democracy in countries of Europe: It works! -
Reports about direct democracy in action: -
Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Netherlands

Discussion • Debate • Plenary • Workshops

For debate: " We Need More Direct Democracy in Britain"

We appeal for donations to support speakers' travel and other costs.

PROGRAMME

Saturday 16th: Afternoon or early evening:
***Get-together*** for speakers and facilitators.

Sunday 17th October 2004 PLENUM 9.30am to 1pm
Setting the scene - Michael Macpherson
(I&R Campaign for Direct Democracy, Great Britain)

Speakers
1. Lecture of 30minutes:
Direct democracy in Switzerland - history, applications, recent developments. Dr. Roland Erne (Dept. of Industrial Relations, University College Dublin. Fellow, Initiative and Referendum Institute Amsterdam). The speaker has a deep knowledge of the Swiss system of governance and is conversant with direct democratic functions at communal, cantonal and federal levels. This lecture will illustrate the pros and cons of a mixed direct-indirect system versus a purely representative one. Publications.

2) Lecture of 30 minutes
After the Third Reich: a triumph of direct democracy in the German Lands, Bavaria, Hamburg and elsewhere. Daniel Schily Mehr Demokratie, FRG Co-ordinator for North-Rhein-Westfalia. The speaker is familiar with the relevant 20th century history and especially with developments in direct democracy, in communes and Lands since the second world war. He has been personally involved in  citizens' initiative and referendum procedures and campaigns.

3. Presentation of 20 minutes
A proposal for more direct democracy in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Michael Macpherson (Founder, Citizens' Initiative and Referendum I&R, a campaign for direct democracy in Britain).

4. Presentation on Aspects of Community and Democracy?

5. Workshop presenters from several countries introduce themselves and invite to the afternoon workshops
Italy: Ombretta Ingrasci.
Germany: Gregor Hackmack and Angelika Gardiner (Citizens' Rights/ Mehr Bürgerrechte e.V. Hamburg)
Netherlands: Filia den Hollander (Visual artist and democracy activist, Amsterdam)
Poland: Radoslaw Gawlik (Peace and Freedom, Green Party) (invited)
Switzerland: Roland Erne and n.n.

Break LUNCH and RECOVERY

Sunday 17th October p.m.

Workshops: We can use several rooms to allow parallel sessions.

Direct democracy in action: Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Netherlands

Speakers from Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Poland ? and Britain (GB session starts around 16:00)

Workshop Format: short presentations, plenty of time for questions and discussions.
Presenters from one or two countries per room.

Workshops: LIVING DIRECT DEMOCRACY (starting ? 14:30)
1. Switzerland. Roland Erne, N.N.
2. Netherlands, Germany. Filia den Hollander, Gregor Hackmack and Angelika Gardiner
3. Poland, Italy. Radoslaw Gawlik (invited) Ombretta Ingrasci (invited).

Workshop (starting late afternoon, around 16:00)
4. Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Future of direct democracy. Brian Beedham (invited), Jim McGlynn (Direct Votes), Michael Macpherson.

Content: Brief history of direct democracy (DD) in your country. Your own experience of using DD, of trying to introduce or improve it. Two or three cycles of one-hour units (presentation + discussion). The idea is that participants can wander from one room to another and hear about DD experience in several countries. We continue to look for colleagues from Italy, Poland and Switzerland. For each country we want in plenum (morning) a 5-7 minute sketch of DD in your country with an introduction of yourself/ yourselves and invitation to the audience to join your workshop. The workshop will start with a talk of up to 20 minutes, with brief history of direct democracy in your country, and reports of experience in regions, cities and localities. Replying to questions and joining in and facilitating debate.

COMMENT ABOUT UK

Have we in Britain reached the "state of the art" in democracy? We think not. There is widespread discontent with politicians, with many of their decisions and, depending on area, with both action and inaction in public affairs. The fact that there are marked variations among the democratic systems of different countries suggests that we should at least take a closer look at what has been tried and at what is practised elsewhere.

Direct democracy means that the people decide not only upon who will represent them in parliament but also on certain public issues. Proposals made by a large number of citizens to change, veto or introduce a law can be put onto "the public agenda". Parliament may be mandated to vote on such a proposal. A large number of citizens can put a proposal to all of their fellow citizens in a referendum. Many new state constitutions of recent decades contain elements of direct democracy. Several european states have introduced citizen-initiated referendum at one or more levels of governance, from local to regional and central. The proposed "constitution" for the European Union will enable a law to be proposed by citizens' initiative.

In all of this Britain lags way behind. Some say "centuries behind".

We will present a model which integrates elements of direct democracy with our system of parties and parliament. This entails three "steps" in citizens law-making: from proposal, to public plus parliamentary debate, to -- if need be -- referendum. A presentation of this model connecting to much background information may be found at our web site http://www.iniref.org/steps.html
If finances allow we will invite people with experience of direct-democracy-in-action, from several countries, to share their knowledge and to help discuss the way forward.

Note: "Britain" refers to Great Britain and Northern Ireland
© Citizens' Initiative and Referendum I&R 2004


For resources see: www.iniref.org/resources.html

We appeal for donations to support speakers' travel and other costs.