Jointly called by Assemblies for Democracy and Occupy Democracy at the Runnymede Festival for Democracy on the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.

Saturday, 14 November 2015 from 10:45 to 16:30
Waterloo Action Centre
Baylis Road, SE1 7AA

with
John McDonnell MP, Labour shadow chancellor
Natalie Bennett, leader Green Party
John Hendy QC, Institute of Employment Rights
Liz Davies, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers executive
Stuart White, openDemocracy
plus speakers from Occupy Democracy and others

A hunger for democratic change is sweeping the UK, expressed in last year’s independence referendum in Scotland and in the wave of enthusiasm for renewal generated by Jeremy Corbyn’s stunning campaign.

But Britain’s piecemeal constitution is broken beyond repair. We live under a vanishing democracy subverted by corporate power. The state has abolished a range of human and social rights and now they’re coming for the trade unions.

So we need a new constitution as a framework for a real democracy. A Citizens Convention on the Constitution is a first step on the road to bringing power closer to the people.

Break-outs on:

  • How can we address our democratic deficit?
  • Austerity as an issue of democracy
  • Beyond the “dis-united kingdom” – federalism, independence & other models
  • Republicanism: a way forward?
  • Human/trade union rights and democracy
  • The European Union and democracy – are they compatible?
  • Beyond representation: direct/participatory democracy

Jointly called by Assemblies for Democracy and Occupy Democracy.

Supported by Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, Unlock Democracy, Involve, Agreement of the People, Republican Socialist Alliance, A World to Win, NatCAN and others.

Why Occupy Democracy?

  • our democracy has been captured by corporations, banks and the wealthy,
  • our political system works in the interests of the 1% and not the 99%,
  • nobody voted for NHS privatisation, fracking, TTIP, the tripling of tuition fees, etc,
  • our parliament is a corrupted and unrepresentative institution
  • ordinary people deserve a fair say in the decisions that affect them,
  • our votes, hard won by previous generations, have little value today,
  • there is an alternative!

We demand:

  • reform of party funding so that members of parliament act in the interests of  those who elect them rather than the 1% who bankroll them,
  • major democratic reform of the media to break the stranglehold of vested interests,
  • a fundamental overhaul of lobbying and the way powerful economic interests inhabit the corridors of power within government,
  • the introduction of proportional representation so that everyone’s vote counts,
  • that MPs should not have conflicts of interests from either paid employment or corporate shareholdings,
  • a citizen-led constitutional convention for real democracy.
Our history:

In October 2014 we occupied Parliament Square peacefully for nine days to mark the start of our campaign to rid our democracy of corporate interests and start a movement capable of building a real democracy that works for people and planet. The establishment responded with a  strategy designed to have a chilling effect – over-policing and media silence. We remained peaceful and resolute in our determination to make  our point, and to demand our right to protest and assemble. Our numbers grew and we kept on with our solutions-focused programme of debates, talks and entertainment. We returned to Parliament Square once a month, and then held a nine-day occupation during the general election in  May 2015. Thank you to everybody who helped make this happen! Read more about Occupy Democracy