Second meeting of the Oxford Democracy Cafe
22nd September 2018
22nd September 2018
PARTICIPATIVE DEMOCRACY was the topic for discussion at the second meeting of the Oxford Democracy Café on Saturday 22 September. Following many apologies for absence 20 people attended, with more than half of them new to the café. Several people had come from outside of the city.
The topic for discussion arose from the previous meeting ODC1. At ODC2 we developed this by considering
· Why grassroots participation?
· What forms can it take?
· Where is it already happening?
· What works?
· How can we use it locally?
In small groups each person contributed their thoughts, which led to a group discussion. Each group chose three main points to take forward to the plenary discussion.
Here commonality was clear - from different perspectives groups had thought about how to reach out and listen to those with different views, those who have no voice and the need for education in democracy, both at school and more widely in society. We ourselves had learned more about participative democracy.
An example from ODC1 of local participative democracy was also discussed – a councillor in Oxford’ City Council’s Carfax ward is consulting his electorate on how to spend his allocated ward budget. We agreed it would be useful for us all to approach our local councillors and ask them how they made their spending decisions, especially in the County.
The final session focussed on how the Democracy Café should develop organisationally through steering group and web-site group membership, finance, venue, and frequency of meetings. We also explored the fundamental issues of the focus of future meetings and how to attract wider participation of all sections of the community. As at ODC1, participants were keen that the café should continue to be both a space for discussion and a base for effecting change.
It became clear that there are three layers at which the Oxford Democracy Café is working.
· The base where the Democracy Café aims to provide a space for all, from whatever background to come and be listened to respectfully. For discussion to take place in a truly democratic space. The small group format used allows everyone to ask questions and formulate their own thinking on the issues.
· The next layer is broadening and widening our understanding of what democracy is and can be, and finding ways to move forward locally with a truly democratic agenda.
· Finally, building on these to begin to address issues as well as acting as a hub for local groups and individuals who are trying to effect democratic change.
As the café concluded participants were talking of things they could do in their local community.
Notes from group discussions
Groups addressed issues around:
· Why grassroots participation?
· What forms can it take?
· Where is it already happening?
· What works?
· How can we use it locally?
Crosscutting themes
GRASSROOTS/LOCALISM – the greatest impact can be made at the grassroots.
Examples given were
· Parish councils, with some debate about their base – is this political? who is representing whom?
· ‘Infiltration’ of existing organisations with power – such as the Oxford Civic Society, to lobby for Roads for People, and in Abingdon, to press for recycling: “Bin It”. But, beware the loudest voices taking power
· In Oxford, re-establish the Area Committees – regular open meetings with local councillors responding to local people
· Participatory budgeting – aka Democracy Café 1 where the councillor for Carfax ward, Richard Howlett, explained his door to door method to establish local people’s priorities in determining how to spend his local budget allocation
HOW? Themes here addressed both process and substance:
Involve working people, students, young people – lots of activism but atomised. Linking up through a ‘hub’ rather than operating in separate silos.
Seeking out existing pressure groups on shared issues – for example, the demo against Trump showed how very different groups and interests can come together against a particular threat
Churches and faith groups are important to work with\in as bases of moral and ethical concerns, eg Jewish, Dissenters, Buddhists, Atheists, Humanists, Muslims …
Encourage people to lobby their county councillors about spending their budget allocation[1] – taking Richard Howlett’s initiative as an example.
PROCESS
Education and citizenship – lots of different ways, formal in schools, informal in communities and groups, on issues.
Avoid confrontational discourse, instead ask everyone we meet for their ideas on how to participate in our democracy
Listen. Consider where is the centre ground? Identify common ground
Use social media
Ensure visibility, of issues and those speaking up for them, and of the disempowered/those who have no voice
MORE WIDELY
Overcome the undemocratic nature of First Past the Post [FPTP]
Address increasing inequalities and racism and move to broader representation - age, gender, ethnicity, class
Focus on human rights
Other examples:
Rwanda – compulsory participation – voting
Cuba
Referenda – Ireland [abortion], Switzerland, Finland [and heart disease]
Citizens Juries
[1] See report in Oxford Times September 6, p17, ‘Just 14% of cash has been spent from the council’s £94k fund’.
· Why grassroots participation?
· What forms can it take?
· Where is it already happening?
· What works?
· How can we use it locally?
Crosscutting themes
GRASSROOTS/LOCALISM – the greatest impact can be made at the grassroots.
Examples given were
· Parish councils, with some debate about their base – is this political? who is representing whom?
· ‘Infiltration’ of existing organisations with power – such as the Oxford Civic Society, to lobby for Roads for People, and in Abingdon, to press for recycling: “Bin It”. But, beware the loudest voices taking power
· In Oxford, re-establish the Area Committees – regular open meetings with local councillors responding to local people
· Participatory budgeting – aka Democracy Café 1 where the councillor for Carfax ward, Richard Howlett, explained his door to door method to establish local people’s priorities in determining how to spend his local budget allocation
HOW? Themes here addressed both process and substance:
Involve working people, students, young people – lots of activism but atomised. Linking up through a ‘hub’ rather than operating in separate silos.
Seeking out existing pressure groups on shared issues – for example, the demo against Trump showed how very different groups and interests can come together against a particular threat
Churches and faith groups are important to work with\in as bases of moral and ethical concerns, eg Jewish, Dissenters, Buddhists, Atheists, Humanists, Muslims …
Encourage people to lobby their county councillors about spending their budget allocation[1] – taking Richard Howlett’s initiative as an example.
PROCESS
Education and citizenship – lots of different ways, formal in schools, informal in communities and groups, on issues.
Avoid confrontational discourse, instead ask everyone we meet for their ideas on how to participate in our democracy
Listen. Consider where is the centre ground? Identify common ground
Use social media
Ensure visibility, of issues and those speaking up for them, and of the disempowered/those who have no voice
MORE WIDELY
Overcome the undemocratic nature of First Past the Post [FPTP]
Address increasing inequalities and racism and move to broader representation - age, gender, ethnicity, class
Focus on human rights
Other examples:
Rwanda – compulsory participation – voting
Cuba
Referenda – Ireland [abortion], Switzerland, Finland [and heart disease]
Citizens Juries
[1] See report in Oxford Times September 6, p17, ‘Just 14% of cash has been spent from the council’s £94k fund’.