2005 campaign points
* Act Locally, Think Globally. Another World Is
Possible and can be put together by combinations of
many small acts by ordinary people working in good
faith on local human levels.
* Strive for a World Without War. War wastes human
lives and natural resources. A World Without War is
possible and can be created by ordinary people working
to resolve conflicts on small and wider scales.
* Recognize that when 'terrorism' is the question,
'war' is not the answer. The 'war on terror' is making
the global terror problem worse.
* Understand that Real Democracy involves a true
Competition of Ideas between Free-Thinking and
Open-Minded People.
Importance of:
Free Speech;
Mutual Respect;
Public Arenas - in which differences can be expressed
without violence.
* Work to develop a new mature politics based on
openness, trust and free debate. Politicians and other
authority figures do not have all the answers.
Free-thinking citizens can take more control of their
own lives.
* Refresh politics with imagination and DIY
creativity. Try out different alternatives. Reject
bland main party politics that has become reduced to
corporate managerial dullness and empty sound-bite
fake debate.
* Critically review all of Britain's international
alliances and commitments - including: G8; European
Union; NATO. Question to be asked is: is involvement
in this grouping really in the best interests of
British people and wider humanity? Support the broad
principles of the United Nations and the ideal of a
true friendly Cosmopolitan Common-Wealth of Nations.
* Stop the continuing creeping privatization of
British public services. The privatization process has
in fact quickened since the election of the New Labour
government in 1997 - betraying the hopes of many who
voted for that party believing it would put a stop to
the Thatcherite madness.
* Reinvigorate the British manufacturing economy by
diverting it from deadly and wasteful war-based
systems of production to revitalizing and more
economical peace-based systems.
* Work to develop a trading environment based on open
fair-dealing and trust - rather than closed
sharp-practices and dishonesty. Trade is actually more
efficient when there is trust between people and faith
in fair dealing. Sharp practices and greedy
profiteering corrupt trading systems and undermine
faith in humanity and human values.
* Work to reconstruct fragmented social structures.
Reject Thatcherite myth that 'there is no such thing
as society, only individuals and families'.
* Work to create a social welfare system based on some version of a
'Social Wage' concept paid to all adults - directly or as tax
credits - with individual incomes above social wage
levels based on personal initiatives, talents, and
efforts, etc.
* Work for full social inclusion of marginalized
people and the protection of isolated or otherwise
vulnerable citizens who cannot look after themselves.
No person is an island.
* Protect Civil Liberties, recognizing that the best
defence states have against terror groups is to show
faith in core democratic values - and not to behave
like terrorists themselves.
* Reject them/us 'scape-goating' politics - prevent
power elites dividing people by whipping up tribalism
and scape-goating of minorities. The real 'moral
majority' is common humanity.
* Promote creative innovation through experimental
small business ventures. The personal profit motive is
not the only motive for economic activity. Social
motives, including altruism, have become under-valued.
Give individuals and small groups freedom to
experiment with fresh ways of making and trading -
without risk of huge personal losses.
* Build true community-based law and order structures.
Lawlessness is linked to social exclusion and
intolerance. Inclusive tolerant local communities set
their own limits of acceptable and unacceptable
behaviour - and to a large extent police themselves.
Rebuild trust and mutual respect between people and
sense of shared common humanity.
* Freedom - within mutually agreed acceptable limits -
is something to be celebrated.
* Friendship is one of the great social binding agents
- personal friends reach agreements while accepting
differences between individuals, and the same can be
true of arrangements between friendly nations.
* Recognize that governments set the tone of wider
society ['Know what we mean Tone?!']. When
governments act illegally and dishonestly - as in the
illegal attack on Iraq; as in the phoney w.m.d. claims
- citizens tend follow the example. Citizens can,
however, lead governments by showing better examples
themselves.
* Recognize that organized trade unionism is the best
protection of workers' interests against global
corporate power.
* Work to make Humanity more in tune with Nature.
Encourage full environmental 'stock take' - using
internet and other new technology to draw together all
information sources. For the first time in history it
is possible for every global citizen to have access to
the entire human knowledge base past and present. What
a wonderful world we could put together between us.
* Develop truly mind-opening life-long learning
education systems. Recognize hidden knowledge base in
common culture. Regard both teachers and students are
'learners' - in interactive mutually beneficial
education process.
* Foster true democratic internationalism - not
globalized corporate consumer capitalism.
