On Day Two of the inaugural House of the People, participants have been quizzing a panel of 10 global experts. Subsequently, they began to develop proposals on what political action is needed to address the UK Public’s most urgent priorities. The 100 participants are the process of developing a National Charter of 5 issues for the UK Government to address. [1]
The panel of expert advisors split across rooms, covering Economy, Climate, Genocide, and Democracy. Each room had 25 of the 100 total participants that are creating the National Charter. The experts are:
Economics: Steve Keen, Richard Murphy
Climate: Richard Betts MBE, Dr. Doug Parr, Dr. Charlie Gardener
Democracy: Sarah Chayes, Graham Smith
Genocide: Hazem Jamjoun, Leigh Evans, Dr. Daniela Nadj
You can read more about the experts in this press release. [2]
One of the participants is Andy, a retired logistics manager from Redditch. When asked why he signed up to take part in the House of the People he said:
“I got the email, and I read through it, and I thought: I wanted to get rid of the House of Lords, because I thought they were a bunch of rogues and thieves and crooks. And I thought anything’s better than the thugs and the thieves that we’ve got in the Lords at the moment.”
Across the four rooms, a consensus began to emerge over what solutions are available. Here are some of the early proposals identified by Dembrane’s Echo, the AI listening technology being used to operate the House of the People.
Genocide & Unjust War Proposals
- Immediate and total embargo on arms, trade + support for Israel.
- Bona fide constitution with real decision-making power for the House of the People, including power to decide when to start or join a war.
- For the ICJ to have more power to hold war criminals accountable, and no vetoing powers for individual states.
- A pro-peace approach to education.
- Creating a legal defence for breaking unjust laws and amnesty for peaceful acts of protest.
- Instigate a process to heal the generational trauma associated with historical genocide and unjust wars.
- Trial for those complicit in genocide.
- Expose the truth of what has happened, and is currently happening, in Israel .
- Economic sanctions against Israel.
- Removal of corporate interests and lobbying from laws and policymaking.
- Immediate provision of medical and humanitarian aid to Gaza, and acceptance of Palestinians to the UK to receive medical treatment.
Democratic Renewal Proposals
- Improve political education at all age levels.
- Strengthen anti-corruption laws: no lobbying, gifting, second jobs in politics.
- Formalise system of citizens’ assemblies and participatory budgeting with legal powers
- Include citizens / assemblies in public inquiries.
- Have rights and representation of nature and future generations as part of our democracy.
- Have repercussions and regulation for the media and AI, including fact checking and criminal repercussions.
- Introduce proportional representation.
- Anti corruption – Gain real transparency in government.
- Enshrine the right to citizens’ assemblies, including education for all ages about them.
- Measures to reduce corruption like reducing term limits on all power holders, no gifts in political contexts.
- No honours system in order to flatten hierarchies.
- A citizens’ assembly can call a public enquiry.
Climate
- 7 Generation Law – Prioritising happiness over GDP and ensuring long-term policy.
- Wealth redistribution – through progressive carbon tax.
- Reform of the energy system – to ensure the poorest don’t pay the most for clean energy.
- Change to subsidy strategy – companies and organisations to only get subsidies if they are net-zero, or having net-positive impact, with scrutiny to ensure no gaming of the system.
- A National Nature Service – voluntary/paid job-creation scheme, involving hands-on work and qualifications: with environmental justice and education at the centre and restorative justice (for prisoners).
- Move away from GDP to using positive impact measures e.g., sustainable development goals, or other measures of benefit to the local and global commons.
- We demand that local communities are empowered through a citizens assembly model on how the land and other resources are used in that community. Citizens assemblies are set up at a local, regional, national and even international level so that we can balance surpluses and deficits across the entire system.
- We demand that each community and/or property receives a climate and ecological impact statement (every three years ?). This statement includes all likely risks that are specific to that area and are in line with the planetary boundaries framework. This statement would also include broader topics like ratings on essential services quality, infrastructure and migration risk.
- We recognise the damage we have done historically through white and ethno-supremacy. We believe a bill of rights and responsibility is required that takes this historical damage into account. Space will need to be made for this work but the UK has a great opportunity to lead on it.
Economics
- Tax Reform: Wealth Tax, progressive income tax, transaction tax, salary caps
- Capital control and capital flow regulation
- Education reform for all citizens in political economy and personal finance
- Democratise the economy to ensure that it is in service to social justice, people and planetary wellbeing
- Introduce a guaranteed basic income
- Provide universal basic services that meet basic human needs, including the right to food, water, health, shelter, energy and information.
- Ensure wealth redistribution through a range of tax reforms e.g. tax on global wealth, tax on financial transactions, removal of pension subsidies , closing tax havens, removing tax loopholes, taxing windfall profits and taxing corporations on environmental and social harms.
- Introduce new controls and taxation for global corporations who do business in the uk, remove subsidies and strengthen compliance with existing regulation
- Tackle wealth inequality by following the policies suggested on pg11: Ending pension tax subsidies (£14bill/yr); Charging the equivalent of National Insurance on investment income over £5000 a year (£18bill/yr); Apply VAT to banking services (£8bill/yr); Provide Universal Basic Services
- Introduce Guaranteed Basic Income through reforming the benefit system and raising the minimum wage to a living wage
- Provide funding to support social sustainable and economic innovation and education.
Hazem Jamjoun is the lead editor at Safarjal Press, and one of the expert advisors. He said today:
“The UK Government is failing its people in the face of genocide, in the face of climate deterioration, in the face facism in this country. So it’s up to normal folk to get together and do what needs doing, in order to save our planet, and in order to save our society.”
“The House of the People is a chance for regular people to come together, discuss things that matter to them, to take decisions, and chart a course that can save our society from degradation.”
Tomorrow, Tuesday 22nd of July will be the final day, creating the ultimate outcome – the National Charter. A large coalition of groups is already coming together to take action in support of the National Charter, including dissenting Lords, major trade unions, Just Stop Oil, Youth Demand, Greenpeace, and Extinction Rebellion.
Members of the public who wish to observe can obtain free tickets here. Members of the press can email [email protected] for a press pass. [4]
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Notes to Editors
[1] Assemble is part of the Umbrella movement which includes Just Stop Oil and Youth Demand. The group endorsed 26 independent candidates in the general election, including Shockat Adam and Andrew Feinstein.
The group is building a alternative home for the voice of the country, by inviting members of the public from all backgrounds and places to carefully consider the evidence and reach decisions on the biggest issues of our time, including the UK’s approach to the climate crisis, genocide, and poverty.
[2] https://timetoassemble.org/experts-panel-for-house-of-the-people-includes-richard-betts-mbe-steve-keen-sarah-chaye-and-others/