Movement Building

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10.12.2009 // by George Gabriel

This is the first in a series of blogs by members of the POWER2010 team looking at the building of the campaign.

Renewing Democracy must be a work for, of and by the people. In POWER2010 we have a unique opportunity, to come together from all our walks of life and decide on the shape of democracy, and then drive change to make it fit for purpose.

As Partnerships and Outreach for POWER2010 my task is to draw partner organisations to the campaign, each bringing their diverse perspectives to the debate and their energies and experience to the campaign. For the pledge to be a legitimate set of People's proposals we must be broad, and for it to be powerful we must be massive.

Over the last month we've been building relationships with groups from almost every sector: ale drinkers, tax payers, followers of the Prophet, those plotting a course for the left, those plotting its demise, workers, hunters and students. And everywhere we go we find a subversive consensus - politics is broken and must be fixed.

"We are the first country to have a regressive debate on Human Rights, where opinion actually seems to be shifting against recognising universal human dignity."

"The Muslim community doesn't feel ownership of the democratic process."

"As the digital era develops we are being left behind, consumers not citizens."

"Enough with deference."

"We are trapped by fundamentalists on both sides."

Different views of the problem, different motivations, different ideas for a solution but united in their calls for change.

This does not mean that POWER2010 is a perfect success where politics has failed, inspiring participation in the entire population. It does however mean that by pushing beyond the usual suspects campaigning for constitutional reform we're building a discussion never before had and proving that there is a will for renewal, a will to democracy.

We'll be formally launching our coalition in the coming weeks, but our next stop will be Scotland where we'll hope to welcome trades unions, faith groups and voluntary associations into the alliance. Our message? Divided as we may be on other issues, we must stand together to drive the changes our democracy so badly needs.