Election Addresses: East

Index
Stuart Weir ............................................. pages 2-3 Vicky Seddon ......................................... pages 4-5 Avtar Singh ............................................. pages 6-7 Owais Rajput .......................................... pages 8-9 Note: candidates names have been randomised on the ballot paper and in this booklet to minimise any unintentional bias.

Stuart Weir
I write shortly after Alex Runswicks valiant work in lobbying and coordinating the largely successful campaign to reform the governments proposals to stifle the participation of civil society organisations and charities in debate around the next general election. We learned two things: 1, Unlock Democracy is an effective lobbying organisation, especially when we join with others; and 2, our resources are so thin that we cannot take on more than one major effort at a time. So we did nothing much to shame the government into regulating lobbying effectively and their inadequate policies went through. And our founding objective to achieve root-and-branch reform of our undemocratic governing system and to win a written constitution remains a residual enterprise. Obviously Unlock Democracy needs to develop our resource base. But I think we must also seek urgently to appeal to and win far broader popular support for broader and systemic reform. We should continue to campaign as best we can for objectives like proportional representation, at national and local level, for proper and full regulation of lobbying, for an elected second chamber, for an executive subject to a written constitution, for a House of Commons freed from government domination, for a Bill of Rights, for

effective oversight of the security services. And we must always join up the dots. But we need also re-frame the statement of our mission, guiding principles and policy objectives. I was the main author of the original Charter 88. I am now working, with colleagues, on a new manifesto for Unlock Democracy. issuing a call next year for a Magna Carta for our times, which will also draw on the questionnaire that Alex has circulated to members. I hope that this manifesto will be good enough to form a base for big popular drive.

About me.
I founded Charter 88, one of UDs two original bodies, while I was editor of the New Statesman, and went on establish Democratic Audit at Essex University. We measured the quality of government and human rights in the UK (using a methodology that then spread across the world). I am an active member of the executive board and serve as vice-chair for policy. If you would like to contact me, I am on s.p.weir@hotmail.com, and 07743326422.

Vicky Seddon vseddon@btinternet.com Currently, Chair of Unlock Democracy, and seeking your vote in the 2014 UD Council election, East Constituency

Campaigning for Lords Reform

Chairing Sheffield for Democracys meeting on Community Assemblies

This last year has seen huge challenges for Unlock Democracy, with the Lobbying and Transparency Bill a major focus, just as we had to restructure our staffing profile for financial reasons. Our new director, Alex Runswick, rose to that challenge in a way that affirmed our confidence in her appointment. The passing of that Bill, despite record correspondence to MPs against it, and the united efforts of the voluntary and campaigning sectors, is a major set-back. However, we did achieve some significant improvements, and pulled together a broad alliance of often different points of view, which has strengthened our influence as leader on broad democratic issues. Our active local groups, while small in number, give us a cross-country perspective: not everything happens in London! We are at our strongest when we can back-up the issue we are working on nationally with local, and individual, activity.

My achievements Internally: Part of team enabling us to be a lively, effective organisation capable of building broadly based campaigns, improving our reputation & influence Within our limited resources, getting balance right: not spreading ourselves too thinly; supporting our staff; ensuring members have their say Steered UD through a time of financial difficulty Last AGM accepted my proposal (with minor amendments) on use of social media in our elections As Coordinator of Sheffield for Democracy We have worked inter alia on future of Community Assemblies; PPC election; Sustainable Communities Act Crime; Proportional Representation for local Democracy; major event on need for local devolution; local scrutiny arrangements; submissions on Ward Boundaries and local devolution Public meeting Democracy: Safe in their Hands?S Twigg MP, Alex Runswick, Cllr Shafaq Mohamed What next? Re-focusing our efforts, on devolution moves both at national and local levels Arguing for proportionate voting for local councils Votematch, decision-making tool, for Euro elections. Influencing party manifestoes on Lords Reform Improvements in voter registration Myself: retired 6 years ago from Sheffield Hallam University. Volunteer in justice system as Appropriate Adult. Involved in Amnesty, Sheffield Civic Trust

Election Address by Avtar Singh Unlock Democracys message is confused and confusing: What do we stand for? Electing the Lords? How? Tinkering with the amounts donors can give to political parties? Opening up Lobbying? What the hell does that mean? We need a simpler message, as follows:

Abolish both houses of parliament

We should abolish both houses of parliament and have a directly elected cabinet. To prevent corruption, no minister should be allowed to work for money after leaving office. This would mean the end of career politicians as people would only stand for office after a lifetime of working in the real world. Legislation should be introduced by the public by, for example, the epetitions website, with the (20 or 30) most popular, including the budget, being put forward yearly to be ratified by a public (paper) vote.

The cabinet would therefore be public servants whose job would be to implement the peoples laws rather than make them. And ministers would be more likely to have expertise in their field i.e. the Health Minister would likely only be elected if he/she had substantial experience in the NHS. Ditto education, defence et al. All departments that do not run on a national level should be devolved to Unitary Authorities (UAs) of c. 30,000 people, run by Mayors elected yearly. Those powers devolved to Scotland can be devolved to UAs! This would not mean the end of political parties/campaign groups. At least to start with, the budgets and laws of the Labour, Conservative, UKIP and LibDem parties would garner the greatest number of online votes but they would be forced to propose budgets/laws that would appeal to the public or face not making it past the online vote.

Owais Rajput was born in Mirpur Azad Jammu & Kashmir. He was based in Johannesburg from 1993 to mid-1995 doing work with local communities in Transvaal Province and other Southern African Countries. He moved to the UK in 1995 and settled in Bradford. He has eighteen years intensive practical hands-on experience, working with local communities using a bottom to top approach. He has a Masters degree in International Politics and Security Studies with a focus on International Terrorism from University of Bradford. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the British Association for Islamic Studies, British Sociological Association, Political Studies Association, European Sociological Association and American Sociological Association. He is a member of two working groups (RAN PREVENT & RAN INT/EXT) of the Radicalisation Awareness Network which is organised by DG Home Affairs European Commission, and he contributed to the UK Home Office Contest-III round the table consultation in February 2011. Owais started his current PhD in 2012 with Leeds Metropolitan University and his research project is entitled Counter-terrorism policy & radicalisation among UK citizens of Kashmiri heritage. He is working on Security, Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, Policy, Exclusion, Radicalisation, Marginalisation, and Identity. In his case studies he focused on disengaged local communities (British Kashmiri) living in the North of England using

an inductive approach (bottom to top). His work will be useful to those who are responsible generating Policy and Practice for local disengaged communities living in the UK/EU. Furthermore Owais engaged with ERASMUS International Street Work, Intensive Program and he is also working on a collaborative research approach project, on local communities living with in the Leeds West Yorkshire areas. Owais strongly believes in bottom to top approach politics means working with the people rather then top to bottom approach which means working on the people. Owais Rajput can be contacted on 07588486483 for further questions regarding his political thoughts.