Manifesto
A better democratic future is possible
We believe that a different and better democratic future is possible. For too long, we have taken democracy for granted and neglected to renew it. Now we face a major task: we must develop democracy in order to preserve it for future generations.
The foundations of our democracy are beginning to crack. Around the world, democracy is under pressure, and locally, a growing number of people are disengaging – not from democracy itself, but from the way it is run. Many feel they have no real say in the solutions that shape their lives.
We have neglected to renew and adapt democracy to a new, uncertain world – one where we must create robust and lasting solutions together as citizens. We must remember that democracy’s strongest response to the most pressing problems facing the planet and society is all of us.
We can only solve the greatest challenges of our time in a well-functioning democracy, where solutions are created together.
This requires us to abandon the idea of democracy as a finished design reserved for a select few. We must hand the initiative and the power to act back to those who have to live with the solutions and rethink the relationship between the system and its citizens.
We have done it before. Time and again, we have radically rethought and reformed democracy – to secure farmers’ livelihoods, workers’ rights and women’s suffrage, and to make way for the cooperative movement. Each time, it was a struggle for equal participation and equal rights.
This time, we must renew democracy both as a form of government and as a way of life. We must strengthen our democratic muscles at every level and draw on society’s collective intelligence. Together, we can build local agency for a more meaningful and hopeful future.
We must dare to break new ground and learn from democratic experiments around the world to make democracy more resilient. Collectively, we create better solutions – and a greater power to implement them – than technocracy, autocracy or meritocracy ever can.
Our democratic system is something we have created ourselves – which means we also have the power to redesign it. We must recognise that democratic innovation is an ongoing task, and one we will never complete.
In this manifesto, we set out ten guiding principles for a better democratic future. They are the principles we ourselves are working for, and we invite everyone to help put them into practice in everyday life.
Our principles for a better democratic future:
01_ From spectator sport to the right to participate
Democracy thrives only when we are all invited to help shape everyday solutions – not just at the ballot box. Citizens should no longer be kept on the margins of power, as spectators or consumers of politics. They must regain their right to take part, and society must recognise them as an invaluable resource.
02_ Represent and be represented
Genuine representation is the key to a better, more open democracy. We must create spaces where different experiences, ways of life and perspectives can be brought into play. This leads to better solutions and stronger legitimacy.
03_ Open democracy requires radical transparency
Democracy must create solutions that benefit as many people as possible. Equal access to decision-making is essential, to ensure that special interests and economic power do not take precedence over the needs of the community. We need direct democracy, radical transparency and clear checks on power. When decisions are made openly and the exercise of power can be traced, legitimacy and trust grow.
04_ Good lives are driven by participation
Democracy must be the framework that allows everyone to take part freely in public dialogue. Freedom and equal rights are the precondition for a good and meaningful life. We want to reinvent the democratic ideal of public happiness for our time, by giving citizens a greater say in the society they share. Taking an active part in a community improves our quality of life, because it builds trust, commitment and a sense of security.
05_ Democracy is something we train
Democracy is not something we simply have, but something we practise. Taking part in democracy requires muscles – in the form of skills and self-confidence. We are working to ensure that democratic participation once again becomes part of how we are educated and formed as citizens.
06_ Those who live with the solutions must own them
Citizens are the core of democracy – and its canaries in the coal mine. We react when decisions are made in oxygen-starved rooms, and when we are handled as an afterthought to solutions rather than engaged as a resource for good decisions. Those who must live with the consequences of decisions in their everyday lives must share ownership of them. That is a precondition.
07_ Together we can do better
We believe in a participation-driven democracy, in which we ensure broad, deep and well-informed deliberation across society. This enables us to meet the challenges we face with the best solutions for everyone.
When we let go of the idea that decisions are best left to a select few, and instead draw on our collective intelligence, we can overcome even the greatest challenges.
08_ Listen more closely and more widely
A viable democracy must be measured by its ability to engage every voice in finding solutions – including those who have no voice. The future, nature and the climate must be guaranteed a rightful place wherever decisions are made. Generations to come must be systematically taken into account through youth participation, and minorities must be actively encouraged to take part, so that voices without the same starting points or resources as the majority also count.
09_ Local is the new global
The hyperlocal must be empowered. Whether in neighbourhoods, villages, workplaces, streets, blocks of flats or voluntary action groups, we must give people the freedom and the right to act in their everyday lives.
10_ A better democratic future is possible
Democracy has never stood still. It has faced crises, each of which has opened the way to new answers and opportunities. Our task is to act in the knowledge that the future is open – and that a better democracy is created by drawing on our shared imagination.
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