Five things we learned from the #DemocracyGathering
Matthew Hull and Sam Coates, Unlock Democracy
Last week, Unlock Democracy held our #DemocracyGathering - a series of five workshops looking at how we can build a better democracy. We were fortunate enough to be able to attend and even facilitate some of these discussions.
On subjects from democratic institutions to migrants’ rights to trade justice, we heard how Britain’s undemocratic political system has brought us to this point. But more importantly, we discussed how we can move forward and fight for a truly democratic settlement that does justice to all of us.
We found hope in the brilliant and motivational speakers, the enthusiastic participants, and the deep discussions. New ways of organising for change in our communities and supporting the most vulnerable among us gave us faith that we have the potential to win a democratic future. You can now watch all of last week’s sessions on YouTube.
Here are just five things we learned from last week’s #DemocracyGathering that we’ll be taking forward…
1. We need to be vigilant
As openDemocracy’s Adam Ramsay told us, democracy is under attack across the world. From Hungary’s Viktor Orban to the USA’s Donald Trump, these leaders have tapped into old, reactionary narratives of racism and cultural conservatism. They have also employed tactics that have pushed liberal democracy to its limits and beyond - from gagging press freedoms to overtly encouraging police and gang violence.
But their most powerful weapon is apathy: convincing people that democratic politics doesn’t have the potential to bring about positive change in their lives, but that the best thing for it is to make it go away, either by voting for them or by staying home.
In this context, we need to highlight and confront the dangers of the threats they pose. But we also need to focus on persuading people that politics has the potential to improve their lives. And as various speakers hinted, we can start by putting mass public participation right at the heart of how we organise and build political pressure.
2. There is no single answer to how to build power
Every discussion throughout the Democracy Gathering raised important questions about how we build power and achieve our aims. And it quickly became clear that there was no single way to go about building a movement to deliver a democratic future.
Participants all recognised that we need to go beyond hackneyed stereotypes of who will and who won’t support democratic change. This could look like the bold coalition-building of the Build Back Better campaign, or grassroots networks of mutual aid and solidarity that have sprung up during Covid-19, or many other things besides.
Whatever form a movement for real democracy takes, it will need to build on the frustration and alienation people feel at the current system while channelling their energy towards community empowerment.
3. People are taking community action and providing mutual support - we need to give them space
Throughout the week, the subject of mutual aid and support networks was on everyone’s lips. If the formal political system has alienated people and eroded trust in democracy, could informal networks of community action be the part of the solution?
The answer? The jury was out. Throughout the gathering the potential of informal networks like Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK was clear to everyone, and their ability to bring out the best, most democratic energies in people was unquestioned. But how do we make sure these energies and popular feelings are brought to bear on government, and how do we politicise these networks to ensure that they are able to impact political decisions? This is a live question, and one that we’ll all be considering over the coming weeks and months.
4. People have the creativity needed to grow a flourishing democracy
What was clear is that despite appearances to the contrary, people want more control over their lives and not less. Falling engagement with and trust in the existing political system has been matched by an equally significant rise of outside groups and movements. Extinction Rebellion, climate strikes, women’s strikes, and mutual aid groups are great examples of this phenomenon.
Whatever their campaign objectives - from trade justice to migrant solidarity - our speakers saw the potential of groups and movements like these to revolutionise how people ‘see and do’ democracy. These groups have the potential to formulate new strategies, employ new tactics, and meet people where they are.
Most importantly, the rapid growth of community support during the Covid-19 crisis shows that feelings and principles of social solidarity never disappeared. We need to build spaces and movements that can channel these and allow them to flourish.
5. All our struggles are connected
One of the things we wanted to show with Democracy Gathering is that so many of the biggest problems today relate to the lack of democracy at the heart of our politics, and many of the struggles we’re seeing are partly demands for a more democratic society.
Minnie Rahman’s talk on the hostile environment and public health highlighted the continued structural inequality faced by migrants and communities of colour. With the hostile environment still in force, many people fear seeking medical treatment. Because working without the right papers is criminalised, those working in unsafe environments have no access to trade union support.
Looking beyond the UK, the forces driving a NHS-destroying Trump trade deal are the same ones extracting debt payments from the global south and preventing a global and universal response to Covid-19. There’s no guarantee that if a vaccine is found, poorer nations won’t be crippled by the high prices demanded by big pharma. All of this is taking place without any democratic debate about whether this is what we want.
The struggle for democracy and justice are inseparable - whether ending abuse of migrant communities through extending citizenship, or stopping chlorinated chicken by demanding trade talks are accountable to us, the same dynamics will decide who will prevail.
We’re proud to be producing events and resources like these, stimulating debate and empowering people to demand a real democracy. We can only keep doing this because people like you take the step of becoming Unlock Democracy members for just £2 per month. Become a member today by clicking below. 👇