Beyond (Party) Politics – Saturday 18 April 2020
Extinction Rebellion UK’s April Rebellion One Year Anniversary
Looking back at what we did at Parliament Square last year and looking forward to the future of citizens’ assemblies.
Live:
17:00 Citizens’ Assemblies, democratic innovation applied in parliamentary and civil societies
Citizens’ Assemblies, deliberative bodies composed of randomly selected citizens, have actually already been implemented in a number of situations. Our guests will present these first movers and start a discussion on how these assemblies could take place in our countries, in this case Switzerland. At a time when all powers have been taken by the Swiss Federal Council, this seems a necessary discussion.
Featuring:
Dimitri Courant, Research fellow in political science, University of Lausanne and University Paris 8
Alice El-Wakil, Research fellow in political theory, University of Zürich
Nessy Haines-Matos, Coordinator of XR Global Support Participative Democracy
Myriam and Maxime, Members of the Citizen Assemblies working group of XR Switzerland
Brought to you by XR Switzerland in collaboration with the University of Geneva.
20:00 Exploring Digital Tools for Deliberative Democracy
This talk explores digital tools for deliberative democracy: In this unprecedented era of a pandemic in the midst of a climate and ecological emergency, we must consider how participative democracy can still thrive whilst we are in lockdown-and in the likelihood of a extended situation of social distancing. We explore the challenges of how digital democracy can reach across the population in a fully inclusive way.
Featuring:
Adam Nosal from Tula
Members of the Citizen Assemblies working group of XR UK
Registration required.
Listen:
The XR Podcast on Citizens’ Assemblies
Join the XR Podcast while we explore what exactly citizens’ assemblies are. We talk to some incredible experts in deliberative democracy and ask how they think a citizens’ assembly on climate and ecological justice would work.
Featuring :
Matthew Taylor (Chief Executive of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), Sarah Allan (Head of Engagement at Involve), and Rupert Read (Green Party politician and Lecturer of Philosophy at the University of East Anglia).
International Rebellion Podlet – Green Futures, featuring the Children’s Assembly
The XR Podcasts talks to families how they are looking at the future in light of the climate and ecological emergency, as well as what it’s like to be part of Extinction Rebellion as a family. We join the Children’s Assembly on Parliament Square to find out what our young people have to say about it all. We also talk to XR Youth and Jessica Townsend from the XR Podcast has a heart to heart with Professor Jem Bendell, author of the Deep Adaptation paper.
Watch:
Extinction Rebellion and Citizens’ Assemblies: An Introduction by Manuel Arriaga
Watch Manuel Arriaga’s series of short video presentations to find out what citizens’ assembly is and why Extinction Rebellion is calling for one on climate and ecological justice. And explore how citizens’ assemblies relate to the global climate emergency. Duration: 30 minutes
What is a Citizens’ Assembly?
A short animation created by the Citizens’ Assembly Working Group of Extinction Rebellion UK explaining what a citizens’ assembly is.
Duration: 1 minute
The Deliberate Rebellion
In the UK, Extinction Rebellion’s third demand is that government must create and be led by the decisions of a citizens’ assembly on climate and ecological justice.
Decades of inadequate political action have led to a climate and ecological emergency that poses an unprecedented existential threat to humanity and all life on Earth — “politics as usual” will not meet the challenge we face.
Duration: 12 minutes