PES Manifesto

1. Simplify Citizen Participation by Duncan Anderson on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 16:54

I'm a great believer in the Internet and its cyber community, but computers aren't the answer to everything. People without computers are excluded and those of us who use computers all day as part of our work would often like to get away from them, so I don't go for Internet streaming.

But digital TV is coming, with four coloured buttons, and some companies are already offering E-mail over the TV. With a little bit of technological adoption it would be possible to watch a European debate via digital TV and then send in some comments via E-mail and even vote using the colour buttons.

Technology should be easy and accessible to the masses. TV is relatively accessible - I'm not saying stop Internet streaming - and the technology to comment and vote should soon be available.

2. The head and the heart by pattheact on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 15:38

As I said a few days ago in reaction to the first barometer post on Europe in the World, it is now time for our political leaders to give their input and to take this consultation to another level. Every campaign needs a solid leadership if you want it to become a success and as you just stated the best way to spark a greater interest in EU politics id to give the social-democrats a clear identity in the fight that opposes them to the conservatives.
Internet is indeed a tremendously exciting and efficient tool, enabling comrades to discuss and debate on the most different subject and issues without moving from home. Although I do also think that the internet should be used as one of numerous tools and that the true political fight still needs to be fought and won in the streets, on the markets and fairs, in local and regional debates, from door to door. Internet can help us coordinating micro-campaigns all over Europe addressing the people in their home regions with the subjects that are the most important for them. This is the true revolution, the binding factor.
Coordinating the social-democrat heartbeats, giving the pace and pushing for the necessary efforts is the role of our political leadership. Bringing EU politics closer to it's citizens is about creating the connection between grassroots and MEPs, between the heart and the head of our political body. That is the challenge and internet can certainly contribute to this effort, but only if everybody plays it's role...

3. Full Participation by ALL Citizens by Duncan Anderson on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 22:52

I'm a great believer in using new communication technologies, but they need to be used wisely. Some technologies are better than others and as well as DAB and DAV we mustn't forget SmartPhones etc.

But just because we have these new and wonderful technologies, we mustn't exclude people without them, so we need to continue to use the traditional methods of communicating, like writing letters.

But what are you going to communicate and to whom?

After this manifesto exercise then what is going to happen? Why would I need to contact PES?

At the moment I'm a member of the Labour Party - www.labour.org.uk -, the Co-Operative Party - http://party.coop -, the Fabians - www.fabian-society.org.uk -, but I have little or nothing to do with PES. I don't have any sense of "belong to" or "shared ownership of" this organisation.

If you want to make PES more sustainable then I'd suggest the following. Make every member of an organisation that is a member of PES an Associate Member. And give all of these people a chance to become a Full Member by joining directly and receiving the benefits of full membership, obviously this would cost. But it would benefit PES by building a grassroots membership that would help to sustain PES.