1st
October 2003 - Policy development
The
second meeting of Cambridge SP Adopters brought together
5 people to discuss the process for developing the Simultaneous
Policy.
Policy
development
The
International Simultaneous Policy Organisation is finalising
its founding declaration at present and taking
the necesary steps to set up the UK National Simultaneous
Policy Organisation, which should be incorporated as
a non-profit company shortly. There are coordinators in around
20 other countries at various stages of forming national
organisations. In Canada, the Canadian Action Party has
already pledged to support SP, so will pick up the votes
of SP adopters at elections.
National
Simultaneous Policy Organisations (NSPOs) will have, and
are starting to build, networks of local campaigning and
policy
formation
groups, such as the Cambridge group. As things develop
there may be formal posts for coordinating these activities
to increase the effectiveness of campaigning and to manage
the policy formation process.
Local
groups can (and should, in the SP philosophy) discuss possible
polices for inclusion
in SP. Proposals finding favour with local groups can
then be fed to the NSPO and on to the ISPO. It is proposed
by
ISPO that there will be a Global Policy Board of appointed
or elected experts tasked with attempting to collate
various proposals into a coherent whole. As policy development
progresses, the Global Policy Board will feed the draft
Simultaneous Policy, or possible alternatives, back down
through ISPO and NSPOs for discussion at local groups,
proposals for modifications, new ideas etc. This process
will continue until it becomes time to settle on the final
policy as we have achieved the trigger level of governments
for implementation. The final version will require the approval
of SP adopters around
the
world.
An
exciting aspect of SP is that local groups can draw in the
reaction and proposals from adopters in other countries.
How will our proposals on trade be viewed by adopters in
India or Kenya? What are people's priorities in Indonesia
and Argentina?
The
Simultaneous Policy may usher in new global institutions,
such as a replacement for the World Trade Organisation and
International Monetary Fund or even a World Parliament. These
institutions could then have responsibility for overseeing
the phased changeover from existing global rules to those
developed and supported by SP adopters in a way defined in
the Simultaneous Policy.
Next
meeting
It
was decided to examine a policy proposal at the next meeting.
The
Fair Trade Foundation sets criteria for ensuring that producers
in developing countries receive fair payment,
protection from market turbulence and resources for development.
George
Monbiot, in his book 'Age of Consent' has proposed that
the World Trade Organisation, which promotes free
or deregulated trade, be replaced with a Fair Trade
Organisation, promoting and enforcing something like the
Fair Trade
Foundation criteria.
At
the next meeting Francis Irving will explain
more about the Fair Trade criteria and Mike Brady
will attempt to do justice to George Monbiot's proposals
with the suggestion that these are taken forward into
the
Simultaneous Policy. Other ways of supporting Fair
Trade and campaigning for a Fair Trade Organisation in
the more immediate future will also be discussed.
Other
SP events
To
explain and promote SP further, Mike Brady will be making
a presentation at the Cambridge Forum meeting at CB1 Restaurant
on 22nd October. There will be other speakers, refreshments
and music from 8 - 10 pm.
