Please see this very inspiring Radio 4 program linked below, whilst it is still available. It explains how open source (allowing everyone to have an equal input in the creation of thing), is so very effective. The program discusses the need for a common goal to concentrate the efforts of people involved in the process; something Simpol already has in it’s Founding Declaration. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00kp806

Gerry Northam goes behind the scenes to investigate ‘open source’ computer software. Much has been said about the likes of free web browser Firefox and the operating system Linux, but little about how thousands of programmers scattered around the world collaborate in a ‘virtual anthill’ to create products that rival more commercial offerings. Gerry finds out how it is done and shows how its ethos is being applied to other kinds of business, with some startling results.

Simpol’s Founding Declaration-
http://simpol.org.uk/wp-content/download/Simpol-Founding-Declaration.pdf

A small gang of us pushed “Silver Bullet,” the Simpol mobile music street stall alongside others calling for tough action on climate change at the United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen next week. .

We were marching in unison with other campaigners but as always we were campaigning to other campaigners and marchers to join forces and work together as one via Simpol, which is a new way of doing democracy in a co-operative and global way. Heaps of people asked for flyers from us, some joined up as Simpol Adopters, a few gave donations and loads of people said they liked our style and our message “Simpol is global grassroots co-operation in action. Join Simpol for free and become part of the solution to war poverty and environmental destruction.”

The march was definitely the most beautiful one I have been on with 50,000 people all in friendly shades of sky and marine blue. The Simpol flag and earth glitter ball looked like they were made especially.

We had a lot of fun getting our message out, playing music on bass, harmonica and loop pedal singing “Let’s Work Together” by Canned Heat. We learned to play “Galvanize” by Chemical Brothers on route. We coordinated Galvanize with other sound systems which belted it out every half hour. The Climate Wave made its crescendo in a tsunami sized Mexican Wave of hands all along the ranks of 50,000 nature loving human beings who surrounded the houses of parliament.

From what I have read so far, my overall understanding is that the UN Climate Talks will be deeply flawed i.e. it will not stop runaway climate change. It seems that in the build up to the talks it would be better if an agreement were not made as it would go no where near far enough to avoid runaway climate change. Why?

• Governments will not be able to bring in sufficient cuts in emissions as all nations, especially leading economies, are all, despite these talks, locked into competition with each other. Each will therefore try to give away as little of their competitive advantage as possible. “We must retain competitiveness of our markets” is the global truism spoken like a mantra. They know it to be true but no one offers a real solution. Leadership could help, but deep down we all know big business owns the leaders.

• What’s more global problems are not being interlinked at the climate talks. We need new banking institutions and methods like the Tobin Tax (now known as the Financial Transaction Tax) to be implemented globally so that nations who may lose out by investing in green technology and for making tough cuts in green house gasses can regain those losses by a fair system of sharing costs. Some countries have agreed to the Tobin Tax but many have not.

• There will be literally hundreds of representatives there from Non Governmental Organisations fronts for big business pushing for their deal.

Strangely enough, agreements at the talks are being pushed for by the same oil organisations that have previously tried to stymie any such agreements in the past. Amongst them are many of the same business leaders that brought about the financial collapse with their dubious ways of banking. Why? Because they are the ones who have drawn up the plans and will be set to make huge profits from the new carbon trading schemes. It is broadly agreed by leading columnists that the carbon trading schemes will allow for more of the same behaviour and will certainly not stop us from going over the 2 degrees point of no return climate change.

So why is Simpol the obvious solution to these 3 problems?

• Under Simpol we will be using our votes to bring about the necessary co-operation between nations to enable them to solve global problems in a way that no one looses out by moving first. Along with this could come the necessary international sharing of CO2 neutral recourses.

• Interlinked policy solutions that tackle the economy and environmental problems at the same time could be implemented. Policies implemented simultaneously mean that nations can make sacrifices in one area can gain in another.

• Simpol’s policy will be suggested and decided by people everywhere. The necessary measures agreed upon will be chosen precisely because they will benefit everyone.

The Simpol process may sound unwieldy and may seem to lack immediacy but in reality this could become a huge movement that takes hold almost overnight? How quickly does it take the world to go to war? Well, Simpol could happen quicker if the intention is there. It really is down to us. The solutions must involve those the problems affect. Simpol could well be the quickest route to long term change.

Social change normally happens in flashes and I believe that there are just enough global minded individuals ready to make Simpol happen. I am convinced that people are beginning to accept their collective responsibility and nothing less that their collective humanity and in the face of global problems.

“The only thing that will redeem human kind is co-operation”. Bertrand Russell.

The simpol.org.uk Website Goes Live

The AGM will be held at Flat 6a Christchurch House, 25 Montpelier Rd, Brighton, BN1 2LS.

Small is …..Festival

4th,5th,6th September, 09

http://practicalaction.org/get-involved/smallis_festival

Face Book

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=152255&id=11965205188

The question “How do want the world to be and why?” was asked of the participants of a joint “Simpol” and “Engineers Without Borders”, workshop 10 am Sunday morning, after a proper open mike and disco session in the main tent the night before.

People revealed their passion for a better world, condensed. We felt the exercise brought us together as a proper workshop should.

Notes taken without short hand

• Helping people affected by climate change
• Convergence
• Ownership of society
• Thinking for themselves
• Less waste of resources
• Change of attitude towards people and nature
• Awakening change
• Responsibilities Possibilities
• Different financial system/ falsely created scarcity
• Just, fair, safe harmonious
• Think! Consider effects of actions
• Stateless, socialist society
• Poverty eradication
• Reconnect with biosphere
• Access to life facilitates
• Connect to make changes
• Millennium development goals enacted on
• Fair world, human rights realised
• Price of effect on environment
• Finding a sustainable way, growth, balance, population
• Less alienated from environment
• Global basic income
• Global co-operation. Everything is interconnected

Taking Simpol’s, “We Are Clever Together” message along to the Put People First demonstration last Friday and then to “Small is…” festival for the weekend.

On Friday, Brighton Simpol campaigner Aisha and I joined the “Put People First” Coalition on a “No More Business as Usual” walking tour of companies and institutions that have contributed to the economic crisis. Put People First are a coalition of many well known Non Governmental Organisation (NGOs) who campaign for social and environmental justice. Some trade unions are also members.

You can see us carrying the Simpol banner and earth glitter ball (used at the Global Co-operation Street Party). http://www.flickr.com/photos/26672475@N08/sets/72157622159904559/

We followed a bicycle with an amplifier playing songs about money. Speakers from various campaigns spoke and were extremely erudite, bringing to light the varied and astoundingly cunning ways in which people feel impelled to organise themselves in the pursuit of profit despite the serious consequences for society and environment.

In the afternoon we went on to the Put People First conference at the London School of Economics. We learned that the Put People First coalition is set to disband at the end of the year as the majority of its members voted for it not to be continuous.

Put People First have used the slogan “Another World Is Possible”. We at Simpol would like to offer the means to make another world possible, were everyone’s basic needs are met and where we can pursue the task of enriching each others lives, by working together in a co-operative manner.

At the conference Aisha and I promoted the idea that the coalition adopts the Simpol method of using our votes to drive (rather than just demand) politicians to act co-operatively and internationally to implement the coalition’s strongest demands. We mentioned how impressed we were with the way the various organisations had empowered themselves by becoming a holistic coalition, as we understood that “things can only be fully healed holistically.” We expounded the virtues and benefits of co-operative systems as a means to offer real choice based on our values; also how increasingly wide co-operative systems offer greater a scope for choice and how a global grassroots co-operative system would therefore be best for offering the greatest scope of choice. We did this, we hope, without banging on about Simpol but rather by introducing parts of its functions.

As modest as I can be (allot, I can tell you) in my sincere belief in the Simpol cause, I hope that we can encourage the Put People First Coalition to either get behind Simpol as a means to take their holistic coalition forward, or even, if it was democratically decided among Simpol supporters, disband Simpol in all but name and change our name to Put People First. We could keep the founding declaration and carry on campaigning, doing street stalls, Global Co-operation Street Parties and also continue marching TOGETHER as one under a new, perhaps, more catchy name. Until such time we must carry on building Simpol up to be attractive to people and their organisations.

I was very encouraged to find that many people at the conference were strongly in favour of co-operative systems. Others discussed looking for new democratic ways to move forward and for new ways to be able to keep the coalition in tact.

The next meeting to see how Put People First Continues will be on November the 7th. Please book yourself in to attend. http://www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk/autumn/counterconference/

Aisha and I then went on to the “Small Is……” held on the beautiful “Practical Action” grounds in the countryside near Coventry. We set the stall up, signed up about 20 new Simpol Adopters. We attended lots of work shops related to Fritz Schumacher’s philosophy (which influenced John Bunzl to realise Simpol), learned lots of practical skills which are deployed internationally, made heaps of great contacts, held a workshop alongside “Practical Action” on Sunday morning having played harmonica with a blues band and danced our heads off to the most splendid DJ Jane on Saturday night.

We learned a hell of a lot over the weekend and we both feel very enthused for having got out campaigning again, gaining fresh support.

Thank very much to both Put People First and the Small Is…..Festival for two wonderful events, both attended by many very informative people who also seemed really open to new ideas.

Please note that Simpol does not accept money from for profit organisations so as to be free from undue influence. Whilst still in its early stages the campaign will remain hard to find funding for. Until the campaign begins to snowball, this situation will probably remain the same, but, I believe it will start to get rolling within the next few months. Why do I think this? Because we are all going to make sure it does!

Sooooo… we don’t have much at all in the way of hard cash at present. Aisha and I paid for the trip (running on Bio-diesel from recycled veggie oil, which gets you less Mile per gallon and costs more) and we don’t work that may hours so that we can campaign for Simpol, so please feel free to make a generous donation to Simpol-UK or why not become a member (at the reduced rate if you are low or unwaged). By doing so you will help make the space for solutions to happen that will benefit us all, and the next generation. This is the new, clever self-interest!

Barnaby

07799603042