Screenshot. Rosemary Bechler, one of three WFD2016 closing plenary rapporteurs. It is a great honour as an editor of openDemocracy, media partner for the second year running with the World Forum for Democracy, to be invited to act as rapporteur for this closing session. We have been given the task of summing up in ten minutes our experience of this extraordinary two days of plenums and Labs! But if I was to sum up my experience in one word, it would be in the form of a paradox.
What we have learned conforms closely enough to the warning of my revered compatriot, Colin Crouch, who when asked what message he wanted to convey to the forthcoming Forum, began with the following:
