Anthony Barnett (London, OK): Writing in the Indie, Andreas Whittam Smith has welcomed the first days of Brown, describing them as calmness in the face of terror attacks and purposefulness in terms of dealing with how we are governed. Casting his eye over what I call the democratic agenda, he observes a wide range of activity, including OK:
"The malfunctioning of our government and political system has stimulated an enormous number of private initiatives. On the internet, I keep in touch with openDemocracy, a website on global current affairs, and its useful offshoot, OurKingdom. Various campaign groups, including the Electoral Reform Society, Unlock Democracy and Make-It-An-Issue, have taken out full-page advertisements in newspapers to highlight their cause. A Citizens' Convention Bill, published last week, attracted cross-party sponsorship. MyForeignPolicyToo asks who should decide when it comes to war, peace and diplomacy. The Conservatives, led by Ken Clarke MP, have published their own reform proposals and so have the Lib Dems."
The list can be lengthened, starting with the Campaign for an English Parliament, NO2ID, the Campaign for Freedom of Information and Henry Porter's coverage of the shredding of liberty, plus I&R. Who else is missing? Please let us know, we are about to move onto the main openDemocracy website and want to be able to give everyone space to link and inform.
