CONGRESS OF "WORK IN PROGRESS" was held yesterday at the Civic Center Vighizzolo of Canterbury, the first session of the Congress of "Work in Progress." The session was divided into two parts.
the morning we discussed democratically, all lasted more than three hours, the Charter of Principles (as soon as I publish the file), which, with the participation of all heartfelt, you have made several changes due to a necessary upgrade.
In the afternoon they are required interventions of a political, Outstanding among them is that of Claudio Bizzozero (leader undisputed). Claudio, among other things, considering that now there can be only one more stop to city politics, gave the nascent movement to federate with the "Party of Civic Action," now that a new party founded by the experience of "Work ..." and refers to the same principles, as well as one of the founders include many members of the Civic Coalition Canturina (including this posting I'll post as soon as possible). Among
two Sundays will host the second session, which provides, inter alia: the debate on the statute, the vote on actions (those that require the same vote) and the election of the Secretariat and other offices. I am attaching the
Meanwhile my speech.
Good reading, George. "The policy of listening to a bottom, and collects the bodies of people, as opposed to those who, from fits and decide from." This sentence is the essence of "Work in Progress," as described in this sentence is what makes us different, and always will be different to any other political faction.
Indeed, the results achieved during the last administrative consultations today obliges us to do on (and let the term) seriously.
We have now the obligation of a programmatic line established in a place in which to do so with official, obligation to determine how to implement this line and the obligation to also determine those responsible, if possible, for each sector.
I was lucky, preparing for this conference, to participate in the work of two committees (named the second): one who worked on the revision of the statute and that (I have a gripe, it was not a committee, but personal work), who worked on popular participation.
The two paths have crossed at the moment when Fabio and I decided to institutionalize the listings of the neighborhood, introducing them formally in the preamble to the statute.
But let us pause in this action solely to popular participation, to decide whether it a real strong point, to decide what form must shape and last but not least if you try to take her to be alone, or seek assistance from other local political forces.
Why talk of popular participation?
Because if I now say, "Raise your hand if you do not declare democratic" before I had a thousand people, I believe I see an audience of hands crossed. Often, however, behind the individual words, there is a meaning that disappears with the use of daily and non-rational terms. We only need a dictionary to understand something very important: we do not live and we're not putting a true democracy. In a time when you try to export democracy as if it were a commercial product, even, in some cases, the use of military force, has totally lost its meaning. Subject
few sporadic case, the citizen is involved only for the elections, when candidates seek consensus in the most insane ways possible. Promising projects unfeasible, making low demagoguery, saying short sentences and meaningless, which are carried by word of mouth, like an absurd game of telephone, to gather citizen voti.Un interested in political life is one vote, a square is a large suite of votes, a television program is a powerful potential signatures.
But it can be considered a cross on a paper, based on considerations slogans, political participation? Citizens participate in politics? If you ask any person holding, if it is a political answer in the affirmative?
If the answer to this set of questions is always no, and you believe what you're thinking, then at the same time were also saying that this time we do not live in a real democracy, then, you had better fix it, patch up and give sense.
Why give meaning to democracy and consequently the policy? Why
democracy and politics is the art of decision, the common good, and must be nourished necessarily the pluralism of actors in the arena and their points of view. Democracy in our view can only be a level playing field where the reciprocity law practice, where there is the contrast between public and private, there is a clash between different categories of actors, but there is a "place" where men and organizations (institutions, cultural and religious associations, trade unions, representatives of various categories, etc.. etc.) appear to each other on the same level of acting and deciding in common. This democracy is therefore the place of face to face. Li-settled common issues, there are solutions, they avoid the fighting fronts.
's close but now with the philosophy and therefore we speak of this strength can and see if you should share it with others.
I think, personally, that we are here to vote on which path to choose, first, then over time we can improve, and then decide, calmly, whether it is better along the way by themselves or seek company.
I see three possible alternatives, significantly different from each other, and specifichiamole Let's see where it is needed:
1) How the township statute already gives us.
Article 3 of the Title I states: The City promotes, facilitates and ensures the participation in local public life of Italian citizens, EU and foreign nationals residing legally, even on the basis of neighborhood or village, to the implementation of policy City in the manner prescribed by the statutes and regulations.
But honestly we have, I believe and correct me if I'm wrong, since very little of this so far.
Then, in principle, also says:
"The municipality shall promote and protect the participation of citizens, individual or group administration of the institution to ensure the proper conduct, impartiality and transparency
."
" popular participation is expressed through the promotion of associative and voluntary organizations and individual citizens the right to intervene in administrative proceedings. "
" The city council shall prepare and approve a regulation which defines how with which citizens can rely on the rights and prerogatives provided for in this Chapter. "
Everything, I believe, rejected, and indeed our administration has also reversed the results of a referendum.
I therefore doubt that we can follow a line that leads us to the actual participation of the people relying on articles where the administration has an almost exclusive decision-making power.
2) What gives us the inspiration to the new legislation
art. 118 of the Constitution, the specifications carried out by the passing of 1990 has established that the municipalities, provinces and metropolitan cities have their own administrative office holders and those conferred with national or regional law, according to the their competenze.Stato, regions, metropolitan cities, provinces and municipalities shall promote the autonomous initiatives of citizens to carry out activities of general interest, based on the principle of subsidiarity.
Inspired by this specification we could today, and the role of force protection in the minority there, involved in organizing anything close to popular participation, but not institutionalized.
I mean, we could organize neighborhood committees that meet in neighborhood assemblies to discuss the problems of the Territory (which probably escapes the administration), and then organizing them through instances, petitions and so on.
I doubt that this road which could become a wall against the wall, leading to fruitful results collected.
3) A project to share
To speak seriously of popular participation in a communal area and beyond should, in my view, that many political forces in the area are affected.
To achieve this you need to prepare at least a draft plan for discussion (I have attached a mine, from which (not necessarily) maybe get ideas and begin to explore whether, between the forces present, there is interest in others. Reaching a certain unity of purpose you can try to enter in the Municipal Statute real popular participation.
could, once developed a serious project, present it to City Council and groped to force his hand. I do not think this road is full of fruitful results, but we would put up against the wall, the current majority, especially those among them claims to be close to the people and we would also assess what are the real intentions of the rest of 'opposition (to the left just to be clear): center (as I believe) or from the citizen.
4) get ready, waiting to be steering force
We also have the alternative of 'waiting and the expectation of being a government force. Exploiting the years and then missing the next elections to prepare what is lacking: a serious plan of Participation Popular. I say serious because, frankly, now, within our movement a project on this topic I've not yet found! Just over a year ago Sabrina Russo, all 'out of a Sunday Mass, offered me a brochure of information "Vighizzolo Together", at 'moment had gone the way of any material information that I receive (the pocket of his jacket), then after a couple of days I've read it, and spoke of participatory democracy. This was the spring that is captured and brought me to "Work in Progress," maaa ... honestly ... since the first meeting I was a little puzzled: they spoke of "working groups" to the general meetings ( and were several groups), but a group that deals with this issue I noticed the absence, and even when I put on my own initiative to develop one (despite the 'have promoted it) no one has joined. Today, after a year, to be honest, even some well-known lack of interest in the topic, so that the Commission hopes that had to deal with this topic has never seen any buds. In conclusion
the end of this intervention remains for me to explain what I wanted:
1) decide to vote, if satisfied with what institutions offer us in terms of popular participation or whether to take the path of our project, serious and articulate
2) decide, by a second vote whether to keep it all for us or the other forces involved in the City Council
I'll be honest, when it voted that the second point, any outcome will satisfy me, but what about the first vote no! The finding myself in a movement that refuses to seriously design the popular participation of citizens in institutional choices, either by voting no to the first question, is not participating in mass to the development of this project will take me to get away from the movement itself, because the 'absence the reason that it has made me closer. Sorry for the polemical tone, but without the much-aired "Municipal Federalism", our Coalition is a movement equal to others and therefore In my opinion, useless. And even more would be useless, let me change this theme, today, given that in the coming days we will be officially the Party of Civic Action, a movement that also comes under the influence of a 'quantitatively significant wing of our movement, that wing it is recognized strongly in Direct Democracy and Participatory. But this has already spoken in detail Claudio.
Thank you for listening patiently. Giorgio
Bargna.