|
People are becoming increasingly cynical about politics. Manipulated by spin, lost in the mass of modern information, where do we gain our sense of belonging? Where do we have our say and hear the perspective of others? Many of us are reduced to being passive spectators, unable or unwilling to get involved. A healthy democracy is a living trust forged from people whose lives are related to one another and who are engaged in conversation about the issues that matter to them. AGORA is developing a range of new initiatives to build democracy at the grass roots. With our commitment to address the issues of climate change we are particularly concerned to foster the formation of neighbourhood groups with an environmental mandate. In Bristol these are springing up spontaneously. We sense a new localism in the air. Our Bristol-based, city-wide Chooseday campaign (www.chooseday.org ) is already prompting serious discussion about transport options in the city. The Western Daily Press described it as 'the most coordinated effort in the region' while the Evening Post was provoked by the sight of the City Council backing the campaign when public transport in the city was, as they saw it, in such disarray. The Guardian recently chose Chooseday to feature in their very first 'Environment Weekly' podcast - listen to the downloadable piece about 'Tuesdays without cars' from http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/ethicalliving/2007/12/environment_weekly_launches.html
|
