Demanding Democracy: Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century

To mark the 10th anniversary of STIR magazine – on the evening before Stir to Action’s Playground for the New Economy Festival – we’re hosting a lecture on democracy delivered by Carne Ross, a writer and thinker on new forms of economy and democracy to meet the demands of the 21st century. A former British diplomat who resigned over the Iraq War, Carne founded and led Independent Diplomat, the world’s first ever non-profit diplomatic advisory group, working with democracy groups and liberation movements from Kosovo to the Western Sahara and Syria. Carne has contributed to many major publications and broadcast outlets, and is the author of two books, most recently The Leaderless Revolution: how ordinary people can take power and change politics in the 21st Century.

You can buy our 10th anniversary issue here.

“Demanding Democracy: Reinventing Politics for the 21st Century”

Democracy is in crisis, threatened from without by dictators and totalitarians, and from within by political disillusionment, the decline of collective institutions, and the far right. Never has trust in public institutions been lower. But from both government and opposition, no effective solutions are being offered – neither ‘levelling up’ or partial devolution promise to fix the current malaise. Yet as we face mounting inequality and the demands of the climate crisis for rapid transition and managing worsening climate impacts, never more have we needed a serviceable, legitimate democracy. Only truly participatory democracy, which involves those affected, and where citizens themselves make the decisions, offers a plausible solution.

But how could this work? Where has it worked and what can we learn? Carne Ross will examine these questions and propose a radical way forward.

Event information

Thursday May 18 from 6.15 – 8.15pm.

Doors open at 5:45pm.

If you have any questions about the event, please email events@stirtoaction.com