Special Report... Southbank Centre's debate 'In the Public Interest'

Last night I attended the Southbank's In the Public Interest debate in the Clore Ballroom.

The spiel on the talk was this:

"Private interests have bankrupted and corrupted the public realm. The panel debates whether power, for so long hidden in the pockets of the cosy elite, has been exposed and those who wield it have been found wanting. Is it time for the public to claim it back?" [source]


Overall, and while it was entertaining and in places drew out some very salient points, I don't feel it was as useful and galvanising as it could have been. There was not enough time allocated to it (I lost track of the time but perhaps 90 mins) to have the panel speak and comments from the floor. It was all a bit hurried. In addition I think the remit was too wide to really get down to any nitty gritty. It was more like a session to air the well-known grievances that Guardian readers have with the current state of things - but will any of them actually DO anything for change?

Good old Gandhi

That said, there were some interesting and important points, and some points that we've head before but restating them does absolutely no harm.

Ideally this sort of wide net event would be the kick-off of a programme of debates centred on specific hubs identified within this one, using it as a core to branch out from and really devise some action.

A quick shout out for the fact that this event was a) free and b) held in the 'Clore Ballroom' which is a fantastic open space at the Southbank Centre, so passersby could sit in on the discussion too.

The Panel: (click their names for further info on them)

Jude Kelly, artistic director of Southbank Centre, excellent hair

Danni Paffard, UK Uncut activist, cleverclogs behind Move Your Money

Alan Rusbridger, editor of the Guardian newspaper

Richard Sennett, very clever sociologist


I've identified 4 main themes - the initials next to them are who said them (f = Floor):

AGORA

The ruins of ancient Athens' agora

This was the word for the space used as assembly/gathering places in Ancient Greece for debate and direct democracy.
These comments centred on the idea that we must begin to reclaim civic life through appropriation of the literal spaces around us:

• We need "natural congregation spaces" (as opposed to the atheist temples offered by De Botton [see here]) - spaces for community interaction (jk)

• We should save public libraries and use them for this - use them for more evening social and educational activities (f)

• Need a space for debate that is free from the filters of political parties or the "media". (jk)

Speakers' Corner, Hyde Park

• reclaim Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park from the crazies (f)

• There are too few places to just 'be' with no obligation e.g. to buy - this restricts free debate and active citizenship (dp)

• Creating more spaces where people can freely discuss is one step - actually getting people talking - and not just the usual culprits but the typically less engaged - is the next (dp)

RIGHT TO ROAM
Related to the above theme, but this came out as a very specific thread.

• Elitist institutions (like Eton school) that have charitable status should be forced to open themselves out and fulfil the 'public benefit' clause of being given that status - this point was made with a specific right to roam bent to it (f)

• British law often prevents people occupying disused spaces - it is illegal to occupy them. It also prevents people from using outside spaces as they choose to - for example having a street party where you sell anything (cupcakes, alcohol, whatever) or holding a barn dance or a gig needs a license [source]

• There must be more occupation of illegal sites and more use of public spaces - "appropriation to revivify the public realm" (rs)

• We must reclaim the public realm: actively 'use' the streets, walk more (hear hear!), create more permeable frontages, get kids playing in the streets again - let the streets become a centre for civic life again(f)

ACCOUNTABILITY
This centred on holding people (banks) accountable by using our stakes to display the true public interest:

• 'Move Your Money' campaign, guiding and encouraging people to move their bank account to a more ethical, mutually owned alternative. A post on this is coming soon. (dp)
• Your bank account is your stake in the banking sector - be an active economic citizen. (dp)

MIND-FORGED MANACLES

Awe-some Blake painting

This is a William Blake quote from his poem London that Andrew Simms, fellow at the New Economics Foundation thinktank referred to. Essentially it is what the whole debate was about, but here are some more specific points:

• stop viewing organised political parties as the destination for public debate - be innovative, active citizens. (rs)

• We must "build up a notion of the public" (rs)

OTHER IDEAS

• Introduce 'randomocracy' - this is govt by people selected at random, like we already do with juries. I'm assuming this person meant as a supplement not the whole system. He referred to Canada having trialled this already - a good explanation of that here (f)

• break down and decentralise the banking sector as in Germany (f)

• NEF's 21 hour working week - I will do a post on this shortly, for now, their document is here (f)

• Collaborative Consumption - this was my contribution. I will also do a proper post on this soon but this whole concept is about reclaiming consumption for the public, making it into something communal rather than private and infinitely more sustainable. More for now here (f)

• stop the privatisation of the NHS (f)

youcanarguewithstupid

Additional sources/further reading:
Richard Sennett's personal site here
Save our Libraries campaign update here
Keep our NHS public here
How to be Free by Tom Hodgkinson has loads of these ideas in it here
Collaborative Consumption by Rachel Botsman here