Charter88
Encyclopedia
Charter88 was a British
pressure group that advocated constitutional and electoral reform and owes its origins to the lack of a written constitution. It began as a special edition of the New Statesman
magazine in 1988 and it took its name from Charter 77
- the Czechoslovak
dissident movement co-founded by Václav Havel
. It also has a faint echo of the far more popular mid-19th century Chartist Movement of England
that resulted in an unsuccessful campaign for a People's Charter
and also the Magna Carta
or 'Great Charter' of 1315. In November 2007 Charter 88 merged to form Unlock Democracy
.
and Social Democratic
British intellectuals and activists. They signed a letter to the New Statesman
magazine as "a general expression of dissent" following the 1987 General Election
triumph of the Conservative Party
, led by Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
. This was then followed by further adverts in The Guardian
and The Independent
newspapers, with over 5000 signatures and many donations before 1989. The 5000 names were published in The Observer
newspaper in January 1989 and based on the tremendous response the decision to create an ongoing organisation was taken.
The organization was offered space within the offices of the New Statesman
magazine, then based in Shoreditch
. For several years it was based in offices in Exmouth Market, Clerkenwell. It was to move later to the Institute of Community Studies (now The Young Foundation
) in Bethnal Green
. Its initial activity resulted in the creation of a Charter which the public was invited to sign and to support with financial contributions. It was not conceived as a political party and it attempted to reach out for support from people of all walks of life who believed in the concept of basic individual freedom. Anthony Barnett was the first Director and Andrew Puddephatt, former General Secretary of Liberty
, subsequently became the director of Charter88 in 1995.
It closely followed the same methodology that had been employed by Charter 77
in Czechoslovakia
during 1977. Charter 77 originally appeared as a manifesto published in a West German newspaper that was signed by 243 Czechoslovak citizens representing various occupations, political viewpoints, and religions. The manifesto was then reprinted and circulated as a document inviting other signatures and by the mid-1980s it had been signed by 1,200 people.
. It was explicitly concerned with institutional change, creating a list of demands on the government of the day:
and repeated election of Margaret Thatcher
that Charter 88 was born.
Among its many early supporters in the British entertainment industry was singer Billy Bragg
. He had earlier given his support to the left-wing Red Wedge
British youth political movement. Red Wedge closely allied itself with Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock
in his unsuccessful attempt to defeat the Conservative Party
. However, following the General Election, the founders of Charter88 soon found themselves at odds with the mainstream of the Labour Party.
The writer Harold Pinter
, composer Simon Rattle
, actor John Cleese
and actress Emma Thompson
were also all early supporters. Other signatories from the entertainment world included actor Ray McAnally
, who played left-wing Prime Minister in the TV film A Very British Coup
, whilst other famous names included novelists Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan
, Julian Barnes, A.S.Byatt, Margaret Drabble, and Angela Carter
.
Lord Scarman was the most important founder signatory, he chaired the launch in the House of Commons of Charter 88's strategy document 'We can Make it Happen in the Next Ten years', and remained a behind the scenes influence.
From the political world, there were some refuseniks, most prominently, those who were Labour Party loyalists such as John Mortimer
, Tessa Blackstone and Ben Pimlott
.
The Intellectual left provided notable signatories however in the form of Ralph Miliband
, Robin Blackburn
and feminist Sheila Rowbotham
.
In 1983 the left of centre Michael Foot
had been succeeded as Party leader by Neil Kinnock
. He led the Labour Party to abandon some of its traditional left-wing positions and in 1988 Kinnock is alleged to have denounced Charter88 as a movement of "Wankers, whiners and whingers". He did eventually sign but this was sometime after his wife Glenys Kinnock
.
Neil Kinnock and Roy Hattersley resigned in 1992 following a further Labour Party defeat at the polls. They were succeeded by John Smith
who died in 1994 but, as Nick Gallop in The Constitution and Constitutional Reform writes, not before he used a 1993 lecture to "pledge the Labour Party
to the cause of adapting British law to meeting the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights
". It was following the death of John Smith that Neil Kinnock reversed himself and added his own signature to Charter88. Tony Blair
who succeeded Smith was chosen to lead the party which subsequently won victory for the Labour Party in 1997. Blair then acknowledged his agreement with many of the present aims and intentions of Charter88. It was however clear from his early acts as Prime Minister, such as retreating from the draft Freedom of Information Act, that this statement may not have been destined to come to fruition.
Beverley Anderson 1989 - 1992
Helena Kennedy 1992 - 1997
Paul Farthing 1998 - 2003
Debbie Chay 2003 - 2005
Vicky Seddon 2005 - 2007 (and ongoing as Chair of Unlock Democracy
)
Andrew Puddephatt 1995 - 1998
Pam Giddy 1998 - 2002
Karen Bartlett 2002 - 2003
Phil Starr 2003 - 2004
Ron Bailey 2004 - 2006 (co-Director)
Peter Facey 2004 - 2006 (co-Director), 2006 - 2007 (and ongoing as Director of Unlock Democracy
)
In June, the chair of the Charter 88 executive and management committee and active contributor Paul Hirst
died suddenly. This loss of intellectual contribution, the organisation's increasing financial woes and a period of resignations and redundancies, created a crisis situation in late 2003.
From 2004, Charter 88 developed partnerships with two organisations:
On February 8, 2005, Charter88 and the New Politics Network launched the Elect the Lords
Campaign, which began with an advert in The Guardian
newspaper.
It has worked to get the Armed Forces (Parliamentary Approval for Participation in Armed Conflict) Bill passed through Parliament in cooperation with Clare Short
In 2006, Active Citizens Transform was wound up and subsumed within Charter 88. Local Works
, ACT's campaign for the Sustainable Communities Bill however continued successfully and the legislation received Royal Assent on 27 October 2007.
Members of Charter 88 and the New Politics Network were balloted in March 2007 on a proposed merger of the two organizations. The proposal was passed and the new organisation called Unlock Democracy
was established in November 2007.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pressure group that advocated constitutional and electoral reform and owes its origins to the lack of a written constitution. It began as a special edition of the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
magazine in 1988 and it took its name from Charter 77
Charter 77
Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in communist Czechoslovakia from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. Spreading the text of the document was...
- the Czechoslovak
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
dissident movement co-founded by Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
. It also has a faint echo of the far more popular mid-19th century Chartist Movement of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
that resulted in an unsuccessful campaign for a People's Charter
Chartism
Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
and also the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
or 'Great Charter' of 1315. In November 2007 Charter 88 merged to form Unlock Democracy
Unlock Democracy
Unlock Democracy is a UK pressure group, based in Islington, in London. The organisation campaigns for a more participatory democracy in the UK, founded upon a written constitution. Unlock Democracy works to promote democratic reform across the political spectrum and is not aligned with any...
.
Formation
Charter88 was created by 348 mainly LiberalLiberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and Social Democratic
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
British intellectuals and activists. They signed a letter to the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
magazine as "a general expression of dissent" following the 1987 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
triumph of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, led by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
. This was then followed by further adverts in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
newspapers, with over 5000 signatures and many donations before 1989. The 5000 names were published in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper in January 1989 and based on the tremendous response the decision to create an ongoing organisation was taken.
The organization was offered space within the offices of the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
magazine, then based in Shoreditch
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...
. For several years it was based in offices in Exmouth Market, Clerkenwell. It was to move later to the Institute of Community Studies (now The Young Foundation
Young Foundation
The Young Foundation was launched in the spring of 2006 following the merger of the Institute of Community Studies and the Mutual Aid Centre. It is named after Michael Young, the British sociologist and social activist who created over 60 organisations including the Open University, Which? and...
) in Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
. Its initial activity resulted in the creation of a Charter which the public was invited to sign and to support with financial contributions. It was not conceived as a political party and it attempted to reach out for support from people of all walks of life who believed in the concept of basic individual freedom. Anthony Barnett was the first Director and Andrew Puddephatt, former General Secretary of Liberty
Liberty (pressure group)
Liberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Its formal name is the National Council for Civil Liberties . Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights...
, subsequently became the director of Charter88 in 1995.
Source of inspiration
Charter 88 was the brain child of New Statesman editor Stuart Weir and came into existence as a direct response to Thatcherism in Britain in the 1980s.It closely followed the same methodology that had been employed by Charter 77
Charter 77
Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in communist Czechoslovakia from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. Spreading the text of the document was...
in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
during 1977. Charter 77 originally appeared as a manifesto published in a West German newspaper that was signed by 243 Czechoslovak citizens representing various occupations, political viewpoints, and religions. The manifesto was then reprinted and circulated as a document inviting other signatures and by the mid-1980s it had been signed by 1,200 people.
The Original Charter88
The Original Charter of Charter88 was brief, to the point and had echoes of the United States Declaration of IndependenceUnited States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
. It was explicitly concerned with institutional change, creating a list of demands on the government of the day:
We have had less freedom than we believed. That which we have enjoyed has been too dependent on the benevolence of our rulers. Our freedoms have remained their possession, rationed out to us as subjects rather than being our own inalienable possession as citizens. To make real the freedoms we once took for granted means for the first time to take them for ourselves. The time has come to demand political, civil and human rights in the United Kingdom. We call, therefore, for a new constitutional settlement which will:
- Enshrine, by means of a Bill of Rights, such civil liberties as the right to peaceful assembly, to freedom of association, to freedom from discrimination, to freedom from detention without trial, to trial by jury, to privacy and to freedom of expression.
- Subject Executive powers and prerogatives, by whomsoever exercised, to the rule of law.
- Establish freedom of information and open government.
- Create a fair electoral system of proportional representation.
- Reform the Upper House to establish a democratic, non-hereditary Second Chamber.
- Place the Executive under the power of a democratically renewed Parliament and all agencies of the state under the rule of law.
- Ensure the independence of a reformed judiciary.
- Provide legal remedies for all abuses of power by the state and by officials of central and local government.
- Guarantee an equitable distribution of power between the nations of the United Kingdom and between local, regional and central government.
- Draw up a written constitution anchored in the ideal of universal citizenship, that incorporates these reforms.
The inscription of laws does not guarantee their realisation. Only people themselves can ensure freedom, democracy and equality before the law. Nonetheless, such ends are far better demanded, and more effectively obtained and guarded, once they belong to everyone by inalienable right. Add your name to ours. sign the charter now!
Support
Since 1988 approximately 85,000 people have signed the Charter, although the aim of the movement has changed considerably over the years and not everyone who has signed the Charter now supports the aims of Charter88. It was following repeated defeat of the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and repeated election of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
that Charter 88 was born.
Among its many early supporters in the British entertainment industry was singer Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
. He had earlier given his support to the left-wing Red Wedge
Red Wedge
Red Wedge was a collective of musicians who attempted to engage young people with politics in general, and the policies of the Labour Party in particular, during the period leading up to the 1987 general election, in the hope of ousting the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher.Fronted by...
British youth political movement. Red Wedge closely allied itself with Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
in his unsuccessful attempt to defeat the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. However, following the General Election, the founders of Charter88 soon found themselves at odds with the mainstream of the Labour Party.
The writer Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter
Harold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
, composer Simon Rattle
Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
, actor John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
and actress Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a British actress, comedian and screenwriter. Her first major film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy. In 1992, Thompson won multiple acting awards, including an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the British drama Howards End...
were also all early supporters. Other signatories from the entertainment world included actor Ray McAnally
Ray McAnally
Ray McAnally was an Irish actor famous for his performances in films such as The Mission, My Left Foot, and A Very British Coup.-Background:...
, who played left-wing Prime Minister in the TV film A Very British Coup
A Very British Coup
A Very British Coup is a 1982 novel by British politician Chris Mullin. In 1988, the novel was adapted for television, directed by Mick Jackson, with a screenplay by Alan Plater and starring Ray McAnally...
, whilst other famous names included novelists Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan
Ian McEwan
Ian Russell McEwan CBE, FRSA, FRSL is a British novelist and screenwriter, and one of Britain's most highly regarded writers. In 2008, The Times named him among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945"....
, Julian Barnes, A.S.Byatt, Margaret Drabble, and Angela Carter
Angela Carter
Angela Carter was an English novelist and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picaresque works...
.
Lord Scarman was the most important founder signatory, he chaired the launch in the House of Commons of Charter 88's strategy document 'We can Make it Happen in the Next Ten years', and remained a behind the scenes influence.
From the political world, there were some refuseniks, most prominently, those who were Labour Party loyalists such as John Mortimer
John Mortimer
Sir John Clifford Mortimer, CBE, QC was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...
, Tessa Blackstone and Ben Pimlott
Ben Pimlott
Benjamin John Pimlott, known as Ben Pimlott , was a British historian of the post-war period in Britain...
.
The Intellectual left provided notable signatories however in the form of Ralph Miliband
Ralph Miliband
Ralph Miliband , born Adolphe Miliband, was a Belgian-born British sociologist known as a prominent Marxist thinker...
, Robin Blackburn
Robin Blackburn
Robin Blackburn is a British socialist historian, a former editor of New Left Review , an author of essays on Marx, capitalism and socialism, and of books on the history of slavery and on social policy...
and feminist Sheila Rowbotham
Sheila Rowbotham
Sheila Rowbotham is a British socialist feminist theorist and writer.-Early life:Rowbotham was born in Leeds, the daughter of a salesman for an engineering company and an office clerk From an early age, she was deeply interested in history...
.
In 1983 the left of centre Michael Foot
Michael Foot
Michael Mackintosh Foot, FRSL, PC was a British Labour Party politician, journalist and author, who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1955 and from 1960 until 1992...
had been succeeded as Party leader by Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
. He led the Labour Party to abandon some of its traditional left-wing positions and in 1988 Kinnock is alleged to have denounced Charter88 as a movement of "Wankers, whiners and whingers". He did eventually sign but this was sometime after his wife Glenys Kinnock
Glenys Kinnock
Glenys Elizabeth Kinnock, Baroness Kinnock and Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead is a British politician....
.
Neil Kinnock and Roy Hattersley resigned in 1992 following a further Labour Party defeat at the polls. They were succeeded by John Smith
John Smith (UK politician)
John Smith was a British Labour Party politician who served as Leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his sudden death from a heart attack in May 1994...
who died in 1994 but, as Nick Gallop in The Constitution and Constitutional Reform writes, not before he used a 1993 lecture to "pledge the Labour Party
Labour Party
The name Labour Party , or similar, is used by several political parties around the world, particularly common in countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. They are most commonly, but not exclusively, social democrats or democratic socialists and have been traditionally allied to the Labour...
to the cause of adapting British law to meeting the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
". It was following the death of John Smith that Neil Kinnock reversed himself and added his own signature to Charter88. Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
who succeeded Smith was chosen to lead the party which subsequently won victory for the Labour Party in 1997. Blair then acknowledged his agreement with many of the present aims and intentions of Charter88. It was however clear from his early acts as Prime Minister, such as retreating from the draft Freedom of Information Act, that this statement may not have been destined to come to fruition.
Council Chair
Stuart Weir and Richard Holme (jointly) 1988-1989Beverley Anderson 1989 - 1992
Helena Kennedy 1992 - 1997
Paul Farthing 1998 - 2003
Debbie Chay 2003 - 2005
Vicky Seddon 2005 - 2007 (and ongoing as Chair of Unlock Democracy
Unlock Democracy
Unlock Democracy is a UK pressure group, based in Islington, in London. The organisation campaigns for a more participatory democracy in the UK, founded upon a written constitution. Unlock Democracy works to promote democratic reform across the political spectrum and is not aligned with any...
)
Director
Anthony Barnett 1988 - 1995Andrew Puddephatt 1995 - 1998
Pam Giddy 1998 - 2002
Karen Bartlett 2002 - 2003
Phil Starr 2003 - 2004
Ron Bailey 2004 - 2006 (co-Director)
Peter Facey 2004 - 2006 (co-Director), 2006 - 2007 (and ongoing as Director of Unlock Democracy
Unlock Democracy
Unlock Democracy is a UK pressure group, based in Islington, in London. The organisation campaigns for a more participatory democracy in the UK, founded upon a written constitution. Unlock Democracy works to promote democratic reform across the political spectrum and is not aligned with any...
)
Today
2003, 15 years after the organisation's formation, was very turbulent and led to great organisational changes.In June, the chair of the Charter 88 executive and management committee and active contributor Paul Hirst
Paul Hirst
Paul Hirst was a British sociologist and political theorist. He became Professor of Social Theory at Birkbeck, University of London....
died suddenly. This loss of intellectual contribution, the organisation's increasing financial woes and a period of resignations and redundancies, created a crisis situation in late 2003.
From 2004, Charter 88 developed partnerships with two organisations:
- The New Politics NetworkNew Politics NetworkThe New Politics Network was an independent political and campaigning think tank in the United Kingdom, concerned with democratic renewal and popular participation in politics...
was created in 2000 following the winding up of Democratic LeftDemocratic Left (United Kingdom)Democratic Left was a post-communist political organisation in the United Kingdom during the 1990s, growing out of the Eurocommunist strand within the Communist Party of Great Britain and its magazine Marxism Today...
. - Active Citizens TransformActive Citizens TransformActive Citizens Transform was founded in 2004 by Charles Secrett, former Executive Director of the environmental organization Friends of the Earth, and Ron Bailey as a new non-party political movement in the United Kingdom. It aims to mobilise citizens to transform the United Kingdom into a...
', founded in 2004 by Charles SecrettCharles SecrettCharles Secrett is an environmental activist, head of Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland between a1993- 2001. He is an author and broadcaster on environmental topics....
, former Executive Director of the environmental organization Friends of the EarthFriends of the EarthFriends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
and by Ron Bailey.
On February 8, 2005, Charter88 and the New Politics Network launched the Elect the Lords
Elect the Lords
Elect The Lords is a campaign established in September 2004 by the New Politics Network and Charter88 calling for the United Kingdom House of Lords to be replaced by a predominantly elected upper house...
Campaign, which began with an advert in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper.
It has worked to get the Armed Forces (Parliamentary Approval for Participation in Armed Conflict) Bill passed through Parliament in cooperation with Clare Short
Clare Short
Clare Short is a British politician, and a member of the Labour Party. She was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Ladywood from 1983 to 2010; for most of this period she was a Labour Party MP, but she resigned the party whip in 2006 and served the remainder of her term as an Independent. She...
In 2006, Active Citizens Transform was wound up and subsumed within Charter 88. Local Works
Local Works
Local Works is a UK coalition of over 120 national organisations campaigning to promote the use of the Sustainable Communities Act. Originally set up by the new economics foundation, the Local Works coalition was formed in 2002 with the sole aim of campaigning to see the Sustainable Communities...
, ACT's campaign for the Sustainable Communities Bill however continued successfully and the legislation received Royal Assent on 27 October 2007.
Members of Charter 88 and the New Politics Network were balloted in March 2007 on a proposed merger of the two organizations. The proposal was passed and the new organisation called Unlock Democracy
Unlock Democracy
Unlock Democracy is a UK pressure group, based in Islington, in London. The organisation campaigns for a more participatory democracy in the UK, founded upon a written constitution. Unlock Democracy works to promote democratic reform across the political spectrum and is not aligned with any...
was established in November 2007.
External links
- Unlock Democracy - Official website
- The Original Charter 88 on Unlock Democracy