Re: <nettime> notes from the DIEM25 launch

[Geert Lovink <geert@xs4all.nl>]

Dear nettimers, below is a digest of a few recent messages sent to the DiEM members, which might be of interest for the discussion on this list. I promise not to forward everything. Was anyone there last night in Rome? Best, Geert

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On March 23 2016 something special happened. Something big. Our movement truly started to  take form with our first assembly in Rome. There, we shared our first action plans - plans that you, as one of the first to join DiEM25, are part of.
Europe is now at a crucial point: the EU either embraces democracy or it disintegrates. Without transparency, democracy fails. When there’s too much secrecy, governments can make dodgy deals, never held to account because their citizens don’t know what’s happening before it’s too late.

But together, we can change that.  And we can start by calling on EU institutions to make their meetings public. We should know when they are going to make decisions, which ways our representatives vote, and which lobby groups they meet with. If we all demand transparency together, the EU institutions will not be able to ignore us. Let’s tear off the cloak of secrecy from the EU. 

Sign the petition here: https://you.wemove.eu/campaigns/transparency. 

DiEM25’s discussion Forum is online. Yanis kicked it off with a post addressing crucial concerns (which have also been floating in various places on the Internet):

Who is getting things done at DiEM25.
How can everyone who signed the Manifesto and shares DiEM25's goals get more involved?
Is there a democratic deficit in DiEM25?
How can we avoid such a deficit from taking hold?

As you will see from this debate, DiEM25 is determined to make the transition from its infant or initiation phase (where some, self-selected individuals, by necessity, took early decisions) to its open source phase. But to make this transition, by definition, you need to participate. So go ahead, register at the forum and take part on that conversation as well.
 
We need you to be there however you can. In person. Online. Full transparency in decision-making in Europe is our first “battleground.” We must make it a success. We must score a victory against the forces that rely on secrecy and opacity to impose upon Europeans policies that are bound to undermine the Europe Europeans are entitled to hope for.
 
You can help spread the word in various ways: 
Organise with other DiEM25 members in your area through the Forum
Book your local cinema or Town Hall to get together in ‘offline’ gatherings to debate your next steps and ours and to reach out to others who may not like being online.
Write about it on your blog, on social networks, in your local newspaper
Record yourself on video with a brief statement saying why we need more transparency in Europe and what your thoughts are. Upload this on Youtube with #let_light_in in the title and we will promote the most powerful statements as part of the campaign.
The DiEM Volunteer Guidelines are available online: http://diem25.org/volunteer-guidelines/. This a rather complex organizational setup. Read them if you are interested. There is also a summary:

DiEM25 members lead by example and by inspiring others. Don’t expect anyone to tap you on the shoulder and make you a leader. The only way to become a leader in a horizontal organisation is by inspiring others, by convincing them that your idea for promoting DiEM25 is more exciting or more worthwhile than whatever else they were planning to do today. This goes for every volunteer and every member of DiEM25: Nobody has the authority to order you to do anything. Everyone from Yanis down to the guy who just joined can try to inspire you to do something.
There is one danger in all this that, together, we should avert: Attention-seeking activists should not be allowed to subvert DiEM25’s purpose or to ‘crowd out’ members who care more about the substance than their own image. Attention-seekers will maximise whatever behaviour can get them attention. Therefore, if you see people who are being provocative for the sake of it, just to draw attention to themselves, do not give them the gift of your attention. Instead, immediately turn to other people who are quietly doing something good and encourage them. This way, we shall build a culture that selects against self-seeking behaviour and in favour of activities that promote our common, Manifesto, goals.






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