BME National’s Post

A decade after the #arab Spring, the fight for #democracy and justice continues in the #middleeast. Learn about the #triumph, setbacks, and ongoing #struggles. #PoliticalSystems Click here: https://lnkd.in/d6F_zeAQ

📢Just out! 🔎Our latest #RANresearch paper explores the diverse DDR programmes in the EU, emphasising the importance of voluntary inmate participation & tailored interventions. 📖Discover the opportunities and challenges for practitioners. Read it here👉 bit.ly/3Ke7YSE

Democratic peace theory posits that the more democratic a country, the less likely it is to engage in conflict with others. In 2024, with dozens of wars raging around the world, does this theory still hold true? What role for #parliaments as agents of #peace and reconciliation? Can the lens of human security and common security offer new pathways to peace? Last call to register in #IPU's virtual event today to mark 2024's #DemocracyDay and #PeaceDay. Open to all #MPs and those interested in #democracy, peace and parliaments. ipu.org/DDIDP

CALL FOR INPUT | SPECIAL PROCEDURES The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, welcomes contributions from States and other authorities, NHRIs, NGOs and human rights defenders, business enterprises, unions, academics, UN agencies and other stakeholders, on how the private sector is linked to, invests in and contributes to Israel’s unlawful occupation, racial segregation and apartheid regime in the oPt and the military/security industry underpinning it. Submissions should be sent to hrc-sr-opt@un.org by 30 November 2024. Respondents are kindly requested to limit their submission to a maximum 3,000 words. Any additional materials such as summaries of, and hyperlinks to, relevant documents, statistical data, reports, articles, books, public statements, organizational and state pronouncements may be annexed to the submission. Link: https://lnkd.in/dvTx_wu2

British lawmakers voted to advance a bill that would remove hereditary aristocrats from the House of Lords, ending a 700-year-old tradition. The Labour Party’s proposal seeks to eliminate the remaining 92 hereditary peers holding seats, pushing for modernization in the UK’s legislative system. The bill passed its second reading and now heads to the committee stage for further review. Could this lead to more radical changes in the UK’s legislative structure? Read 🌐GlobalPost for more on this story. You can find the link in the comments *** #WorldNews #GlobalPost #UK #Parliament #HouseOfLords #Aristocrats

“Observe, too, how grandly Democracy sets her foot upon all our fine theories of education, how little she cares for the training of her statesmen! The only qualification she demands is the profession of patriotism. Such is democracy; a pleasing, lawless, various sort of government, distributing equality to equals and unequals alike.” Socrates from Plato’s “The Republic,” Book VII, quoted in Don Kettl’s “Experts in Government” (2023). Kettl asks the same questions Socrates alluded to several millennia ago. “Who should rule in a democracy? Should the people rule? Or should experts make the decisions? Would rule by the people lead to responsive but ineffective policies? Or would rule by experts improve the chances for good results but produce an unaccountable government” (p. 17)? #plato #therepublic #socrates #democracy #bureaucrats #donkettl

Service in Dissent: Joint Statement of U.S. Government Officials who have Resigned over U.S. policy towards Gaza, Palestine, and Israel "We are former U.S. Government Officials who resigned from our respective positions over the last nine months due to our grave concerns with current U.S. policy towards the crisis in Gaza, and U.S. policies and practices towards Palestine and Israel more broadly. We are subject matter experts representing the interagency, and are a multifaith and multiethnic community of professionals and patriots dedicated to the service of the United States of America, its people, and its values..." https://lnkd.in/eQsF4FaH

An important step towards taking human rights, democracy and the rule of law into account, for the entire AI lifecycle and at a global level. It has been an honor to have been involved in this process as part of the Digital Partnership with the Council of Europe

A valuable conference to check out if you have the financial ability to do so!

Could the most collectively intelligent constituency in the UK soon become reality? Permanent local citizens' assembly is part of independent candidate Faiza Shaheen's offering in her UK General Election campaign "As well as usual MP duties, including canvassing and weekly surgeries, I will set up a local citizens assembly with 100 people chosen at random to ensure I have a constant dialogue with people here in Chingford & Woodford Green." This is a radical game-changer in the effort to transform our politics and increase people's trust. To be honest, I'm a little miffed (but only a little :-)) that Faiza Shaheen has beaten me to it here, because I was thinking of doing something similar myself in my own home constituency but the suddenness of the snap election put paid to my plans. I'm thrilled, though, that at least one candidate in the upcoming election has so emphatically chosen to expand the governance and policy-making remit of her constituency to include ordinary citizens. It further underscores the sheer idiocy of the Labour Party in its brutal and stalinist last-minute deselection of her as their candidate on spurious grounds. What a contrast is Faiza's will to expand local democracy with Labour's denial of it, by parachuting in a candidate from outside the constituency against the wishes of the local constituency group. #collectiveintelligence #citizensassembly #faizashaheen #ukgeneralelection #chingfordandwoodfordgreen #labourparty #deselection #democracy #localism