UK Democracy Bulletin, August 2024
The Democracy Network
Connecting the 900+ organisations working to improve UK democracy. Our vision is of a democracy fit for the 21st century
Issue #64 — August 2024
Monthly news, jobs, grants and gossip from across the democracy sector, brought to you by James Moulding and Max Roche of the UK Democracy Network. Read by 400+ democracy organisations. We read everyone’s newsletters & research so you don’t have to. If you want us to cover yours, let us know: hello@democracynetwork.org.uk
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Highlights
#DemocracyJobs
Featured Job Listings across the Democracy Sector. View the full database of upcoming job listings here — have we missed any? Add them via this form.
Rolling deadlines
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Applications open
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Funding Democracy
Paul Hamlyn Fund Ideas and Pioneers Paul Hamlyn’s Ideas and Pioneers Fund is currently open for under 35s to help realise potential ideas to bring about change.
Lush Closes its Charity Pot Grants Lush have temporarily paused funding and will reopen next year. The funder who has a track record of supporting radical political activists in the climate and animal rights sector have temporarily paused funding.
Civic Power Fund issues Emergency Action Grants to riot hit communities The Civic Power Fund has issued 100 Emergency Action Grants to communities and organisations dealing with the aftermath of the riots. In response to the Islamaphobic and racist riots the fund launched an Emergency Action Fund and was able to issue 100 grants to organisations in less than two weeks following the riots.
Kennedy Memorial Trust offering postgraduate degree with scholarship to Harvard or MIT The Kennedy Scholarship 2025–2026 is now open. Every autumn a national competition takes place to select the next group of Scholars for the following academic year. The KMT Trustees are keen to attract a strong and diverse field of candidates from throughout the UK. Apply now.
Footwork Trust funding new round of community innovators Footwork Trust’s People and Place 2025 programme aims to support local innovators to deliver long term change in neighbourhoods across the UK, apply here.
Far-right riots: reaction and analysis
Institute for Strategic Dialogue examine role of misinformation in far right riots The Institute for Strategic Dialogue has tracked the spread of misinformation that led to the far riot riots across the UK, showing how by 3pm the day after the attack, the false name of the attacker had received over 30,000 mentions on X alone, from over 18,000 unique accounts. Self-described ‘breaking news’ accounts and other content aggregators, some of which are monetised on X, are a major problem in the spread of misinformation, says ISD, as they are incentivised to spread sensationalist details to garner engagement, regardless of the truth behind what they say — Read more analysis here.
80 anti-racist and migrants’ rights organisations write to Keir Starmer demanding wholesale shift in political culture The Runnymede Trust has coordinated an open letter to Keir Starmer calling out the ‘normalised racism and Islamophobia, enabled by mainstream politicians and the British media’, which they suggest has directly contributed to the far right violence across the UK. Combating the spread of the far right and ensuring communities of colour feel safe in the UK must therefore start, they suggest, with a ‘wholesale shift in our political culture, language and policies’.
Unlock Democracy call for better regulation of social media companies Unlock Democracy has called on the Government to ‘urgently review’ the laws governing social media companies, suggesting the spates of far right violence are a sign that ‘they clearly aren’t working’. They’ve also called on the government to review the recent laws which have clamped down on peaceful protesting in the UK as the riots have shown the clear difference between violent and non-violent action.
Online Safety Act to be reviewed Keir Starmer has confirmed that the Online Safety Bill will be reviewed after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan suggested it was unfit for purpose and needed to be revisited. Currently the Online Safety Act gives Ofcom the power to fine social media giants up to 10% of their turnover if they fail to take robust action on the incitement of violence, but the PM suggested that the government would again be looking at the social media realm to ensure it is not a ‘law-free zone’.
Byline Times’ Nafeez Ahmed unpacks the complex UK far right networks Thanks to Civic Power Fund’s Mohammed Afridi for suggesting this unpleasant if insightful read — Byline Time’s Nafeez Ahmed takes a deep dive into the ‘worrying nexus’ of tech platforms and far-right conspiracy, uncovering the global connections behind the recent racist attacks and riots.
X made over £27k a day from ads near far-right agitators, analysis shows Research from The Centre for Countering Digital Hate finds that X made over £27K a day in the week following the UK’s Southport stabbings from ads near posts by far-right disinformation spreaders Andrew Tate, Laurence Fox, and others. These included ads for well-known brands like GlaxoSmithKline, the British Medical Association, and the International Olympic Committee — find out more.
Stop Funding Hate work to identify companies still advertising on the platform While Stop Funding Hate still remains on Twitter / X for the time being, they are now using the site to crowdsource information about which companies are still advertising on the platform.
Big Brother Watch criticise Labour’s plans to expand use of facial recognition technology Big Brother Watch has convened a coalition of nearly 30 human rights and racial justice groups, urging Sir Keir Starmer to rethink plans to expand the use of live facial recognition, which they suggest threatens to weaken democratic rights across the country. The Network for Police Monitoring has similarly criticised Labour’s plan for a new ‘standing army’ of riot trained officers, which they suggest will do more to clamp down on legitimate protest rather than stop racist violence.
Musk could be summoned before Parliament over X’s role in the race riots Labour MPs Chi Onwurah and Dawn Butler, who are competing to chair Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, have both expressed an intention to question Musk over his platform’s involvement in the incitement of the riots. Mark Zuckerberg was similarly summoned before Parliament in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but refused to play ball.
Civil society groups call for a ‘Build Back Stronger’ inquiry to discuss community rebuilding Demos has joined with a range of civil society partners, including Oxfam and the Jo Cox Foundation, to call for a ‘Build Back Stronger’ inquiry to discuss how to go about rebuilding communities in the wake of the riots. They are calling specifically for citizen voices to be included in the inquiry to facilitate local testimonies about what lessons can be learnt.
Discussing the riots: Larger Us discuss the importance of difficult conversations Recent polling by LargerUs shows that only 7% of people in the UK support the violence we’ve seen on our streets. But of those 7%, two-thirds of them think that most people in Britain do too — meaning there is a big opportunity (and perhaps responsibility) to have those difficult conversations that challenge that assumption, they say. LargerUS has outlined some important steps for anyone who finds themselves in such a situation.
Society of Editors welcomes ‘Fake News Initiative’ to help identify online misinformation Differentiating between fake news and accurate information online may be taught in primary and secondary schools in the wake of far-right riots across the UK. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is considering how to embed critical thinking across multiple subjects in the school curriculum to teach children how to spot misinformation. The Society of Editors welcomed the review suggesting ‘urgent action’ is needed.
Reconsidering your use of Twitter / X?
Tim Hughes pleasantly surprised at Bluesky as alternative to X Open Government lead Tim Hughes joined Bluesky last week and found that most of the UK policy community have had the same idea — he suggests, if you haven’t done so already, come and join them on Bluesky, ‘it feels a lot like the Twitter of 10+ years ago, in the best way.’
Tim’s suggested Bluesky starter packs to help get you going:
UK Public Policy #1 https://bsky.app/starter-pack-short/LtNiL1o
UK Public Policy #2 https://bsky.app/starter-pack-short/9QjeXTJ
Data and AI Civil Society Network https://bsky.app/starter-pack-short/FDKqcty
Local Government Policy & Practice https://bsky.app/starter-pack/jesstud.bsky.social/3kzqzhrwo2n25
Reconsidering X as your main communication tool? Fill out Barrow Cadbury Trust’s survey In the wake of the riots, many organisations across the social justice, democracy and progressive sectors are looking for alternatives and are considering leaving. Barrow Cadbury Trust are running a survey to gather opinions about X as well as any popular and trusted alternatives that can be used. FIll out their confidential survey and look out for the findings on September 12th.
Democracy Network considers switching away from X/Twitter, launches new Comms WhatsApp Group Adam Mendum, Comms Lead at the Democracy Network and Involve, is planning to host a conversation on what action others in the sector have taken, or are planning to take, if any, with respect to X and the recent riots. As part of this, Adam is promoting the Network’s new Democracy Amplifiers WhatsApp Group for comms leads and others in the sector to explore ways to collaborate, share skills, resources and ideas with one another — and have the conversation about switching away from X. So if you’re responsible for, or are interested in comms collaboration — join the group now.
Democracy Sector
The Politics Project just opened applications for their new Youth Steering Group Are you — or do you know anyone aged 14–20 who would like to play a role shaping the work of The Politics Project engaging young people in politics and democracy? Applications for the positions close midnight Thursday 19th September — Apply here.
Are you attending or hosting events at Party Conferences this year? Democracy Network want to know! Amna Ahmad, Democracy Network’s Campaigns & Advocacy Lead, has created this spreadsheet to crowdsource which organisations that we know of are attending or getting involved in the conferences this year — so if you’re doing anything, pop it in and let everyone else know to help boost collaboration.
ElectHer running new advice sessions for newly elected candidates ElectHer are running 1:1 support and advice sessions for candidates that stood at the General Election this year. Book in a time to debrief with them and discuss what you may want and need in the coming months.
Migrant Democracy Project hiring Campaign Organiser Check out this fantastic new full time role with Migrant Democracy Project (MDP), working on their Our Home Our Voice residence-based voting rights campaign. MDP are looking to have someone in place as soon as they can to begin the important work, with interviews being held on 9th October — Apply now.
Campaign Lab to host Campaign Fringe at Labour Conference 2024 Together with Small Axe, Autonomy Institute, CCDH, Democracy Network and many others, Campaign Lab is hosting a space to showcase the latest work and research central to the question of ‘what does making our country more democratic actually mean?’ Find out more here and join the event on 23rd September in Liverpool.
FREE THE PAF The Postal Address File is a critically important national dataset, say campaigners. It’s not personal data, it’s a database of every physical postal address in the country. This critical dataset could be used to build the apps, services, platforms and campaigns of tomorrow — but currently it’s locked behind a £6000pa Post Office paywall if you want to use it. Read why James O’Malley thinks this is so important and join the Free the Postcode Address File event at Newspeak House in London on October 1st.
Open Data Manchester are back with a post-election special event Can’t make the Postal Address File event in London, but want to deep dive into critical datasets all the same? Fear not — Open Data Manchester will be exploring what election, MP and councillor data is out there, uncover ways it could be used, and explore ways of telling stories about the data — find out more here.
UK’s first ‘Citizen Jury’ to meet in autumn to shape the future of Birmingham Museum A group of Birmingham residents have been invited to take part in the UK’s first deliberation on the future direction of a significant cultural institution — Birmingham Museum. Shared Future and Democracy Next are facilitating the process that will see 30 local residents meet over 6 sessions in October and November 2024.
Media Trust invite applicants to their 6-month Stronger Voices Programme Media Trust is on the hunt for 20 London-based equality organisations to take part in their free six-month strategic communications training — the Stronger Voices Programme — which will run from October 2024 to April 2025. The programme seeks to empower applicants with the skills and knowledge to be able to amplify their message and mobilise their key audiences. Apply now.
Make Votes Matter looking for new board members, hosting evening exploring Proportional Representation Make Votes Matter are currently on the lookout for new board members — apply now. Also, this Saturday, at Christ Church in Woking, Make Votes Matter are hosting an event exploring the benefits or moving to a system of proportional representation. There will be a range of speakers and the event is completely free to attend.
UN International Day of Democracy is on September 15th The UN International Day of Democracy is coming up next month on the 15th of September — a great opportunity for democracy organisations to raise the profile of the issues we work on. The theme for this year hasn’t been revealed yet so keep your eyes peeled.
Idea International host Global State of Democracy 2024, 17 September The Idea International launch event during this year’s Democracy Week unpacks a report combining analysis of over 173 countries and the state of their respective democratic systems, with a focus on factors underpinning deterioration and perceptions of electoral integrity.
Charity Commission publishes their GE 2024 casework summary The Commission’s casework summary provides an overview of compliance cases with respect to charity rules and regulations around the 2024 election, you can read it here.
Democracy Club feedback on their election experience with record search numbers With over 14 million postcode searches from the UK public, marking a new record, Democracy Club take a look at whether people found what they were looking for, what people thoughts of the platform. Congrats to Democracy Club on such an impressive achievement!
TEDx Democracy Bootcamp receives over 100 applications The initiative supported by The Politics Project and the Civic Power Fund received 114 applications from young people with new ideas on how to change politics for the better. They may soon be reaching out to organisations to ask for you to be involved in the bootcamp they are running in London in October.
Democratic Reform & Innovation
Extinction Rebellion to hold ‘Massembly’ demanding a citizens’ assembly on climate justice On Saturday 31st of August 1–4pm, Extinction Rebellion is running the biggest People’s Assembly in the UK to decide what steps can be taken to upgrade democracy and allow more public participation in decision making. Their central demand is that the Government must create and be led by a Citizens’ Assembly on Climate and Ecological Justice. Fill in this form if you can attend.
Association of Electoral Administrators pen letter to UK Govt over electoral concerns The Association of Electoral Administrators, has written to the new government outlining their concerns over the state of the UK electoral system. The letter suggests that our current system is often too complex to navigate for voters and that recent changes have ‘bolted 21st century user experiences onto 19th century infrastructure’.
People Powered run collective book launch, September 13 On September 13th People Powered are running a co-book launch of two books, Educating for Democracy: The Case for School Participatory Budgeting and Activated Citizenship: The Transformative Power of Citizens’ Assemblies. In the talks they will explore how participatory democracy practices, from school participatory budgeting to citizens’ assemblies, can spark citizen engagement and be integrated throughout a person’s life.
Constitution Unit discuss Labour’s agenda for constitutional reform The Constitution Unit’s latest edition of Monitor, their quarterly constitutional review, is now out. The report discusses the early steps Labour has taken towards constitutional reform and praises the pivot in political rhetoric towards a ‘politics of public service’.
Paris passes legislation drafted by a permanent citizens’ assembly On July 10th, The Paris City Council passed into law the recommendations from a municipal citizens’ assembly on homelessness. This marks the first time the Paris City Council has taken up and passed legislation written by citizens who were selected by sortition and who deliberated in an assembly. Check out the insights from this historic first from a civil servant who facilitated the process.
Strengthening ties between citizens and their elected representatives; lessons from Belgium Last month, Demos published a white paper exploring how the new Labour government could transform democracy using a participatory approach, including the use of citizens’ assemblies. A new article for Democracy Technologies outlines the Belgian approach to ‘Deliberative Committees’ and asks whether this could be an emerging model to learn from.
Devolved Democracy / Local Democracy
New Local Government Association chair says reset is needed with government Louise Gittins, the new Chair of the Local Government Association, likened the relationship between local and national government to being ‘almost like a parent child relationship’. Gittins said their first priority will be to reset that relationship to allow local governments to deliver on the most pressing needs facing local communities.
Fearless Cities South Yorkshire, coming this November! This November, the internationally acclaimed Fearless Cities summit, first hosted in Barcelona back in 2017, will be coming to the UK and to South Yorkshire for the first time. Fearless Cities brings together the growing international municipalist movement of cities, organisations, citizens and communities who are building new forms of local democracy across the world — tickets are not yet available, but if you’d like to submit a talk or session now is the time.
Don’t miss Locality 24 in Manchester this November Locality’s annual Convention is the biggest community sector event of the year. This year’s event is held in Manchester on 12–13th November. Grab your tickets.
New Local and Reform publish ‘Achieving the Devolution Revolution’ report New Local has partnered with the think tank Reform to take a deep dive into what powers are needed to ensure a successful ‘devolution revolution’ in the UK. The paper, What Powers Where? Achieving the Devolution Revolution, sets out design principles and recommendations for whole regional systems to work together and distribute powers at every scale — including the neighbourhood level.
London’s Haringey Community Action Network hosting Markfield Road Festival, September 13 With the theme of ‘creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence’, Haringey Community Action Network’s festival night aims to highlight the power of creative expression driving social change and fostering community spirit. Check it out now.
NEON offer new Transformative Organising training New Economy Organisers Network will be running their Transformative Organising training in Birmingham on September 28th & 29th, specifically for organisers working toward building the power of local communities to tackle social, environmental and economic injustice in Birmingham and the West Midlands. Find out more or apply here.
Integrity & Transparency
Conspiracy charges are increasingly being used to shut down protest, says Netpol Following the landmark ruling last month which saw five Just Stop Oil protestors jailed for a total of 21 years, the Network for Police Monitoring has warned that ‘conspiracy to commit public nuisance’ charges are increasingly being used to shut down public protest. With police surveillance on the rise, there is a heightened risk that records of calls, texts, and minutes of meetings could all be used to support conspiracy charges, they suggest.
Two photo-journalists arrested whilst covering ecological and pro-Palestine protest Two photo journalists have been arrested while covering UK protests, in one case before the protest had even taken place. Of particular concern, said the National Union of Journalists, ‘are the instances where the UK Press Card Authority press card has been shown to officers and have been dismissed.’
E-Visa scheme is pushing UK towards ‘second Windrush scandal’, says Open Rights Group By the end of December 2024, the Home Office wants to replace physical documents proving people’s right to live in the UK with e-visas, which will affect up to four million people. Open Rights Group are warning that large numbers of people may struggle to prove their immigration status in the near future due to risk and failures associated with the roll out. On September 2nd they are hosting an event to raise awareness of the serious risks the new legislation poses.
Unlock Democracy urge Labour to clamp down on MPs’ second jobs Unlock Democracy has written to the Chair of the Modernisation Committee urging them to implement stricter rules on MPs’ second jobs. In opposition, Keir Starmer repeatedly called for second jobs to be banned — Unlock Democracy hopes to keep him to this promise to ensure constituent needs come first for MPs.
Voter’s delivered ‘final warning’ to UK government on July 4th, says UCL report A new report by the UCL Policy Lab and More in Common, based on 60 focus groups and polling with 10,000+ voters, finds the 2024 General Election was a final warning to Britain’s political mainstream. With 3 in 4 now in agreement that Britain is rigged to serve the rich and powerful, the report suggests that the next government must deliver on voters’ desire for fundamental change and implement a culture change to show more respect to ordinary voters.
Arden Strategies release new identity profiles for Labour Voters New polling report 7 Tribes That Make Up Labour’s 2024 Voter Coalition — And The Action Keir Starmer Needs To Take To Stay In Power by Arden Strategies, details the people and voter groups who the PM needs to keep onside, and those whom any prospective opposition would need to target to effectively topple the nascent Labour government.
And Finally…
Network of Democratic Entities looking for new founding leader The new international Network is advertising for their leading position of Head of NODE. Whilst the salary for the position is not listed (#ShowTheSalary), the new role holder will endeavour to launch a new network of campaign organisations across Europe and the Middle East — apply now.
In other news, American Presidential enthusiasts can now buy a limited edition digital trading card being released by Donald Trump…
See you next time,
James, Max and the UK Democracy Network team