Avoiding financial and climate meltdown

Here's an alert I sent out about the new policy supplement:

Ideas to change the world – Policy supplement to It’s Simpol ! Autumn 2008

Annual voting is currently taking place on policy suggestions put forward by Simultaneous Policy Adopters for inclusion in the Simultaneous Policy. Voting runs until 1 November 2008.

Space is given in the newsletter to the most popular policies and issues. If you have not already voted, you can do so at:
http://www.simpol.org/en/main/Policyvote08.htm

The latest policy supplement has the theme: “Avoiding financial and climate meltdown.” You can download it by clicking the following link, or pasting it in your internet browser:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/Pages/PDF/policyautumn161008.pdf

For all newsletters go to Simpol’s website and click on ‘campaigns’ and ‘newsletters’ at:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/

Stopping financial meltdown

The policy supplement includes an article from Susan George on the International Clearing Union, first developed by Professor John Maynard Keynes and proposed for inclusion in the Simultaneous Policy by Adopter David Smith. The proposal received 63% approval in the last voting round. Susan George said regarding its inclusion in the Simultaneous Policy that this is: “*one* base from which we can work to make new rules for international commerce.”

Stopping climate meltdown

The top issue in the last round of voting was climate change. Proposed policies such as ‘Contraction and Convergence’ (which received 80% approval) address this directly. Others may have an indirect impact, such as those dealing with disarmament (see the Spring 2008 policy supplement, which has the theme: “Turning Weapons into Windmills”).

A guest article from the ‘One Hundred Months’ campaign is included in the latest policy supplement. This campaign has been launched by a coalition of campaigning organisations and suggests that there are just 100 months (well, now 97 months) to act before the climate tips into cycles that will be far harder to tackle. The article contains various proposals that may be of interest to Adopters to flesh out the action to be included in the Simultaneous Policy.

Joined-up thinking

The great strength of the Simultaneous Policy approach is that it seeks to be a coherent package of policies where action in one area complements that in another. Too often the current approach our leaders take to global policy making means action in one area undermines action in another (consider, for example, recent calls for increased pumping of oil to lower energy prices, which some see as the last thing we should be doing if we are serious about addressing climate change).

Every vote means something – global democracy in action

Policies that do not receive good support in the 2008 voting round will drop out of the process, so take this opportunity to rally support for policies you wish to continue. Here is the voting page once again:
http://www.simpol.org/en/main/Policyvote08.htm

The policy supplement explains the voting process and lists the policies. It also flags up the forthcoming election of the Policy Committee. Nominations are being sought.

The Policy Committee protects the democratic interests of Adopters and facilitates the policy development process. As the campaign grows in strength it is also tasked with ensuring the process of developing policies keeps pace. You can complete the nomination form after voting or go direct to:
http://www.simpol.org/en/main/Policyvotethanks.htm

Feel free to pass this email and/or the policy supplement on to others. Once again, you can download the policy supplement at:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/Pages/PDF/policyautumn161008.pdf