Let’s temporarily step away from the cynicism. Stop believing that people no longer take to the streets, or are unwilling to contribute through more than ‘clicktivism’; stop believing that time is long gone. Let’s blindly trust people DO want to roll up their sleeves and get to work. What kind of campaign would you set…
Category: Democracy
Youth Involvement in Urban Planning in Riga
Public space, is continuously overcrowded in urbanised cities, but in shrinking cities has been left to deteriorate by conjunction, privatization, bad urban planning and design and overall neglect. But, by neglecting the public space, we are neglecting the people in it. One of the most vulnerable groups in the society is youth, as they use…
The Dutch Green Party campaign in the City of Leiden
At the start of this semester I decided to take a gap year due to certain circumstances. I wanted to spend my time by getting involved in the election campaign of the Dutch Green Party. In Leiden, the local campaigners were still looking for a second volunteering coordinator. I became coordinator on short notice, and…
Rebuffing the Mediterranean Gem
Malta, dubbed over the years as the Mediterranean Gem, has over the past few decades been tricked into the hands of the elite who seem to be playing Minecraft with our land. The very limited countryside and public open spaces are being lost to relentless development. Urban sprawl is gnawing away at our green lungs,…
Direct democracy: the case for an organic civic/political education
When hearing the word “democracy”, what usually comes to mind is “government by the people”. However, in most cases this usually refers to decision-making by elected representatives. Direct or “pure” democracy would be a more accurate term for direct voting by citizens on policy initiatives, which can most famously be found in the Swiss governmental…
Who Are the Green Party Leadership Candidates?
Voting is now open for the election of the Summer. And no, it’s not for the next Labour leader. The Greens are currently deciding who will take over from Natalie Bennett after two terms in office. After a month of – it has to be said, relatively low-profile – campaigning, the 65,000-odd Green Party members…
Swiss Young Greens on the Referendum for Basic Income
Fighting the inequality between women and men, allowing young people from disadvantaged families to study, a boost of creativity and jobs – what sounds like a dream nearly became reality in Switzerland. In June the small country in the heart of Europe had a national vote about Basic Income. It all started out with some…
Basic Income as an Alter-globalisation Tool
There is a long lasting economical and financial crisis that is impacting to a bigger or smaller extent the majority of the European countries. This, together with the environmental crisis that is reminding us of the ecological limits of the planet, has challenged the hegemonic Capitalistic model. We are likely nearing the end of an…
The British EU Referendum – Cameron’s failed attempt of being a great politician
Britain seems to go crazy these days. We observe a country loosing its mind over an upcoming referendum deciding about nothing less than the future of this very country, disguised in a decision over whether to remain or whether to leave the European Union. In what follows I will lay out that and why I…
Some keys to understand what is happening in Spain from a Green perspective
For the first time in history, the Spanish political parties have not reached an agreement to create a government after the State level elections. After several months of political uncertainty and two failed attempts to invest Pedro Sánchez, the candidate of the so-called “Social Democrats”, Spanish citizens are facing a new political campaign. Why have…