Creative Agency Secrets

Dear
Friend,

We believe our democracy
is in danger.

At the Power Inquiry, we
have spent two years listening to people across

Britain

,
recording their evidence and views. We have written a major report, Power to the People, which made many
suggestions and received warm praise from across

Westminster

.  But nothing has come of it.   

We know now that kindly
asking political leaders to deliver lasting democratic change does not work. 
Even when politicians want to help, the British system has an amazing capacity
to ruin the outcome.

When we leave big
questions for politicians to sort out themselves, they always seem to stitch us
up or take with one hand what they have just given with the
other.

Here is a list of
examples:

• When Labour came to power they
  promised a Freedom of Information
  Act and said this was needed to
  restore trust in Government and ensure much better decision-making.  After a
  strong first draft was rejected in favour of a much weaker version, the Act was
  passed and the British public have started to make good use of it. However,
  now the
  Government proposes to create financial barriers that will prevent campaigning
  organisations and media from using it. They also suggest that any request for
  information can be refused if it involves a large amount of ‘thinking’ time!  We
  already know that at least seven Government departments have refused to respond
  to half the FOI requests they have received.

We say: it’s time to make it an
issue.

• The Government is planning to retain
  a House of Lords packed with
  significant numbers of out-of-touch cronies and perhaps allow us to vote for
  them in forty years time, or maybe twenty if they feel generous.
  

We say: it’s time to make it an
issue.

• The Prime Minister says he wants to
  be able to put suspected felons into detention without trial for three months
  with no evidence that this ‘works’.

We say: it’s time to make it an
issue.

• When the scandal of loans and money
  for peerages hit the headlines, a former civil servant was drafted in to find a
  solution. His remit: to find a solution that Party leaders can accept NOT one
  which is in the interest of our long term democracy or the people.
  

We say: it’s time to make it an
issue.

Left to their own
devices, we don’t trust politicians to reform our democracy in the long term
interest of the country. We can no longer tolerate changes delivered from up on
high. We, the people, need to be part of the process that brings about reform.

We say: we WILL make it an
issue.

The Power Inquiry is
launching a campaign for real democratic change with a new website – www.makeitanissue.org.uk –
today.

makeitanissue.org.uk has been designed for
people like you: for those passionate about politics, but disenchanted with the
way politics works in this country.  We aim to provide you with the space to
vent your frustrations and, more importantly, a forum in which we can discuss
how to move forward the democratic reform agenda
together.

As a supporter of the
Power Inquiry, we want you to be one of the first to see and use makeitanissue.org.uk.  Check out our book
club; make a request for our chair, Helena Kennedy QC, to speak at an event of
your own design; watch one of our films and comment on our debate page where we
have contributions from Philip Pullman, Greg Dyke, Peter Tatchell, Saira Khan
and Billy Bragg. 

To add your voice, simply
give us your name and email address. We will keep you posted on our events,
debates and developments. And if you have been inspired by this email, please
pass it on to your friends, family and colleagues.

When the next Prime
Minister steps into No.10, there needs to be thousands of us waiting, ready to
hold him to account. We are not going to be ruled as we have been. Let’s make it
an issue

Best
wishes,

Helena Kennedy
QC

Chair, Power
Inquiry

Pam
Giddy

Director, Power
Inquiry