The People's Assembly: A Platform for Collaborative and Inclusive Change-making in Scotland

Introduction

The Scottish independence movement has been gaining momentum in recent years, with various groups and individuals working towards a better future for Scotland. However, these groups often operate in silos, working towards their own objectives and agendas. The lack of coordination and collaboration among these groups can limit their impact and hinder their progress towards a shared goal.

This is where The People's Assembly comes in. The platform aims to provide a secure and transparent space for different groups and individuals to come together, collaborate, and work towards a common goal of Scottish independence. In this blog post, we will explore the idea behind The People's Assembly and how it can facilitate collaborative and inclusive change-making in Scotland.

The Need for Collaborative and Inclusive Change-making

In any movement, collaborative and inclusive change-making is essential for achieving shared goals. However, this can be challenging when different groups have different priorities, ideologies, and methods of working. The Scottish independence movement is no exception, with various groups working towards independence using different approaches.

The lack of collaboration and coordination among these groups can result in duplication of efforts, confusion among supporters, and limited impact. In addition, the lack of inclusivity in decision-making can lead to marginalisation of certain voices and perspectives, limiting the movement's potential for growth and impact.

The People's Assembly addresses these challenges by providing a platform for different groups and individuals to collaborate and work towards a common goal. The platform aims to break down silos, facilitate communication and collaboration, and promote inclusivity in decision-making. By working together, different groups and individuals can pool their resources and efforts, maximise their impact, and create a more cohesive movement towards Scottish independence.

How The People's Assembly Works

The People's Assembly platform is designed to be a central hub for the Scottish independence movement. The platform provides various features to facilitate collaboration and communication among different groups and individuals. These features include:

Information Sharing: The platform allows different groups to share information about their activities, events, and campaigns. This helps to avoid duplication of efforts and confusion among supporters. In addition, the platform provides a space for different groups to share their perspectives and ideas, leading to more informed and inclusive decision-making.

Coordination of Actions: The platform allows different groups to coordinate their actions and campaigns. This can lead to more impactful and coordinated efforts towards achieving shared goals. For example, different groups can use the platform to coordinate their efforts and hold a joint event instead of separate protests or rallies, which is likely to have a greater impact.

Pooling of Resources: The platform enables different groups to pool their resources and coordinate their efforts in a way that maximises impact. This can include sharing resources such as equipment, volunteers, or funding.

Democratic Decision-making: The platform aims to promote inclusivity in decision-making by providing a forum for different perspectives and ideas to be shared and discussed. This can lead to more informed and inclusive decision-making, where everyone has a voice and the opportunity to contribute.

The People's Assembly aims to be a community-owned platform, which means that it will be owned and managed by the community of users. However, before the community can take ownership of the platform, they need to ratify a constitution that outlines the rules and guidelines for the management of the platform. This constitution will define the roles and responsibilities of the community members, as well as the procedures for making decisions and resolving disputes. Once the constitution is ratified, the community can take full ownership and control of the platform.

The Funding Model

The People's Assembly is funded through a one-time payment of £2 from each person who joins the People's Assembly. This funding model is designed to ensure that the platform is community-owned and that it is not beholden to any external entities or interests. By relying on small contributions from a large number of people, the platform can remain independent and focused on its mission.

The following is a breakdown of how the funds raised will be used to implement the platform:

10,000 members: At this stage, the funds will be used to set up premises and hardware infrastructure. This includes setting up a physical location for the team to work from and ensuring that the necessary technological infrastructure is in place to support the platform. This will help to establish a solid foundation for the platform and ensure that it is able to scale effectively.

20,000 members: Once the platform reaches 20,000 members, a national billboard and press campaign will be launched to raise awareness of the platform and attract new members. This stage is crucial to building momentum and spreading the word about the vision for a better nation. By reaching more people, the platform can become more inclusive and representative of the population as a whole.

30,000 members: When the platform reaches 30,000 members, a poster and flyer campaign will be launched to complement the billboard campaign and further promote the platform to potential new members. This will help to increase awareness and engagement with the platform, and ensure that it is able to reach a wider audience.

40,000 members: At this stage, a location for the first National Assembly will be confirmed. This will be a key milestone in bringing the community together and furthering the mission to build a better nation. The National Assembly will provide a platform for different groups to come together and share their perspectives and ideas.

50,000 members: Once the platform reaches 50,000 members, an admin team will be hired to support the core platform and ensure that the community has the necessary resources and support to thrive. They will also work to organise local assemblies by working in conjunction with yes movement activists.

100,000 members: When the platform reaches 100,000 members, a letter will be sent to all political representatives calling on them to take their seat for a National Convention. This stands for a significant step towards realising the vision for a truly democratic and representative society.

200,000 members: When the platform reaches 200,000 members, it will have reached a critical mass where it can't be ignored. This is because of something called the 3.5% rule, which means that once 3.5% of a population becomes actively engaged in a movement, it becomes unstoppable. This means that once the platform reaches this stage, it will have a real voice and be able to create real change.

It's important to note that the funding and implementation process is not set in stone, and may be subject to change based on the needs and feedback of the community. The platform is designed to be responsive and adaptive, and will evolve over time to meet the changing needs of the community.

Overall, the funding and implementation process is designed to be transparent, accountable, and community-driven. By relying on small contributions from a large number of people, the platform can remain independent and focused on its mission of building a better nation for all.

Why did we build this platform? It's simple. We believe in the power of community and the potential for people to come together and make a difference. We believe that the People's Assembly has the potential to be a catalyst for change, not just in Scotland but around the world.

Moving on to how this platform is funded, at first glance, you might think that it is like any other, funded by venture capitalists for advertising revenue. But in reality, this platform is built from the grassroots up and owned by the people who use it.

When you sign up for this platform, you become a part owner. As more people sign up and become owners, the platform grows and evolves. And when the population of owners reaches a majority, the platform becomes fully owned and governed by the community.

This model of ownership and funding is unique in the tech industry, and it is based on the principles of cooperative ownership and democratic decision-making. By giving ownership to the users, the platform is able to prioritise the needs and interests of the community over profit-driven motives. This ensures that the platform remains accountable and transparent to its users and that it is built to serve the common good rather than the interests of a small group of shareholders.

As the platform grows and evolves, we are committed to maintaining this cooperative ownership model and to ensuring that the platform remains accessible and inclusive for all. We believe that this model has the potential to revolutionise the tech industry and to pave the way for a more equitable and democratic economy.

The People's Assembly represents an exciting new vision for community-driven collaboration and decision-making. Through this platform, we can come together to tackle the most pressing issues facing our communities and our planet. By prioritising open communication, democratic decision-making, and sustainable, equitable practices, we can create a future that is truly worth fighting for.

Tactics.

In the context of a chess game, the master chess player is tasked with playing three boards simultaneously. Each board represents a different challenge that the independence movement must overcome in order to achieve its goals. Board 1 represents the group mind, or the collective consciousness of the Yes movement. The master chess player must navigate this board in order to get everyone to agree to end the union. This involves building consensus and ensuring that all groups within the movement are aligned in their goals and strategies.

Board 2 represents the need to gain support from organisations, charities, and other entities outside of the Yes movement. The master chess player must make strategic moves to gain the support of these groups, as their backing can help to amplify the movement's message and increase its impact.

Board 3 represents the need to hold the political establishment to account. The master chess player must carefully consider their moves in order to apply pressure to politicians and other decision-makers, and hold them accountable for their actions or inactions in regards to Scottish independence.

The People's Assembly platform can be seen as a tool that the master chess player can use to help navigate these challenges. By providing a secure and transparent platform for communication and coordination, the People's Assembly can help to ensure that all groups within the Yes movement are working towards the same goals, and can help to amplify the movement's message by engaging with organisations and charities outside of the movement. Furthermore, the platform can help to hold politicians and decision-makers to account by providing a mechanism for the public to voice their concerns and demands, and by allowing for greater transparency and accountability in the political process. Overall, the master chess player must make strategic moves across all three boards in order to achieve victory for the Scottish people. The People's Assembly platform can provide an important tool in this effort, helping to coordinate and amplify the efforts of the movement's various groups and stakeholders.

In this context, the master chess player is not an individual but the collective voice of the independence movement. Each group and individual involved in the movement is a piece on the chessboard, and the master chess player is the collective effort of all these pieces working together towards a common goal. Board 1, the group mind, is where the collective voice must work together to reach a consensus on the end goal of independence. Board 2, where organisations and charities are rallied to support the people, requires coordination and collaboration between different groups and individuals in the movement. And finally, Board 3, where the political establishment is held to account, involves strategic moves and tactics that must be made by the collective voice of the movement. Like a master chess player, the collective voice of the movement must carefully consider each move and anticipate the response of their opponents, in this case, the political establishment. Each move made must be calculated and strategically planned to achieve the end goal of independence. By working together as a collective, the independence movement can harness the power of its many voices and resources to create a unified front that can effectively challenge the status quo and bring about change.