The Prague International Congress 

on Direct Democracy

Prague, The Czech Republic, May 11-13, 2017 

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM 

DAY ONE: 

A.M.:

Welcome: Dr. Jiri Polak (Czech Republic), Editor in Chief, World Direct Democracy Movement Newsletter (WDDM)

Keynote Speech: Andreas Gross (Switzerland), Council of Europe: "The Unfinished Business of Direct Democracy"

Dr. Michael Briand (USA), "Preface to The Democracy Manifesto."

Plenary Session: Questions and Answers

Lunch 

P.M.:

Philosophies, Theories and Proof of the Superiority of Direct Democracy Over Oligarchy: Ancient to Modern

Dr. Matt Qvorstrup (U.K.), 'Peace, Prosperity and Direct Democracy: Aristotle and Present-Day politics?" Coventry University

Dr. Helene Landesmore (U.S.A.), "The Wisdom of Crowds", Yale University

"The Functions and Great Successes of Citizens Initiatives Worldwide" (At least one or two more academics needed.)

Questions, Comments, Discussions from Plenary

DAY TWO:

A.M.:

Experiments in Modern Democratic Methods and Techniques

Dr. Tomas Ohlin and Associates (Sweden): "Participatory Budgeting in Swedish Communes,"

Mehr Demokratie (Germany) "How to Develop Direct Democracy NGOs to Change Constitutions and Charters in Any Country"

Random Citizen Assemblies (Dr. Janette Hartz-Karp, Curtin University, Australia)

Indignados Operating Within a Political Party Structure, Podemos, Spain.

Dr. Marcus Schmidt (University of Copenhagen, School of Business): "Inside Copenhagen's

Occupy Movement,"

Dr. Ted Becker (Auburn University, U.S.A.), Auburn University, "How Teledemocracy Works But Remains Virtually Useless in Empowering Citizens,"

Lunch 

P.M:

How People's Constitutional Conventions and Amendments Can and Have Democratized Political Systems: Experiences from Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Iceland, Ireland, U.S.A., Greece, etc.

This part of the day will be devoted to considering people-led constitutional conventions and amendments devoted to democratizing their polity and how to achieve such in the immediate future. We need to get people from these and other countries to discuss the challenges, the successes, the failures.

Eiline Jerrett will show her film "Blueberry Soup" about the Icelandic Constitutional Convention in 2012. Commentaries and updates will be provided by several people involved in that Convention (The more, the merrier, particularly after the Panama Papers.)

George Kokkas and The Coordinating Committee of the New Greek Citizens Constitution will present the results of their preparatory assembly and its results.

Dr. Ted Becker will discuss the Hawaii State Constitutional Convention of 1978 and how Citizens Initiative only fell a few votes short of passage. He will have materials on the Simulated Constitutional Conventions he held in Hawaii before that convention and in Alabama in 2004 prior to a convention that was aborted by a legislature.

DAY THREE:

There will be two facilitated 3 hour discussions which are designed to get all the participants to agree on two documents, manifestos or resolutions that will culminate our Congress. Dr. Janette Hartz-Karp, Curtin University, Australia will be the lead facilitator.

A.M.: 

Construction of "The Universal Declaration of Independence from All Oligarchies"

This will be an electronically facilitated face to face discussion of the plenary broken down into task forces that will use Dr. Briand's "Preface to The Democracy Manifesto" as a guide, i.e., Destruction of Environment and Threat to Human Sustainability; The Continuing Threat of Geopolitical World Wars; The Unsustainable Growth in Global Inequality of Wealth; The Increasing Police-Statism Around the World," etc. The result will be a consensus on the lethal global problems caused by oligarchies around the world and a need to move towards more democratic systems as soon as feasible as a human survival mechanism.

Lunch

P.M.: 

Construction of "Measuring and Ranking the Elements and Components of Democracy in All Constitutions and Charters."

Same method as morning session.

* we reserve the right to alter the program 

1-2 HOURS EACH EVENING AFTER DINNER, ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE INVITED TO INFORMAL AND PERSONAL "SUPPORT GROUPS' TO DISCUSS PERSONAL ISSUES AMONG INVIDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS IN THEIR WORK TRYING TO SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT DIRECT DEMOCRACY.