For a member of a protest movement supposedly disillusioned with modern democracy, Adam Fitzmaurice has a surprising answer to societal disengagement: more democracy.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to see general assemblies set up where normal people can meet and discuss major issues,鈥� says Mr. Fitzmaurice, 28. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want them to be another tier in the current structure, but a gathering, say, once a month. We could set them up first in towns and cities and then spread them out to the countryside 鈥� people having a direct say on what鈥檚 happening around them.鈥�
Fitzmaurice, an American, moved to the UK in September to study music industry management at a university. He joined the Occupy London campaign when it set up camp around St Paul鈥檚 Cathedral in October and later Finsbury Park and then a disused UBS office in Hackney, where he currently stays.
鈥淟ook at us in St Paul鈥檚. We鈥檙e a pretty small group of committed people, but we鈥檝e forced a 180 degree turn in attitude from the Church of England, got the business secretary to put a cap on CEO pay, met the head of the Financial Services Authority, and got [Prime Minister] David Cameron talking about a Robin Hood tax. All that in just two months."
鈥淲hen I was growing up in Missouri, farmers refused to sell their grain because the price was too low. They got together and only sold when they got a decent price. That鈥檚 what society can do when it works together, and I think assemblies could achieve that.鈥�
鈥� Ian Evans, London
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