The Daunting Path
A complete reformation is not a simple goal; the path to it is long, arduous and multifaceted. There are many roads to take on it, the light from the right direction is obscured, and the ways to all ends are paved with shards of broken glass. Although this path may seem daunting, it should be understood that every step counts. Every small reformation that makes the lives of others better is not simply a stepping stone to something more distant but a success in and of itself – no matter how minor that success may seem. Tarka Accord has found this way of thinking about progress valuable, as it reminds us that not only can so much more be done to aid others in their strife but to understand that our work is never in vain.
An Accessible Democracy
As a part of the reformation process, Tarka Accord pushes for a more accessible democracy. It is our belief that political parties, in their current form, are more like independent institutions that – rather than act on the will of the public – rely on us for unenthusiastic support. Alongside this, the confusingly convoluted ways that our systems of governance are organised make it nearly impossible for the general public to engage in their own governance through their own means. Although this is undoubtedly a form of democracy, we believe that so much better can be done to make our democracy more accessible to the public, accountable to the public and engaged with exercising the will of the public. As a part of making democracy more accessible, we have begun with the creation of the Tarka Accord Democratic Forum. This is an open forum for members of the public in North Devon and Torridge Constituency to contribute to, designed to allow for more accessibility in the local democracy. The UK Branch of the Tarka Accord Committee has the responsibility of processing the information provided to it through this forum into policy suggestions via research and continued communication with the public. For more on this forum, click: here.
Political Influence
In order to make any meaningful change to improve democracy and governance, political influence is essential. As previously mentioned, Tarka Accord has created a forum in order to allow the public from North Devon to contribute to their democracy in a simple way. However, in order for this to manifest any actual results, two avenues are possible.
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Tarka Accord can act as an advisory board for the formal democracy, with both coherent policy suggestions and a democratic mandate from the public.
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If ignored by the formal democracy, Tarka Accord can seek to replace it in elections in order to directly apply the democratic will of the public.
For either of these two paths to succeed, public knowledge of and contribution to the work of Tarka Accord on a large scale – even if the individual contributions are minimal – will be necessary. This would be to either provide a democratic mandate to the work of Tarka Accord by involving the public heavily in our proceedings, or by having a broad enough support within the public to win elections.
Specifically to those in places of political power: please note that this push for political influence is not inherently a threat against those who already have power. Tarka Accord is pushing for an improved democracy, not simply to oust others from power – so we would be willing to work with those in government and vying for government positions in order to press forth democratic reforms. However, if groups decide to work against the will of the public through Tarka Accord, then they will be pushed aside.