Civil Society: Enabling Dissent- Tues 28 July 2009

London, Tuesday 28 July 2009  

“Dissent, its cultivation and articulation, is crucial for a healthy democratic society. Yet, as highlighted by the work of the Carnegie UK Trust Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society, dissent is being marginalised both at a domestic level and globally.  The time has now come where dissent can no longer be pushed to the margins and ordinary citizens need to reclaim their democratic right to resist” stated Kumi Naidoo, Hon. President of CIVICUS and member of the Inquiry’s international advisory group 

The Carnegie UK Trust Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society in the UK and Ireland and Open Democracy are hosting an event to explore the role of civil society associations in creating and supporting spaces for dissenting voices, both in the UK and globally. The panel will address threats to civil liberties and anti-terror legislation, the behaviour of media and self-suppression on the part of civil society associations themselves. 

The event will be chaired by Anthony Barnett (founder of openDemocracy.net, Co-Director of the Convention on Modern Liberty and Co-Chair of Real Change: the open politics network). Speakers include: Kumi Naidoo (Visiting Fellow at the Carnegie UK Trust, Honorary President of CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and Co-Chair of the Global Call to Action against Poverty campaign), Sunny Hundal (Editor of Liberal Conspiracy, journalist, commentator, blogger and activist) and Malcolm Carroll (Campaigner and Baptist Minister).  

Anthony Barnett said: “The marginalisation of dissent is a real danger to democracy. The work that the Carnegie Inquiry is doing is very important and we are pleased to be working with them. The combination of Carnegie's in-depth research and openDemocracy's pro-Democracy platform for discussion contribute in their own ways to maintaining spaces for well-judged dissent.”   

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