Sebastian Moore – SDP Candidate in Gorton & Denton By-election

Saturday, 15 August @ 1:00 PM > 3:00 PM

Sebastian Moore SDP

‘The Crisis is Coming. The Only Solution is Nationbuilding.’

Across the political spectrum, there is broad agreement that Britain is in trouble. The NHS is barely functioning. Small boat crossings remain high. Businesses are struggling with rising costs. Theft and petty crime has become commonplace. Over a million young people aren’t in work or education, and key institutions appear incapable of performing their purpose.

Is this a series of individual policy issues or is there something more going on?

Beneath the headlines, lies a deeper issue: the gradual erosion of the nation itself. As our shared identity weakens, politics becomes more divisive. Compromise is replaced by moral condemnation, and fellow citizens begin to be viewed as enemies rather than neighbours. Common institutions lose credibility, separate communities arise, and governments become more inclined to use censorship and force over consent.

If Britain is to recover, addressing individual policy failures will not be enough. But how do we find a shared sense of purpose that would allow us to restore the social bonds and political culture that make a functioning democracy possible?

Sebastian Moore argues that the challenge facing Britain is not just one of economics or culture, but of nationhood. To navigate the coming crisis, we must reinvent the nation.

Chris

The Hop Merchant, Nottingham

64-68 Upper Parliament Street
Nottingham, NG1 2AG United Kingdom
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Direct Democracy: Is it time for the UK to change our voting system?

Saturday, 5 July, 2025 @ 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

ballot box democracy

This month, we are fortunate to have Neil Petrie lead the discussion on the topic of Direct Democracy.

Direct Democracy has been used in Switzerland since the federation was established in 1848. It literally allows citizens to influence policies that directly involve their communities.

Important government legislation can be outsourced to the wider electorate, using a series of referendums. This ultimately means that voters can decide on which acts are approved and then passed by Parliament.

To get some idea of how successful DD is, the Swiss government has a 65% approval rating. The average is less than 30%.

Neil Petrie represents a group called Direct Democracy, details at www.ddrightnow.com. Direct Democracy is advocating electoral change in the UK based on the principles of the aforementioned Swiss system.

Alongside this, Direct Democracy also supports a digital Blockchain system. Each individual voter is issued with a unique identification number (akin to Bitcoin for politics), and then every vote that is added to the block can not be neither manipulated nor deleted. There are many people now saying that the traditional paper ballots are easily rigged. Blockchain voting is said to be successful in preventing fraud at this level.

Direct Democracy has several members who have lived in Switzerland for several years themselves, and therefore, they have become advocates of political change in the UK, hoping to promote a similar system.

The group is becoming successful as a political force and has even fielded several candidates at the local elections in May, with growing enthusiasm.

So join us for a fact filled and free event (it will only cost the price of a drink at the bar downstairs). We are a friendly bunch and value everyone’s opinion. All’s we ask is that you also respect everyone else’s and refrain from any abusive language.

Look forward to debating/discussing this with everyone.

Chris

The Hop Merchant, Nottingham

64-68 Upper Parliament Street
Nottingham, NG1 2AG United Kingdom
+ Google Map