International Alert's Head of Communications encouraged participants at the Conflict Ideas Forum on Monday 10th to tweet through the day. I thought it's worth capturing at least some of those tweets, reflecting some of the information that was shared and some of the insights and reflections that were developed. So I scoured my way through #conflictideas [3] and picked up what follows, mostly from me and some from Lisa (and I'm presuming Lisa tweeted in two guises). I've taken out most of the repetitive @intalert [4]'s and #conflictideas [3] to make it a bit easier to erad.
Regard this as an aide memoire so our immediate thoughts at the time don't just float away into the ether.
- Today
@intalert [4] holds forum on peacebuilding needs & prospects within EU (same day EU gets Nobel Prize) - Homelessness in England reduces average life expectancy by 30 years to same level as Afghanistan & Central African Republic
- Voter turnout in top 2 social classes in UK is 19% higher than in bottom 2 - richer people feel more ownership of politics
- Department of Known but Shocking: Greek GDP down 25% in 4 years; unemployment is 26% & >50% among youth
- Spanish indignados' chant at recent demo: "We want to live like our parents did." Think about it.
- Dilemma & paradox of the EU discussed at forum - integration = building peace BUT integration also = disempowerment
- Official EU & UK gov't ideologies of subsidiarity & localism undermined by bureaucratic & political preferences
- Ideas being floated for how to continue, deepen and broaden the conversation convened today by
@intalert [4]
ICPS@ICPS_Peace [6] (International Centre for Participation Studies, Bradford – presumably tweeted by Lisa Cummings?):
#Participation [7] & voice central issues at@intalert [4] European#conflictideas [8] forum today.- Key question from today's forum: Is model of Euro integration moving from keeping the peace to causing conflict?
- Rich discussion about need to rethink power in context of converging crises at forum on Europe.
Lisa Cumming@LisaDialogue [9]: [10]
- Today's conversation inc: the EU peacemaker or conflict generator? Need to rethink power, increase participation & voice.
- Left forum thinking about purpose, process & ethics of peacebuilding when structural violence is on the rise.