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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN class=939143913-09052011>I
would like to support Parminder's comments and overall analysis here.
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=939143913-09052011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN class=939143913-09052011>I
think this issue should be put in the larger context of the broad outsourcing of
government policy making (this specific example is particularly egregious
since it isn't simply "outsourcing" but rather it seems to be putting policy
making in these crucial spheres "up for auction").</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=939143913-09052011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN class=939143913-09052011>In the
Canadian and I believe other national contexts this "outsourcing of government
policy making" is a broad trend which began initially with the destruction of
government's internal capacity for research and policy analysis on the basis of
"cost-cutting". When this proved impossible to sustain in complex
enviroments there was a broad shift to outsourcing these requirements
to private agencies -- mostly privatized think tanks to provide this type of
policy research and analysis. Since these agencies were directly funded by
the government of the day their capacity to undertake disinterested (or
rather research and policy analysis in the "public interest" or towards the
general good</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=939143913-09052011>) was of course fatally
compromised.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=939143913-09052011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN class=939143913-09052011>Issues
of truly massive financial significance and global reach such as those involving
the Internet (another example of course is the global
financial system) are of particular concern here since what is required are
global regulatory and policy making agencies sufficent to respond to the scale
and scope of the matters at hand. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=939143913-09052011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN class=939143913-09052011>In the
absence of these (as has been commented on repeatedly in this context in this
forum) the need doesn't disappear but the mode of response takes a typical form
at this stage of global development i.e. to turn to those "with the greatest
stake" -- the private corps to provide the advice and policy direction required.
The instrumentalities (including research and policy analysis) which would allow
governments individually or collectively to undertake the required policy making
simply don't exist nor do most of our current G8 governments want them to exist
for ideological reasons.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=939143913-09052011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN class=939143913-09052011>Guys
(and gals) its not that the French government (or the Canadian government in an
earlier iteration) "forgot" to invite Civil Society to the table it is that they
see no need to bring CS to the table and there are no institutions in most
instances either at the naitonal level or at the global level which are
structured in such a way as to require this i.e. to support "the
public interest".</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=939143913-09052011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN class=939143913-09052011>All of
which is to say, the instance that Parminder is pointing to is not isolated and
it isn't accidental.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=939143913-09052011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=939143913-09052011>Mike</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=939143913-09052011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Tahoma>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
governance@lists.cpsr.org [mailto:governance@lists.cpsr.org] <B>On Behalf Of
</B>parminder<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, May 09, 2011 1:13 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
governance@lists.cpsr.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: AW: [governance] Internet G8
meeting<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" dir=ltr><FONT
face=sans-serif></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT><BR>On Monday 09 May 2011 01:19
PM, Ian Peter wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE cite=mid:C9EDD98C.188E9%25ian.peter@ianpeter.com
type="cite"><FONT face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">My only problem with the text is that it tells them
what we think they should do without telling them why it would be
advantageous to do it another way. So its not likely to draw a great deal of
attention.<BR></SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face=sans-serif>Thanks for your
comments, Ian. In general I have no problem with incorporating your additions,
</FONT>and I will leave it to others to decide on it. However, I must assert,
with the risk of looking like trying to take the moral high-ground, that civil
society's role is not just to give 'technical' advice to others, about what is
good for them or not. Our basic legitimacy is moral and representational...
Also it is never clear, to 'whom' is something advantageous or not - to
the French President's own interest, the narrow interests of the French state,
of the states of G * together, advantageous to whom?<BR><BR>So while an
instrumental logic can be used to supplement our assertions, they should not
be primary, and should in any case be used with great caution. We need to
invlvoe all countries and all stakeholders not because it is advantageous to
the principal parties being addressed here, (which in nay case they can refute
by giving counter logic) but because that is the democratic and right way to
do it. Period. That is what we stand for and struggle for. <BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite=mid:C9EDD98C.188E9%25ian.peter@ianpeter.com
type="cite"><FONT face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><BR>To this end I would add another paragraph –
perhaps after the “it is also pertinent” paragraph, along the lines
of<BR><BR><BR>The issues we face with internet governance and internet
developments are global in nature, and adequate solutions to the problems we
face will need to involve all countries, as well as a wide range of
business, civil society and technical interests. All of these inputs are
essential to any sensible and effective developments in this
area,</SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>Begs the question, sensible and effective for
whom ?? Some things can be quite sensible and effective to, say large
incumbent businesses, or even to narrow economic interests of a particular
nation state perched at a particular place in the global digital economy chain
or network. that does not diminish our right and effort to seek democratic
participation in policy making. Also, I dont like the terminology of
'solutions' as if there are value- and interest- neutral solutions waiting to
be found by the right application of expertise in all policy matters.
<BR><BR>For the same reason, I am not in agreement with one of Avri's edits
where the call to adhere to canons or high principles of legitimate policy
making is sought to be replace by best practises in policy making. This again
suggests expertise and information-richness based policy models, but i think
this is much more 'political' than that.<BR><BR>Just my views, for whatever
they are worth :)<BR><BR>Parminder <BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE cite=mid:C9EDD98C.188E9%25ian.peter@ianpeter.com
type="cite"><FONT face="Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">and we urge a more holistic involvement of this wide
range of key players. Only in this way will we be able to develop
adequate solutions.<BR><BR>Ian Peter<BR>
<HR align=center SIZE=3 width="95%">
<B>From: </B>Jeremy Malcolm <<A href="jeremy@ciroap.org"
moz-do-not-send="true">jeremy@ciroap.org</A>><BR><B>Organization:
</B>Consumers International<BR><B>Reply-To: </B><<A
href="governance@lists.cpsr.org"
moz-do-not-send="true">governance@lists.cpsr.org</A>>, Jeremy Malcolm
<<A href="jeremy@ciroap.org"
moz-do-not-send="true">jeremy@ciroap.org</A>><BR><B>Date: </B>Mon, 09 May
2011 12:29:14 +0800<BR><B>To: </B><<A href="governance@lists.cpsr.org"
moz-do-not-send="true">governance@lists.cpsr.org</A>>, Avri <<A
href="avri@acm.org"
moz-do-not-send="true">avri@acm.org</A>><BR><B>Subject: </B>Re: AW:
[governance] Internet G8 meeting<BR><BR> Thanks Parminder
and Avri. Here's a consolidated draft with Avri's
edits.<BR> <BR> Basic courtesy
stuff.....<BR> <BR> We understand that the
French Presidency of the G8 proposes to hold a
G8<BR> Internet meeting, immediately prior to the G8
Summit in ........,with a view<BR> to prepare or
influence the agenda for the G8 Summit regarding key
global<BR> Internet issues. We also understand that
many heads of states of G 8<BR> countries are
expected to attend this meeting. The meeting is
especially<BR> important since in the past G 8 has
set up the global agenda on many key<BR> issues,
especially in the information society
arena.<BR> <BR> We are very concerned about the
manner in which the G 8 Internet meeting is<BR>
being organised which is ignoring current best practice in public policy
making.<BR> It also jettisons the principle of
multistakeholder participation that has evolved<BR>
globally, especially in the area of Internet governance. It appears that the
G8<BR> meeting is organized by large Industry with access
given only to industry and<BR> government actors.
We have also understood that there is a linkage between<BR>
donations and invitations.<BR> <BR> Big
businesses already have a disproportionately large influence
on<BR> government bureaucracies. For governments to
sanction a dedicated meeting<BR> with top G8 leaders and
officials to plan the global agenda for Internet related<BR>
policies is inappropriate. What is required is a discussion that
includes civil<BR> society actors, who will bring to the
table the concerns of global public interest<BR> derived
from a diversity of people's, of many sections of society, interests
and<BR> concerns.<BR> <BR>
It is also pertinent to state here that since the Internet is essentially
a<BR> global phenomenon, policies framed together by
the most powerful nations,<BR> quite likely, will
become the default global norm. This is most true
for<BR> architectural and economic issues, while the
global impact on other areas<BR> will also be
substantial. It is therefore appropriate that G 8
countries<BR> engage with the same, and other
issues, of Internet policies at the more<BR>
democratic global forums where all countries are present at an
equal<BR> footing. In this connection, there is the
World Summit on the Information<BR> Society mandated
set of processes for dealing with pressing global
Internet<BR> related issues. Multistakeholder
participation is an important part of these
global<BR> IG related processes. We see the proposed
G 8 Interent meeting a significant<BR> step
backwards both for global democracy and for
multistakeholder<BR>
participation.<BR> <BR> We therefore request
you, and other G 8 leaders, to make the proposed G
8<BR> Internet meeting genuinely multistakeholder,
following the model of the UN<BR> IGF. We are
impressed with the solid support provided by the G 8
countries<BR> for upholding a multistakeholder model
for the IGF. The strong support that<BR> many of G8
countries, including your own, have shown for full
multistakeholder<BR> participation makes this current
decision to limit discussion to vested interests<BR> of
governments' industry partners is baffling and is unacceptable to many
of<BR> the users of the
Internet.<BR> <BR> closing and salutations.....
<BR>-- <BR> <BR> <BR><BR><B>Dr Jeremy Malcolm<BR> Project
Coordinator</B></SPAN><FONT size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
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<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0cm"><FONT color=#666666><FONT face=FlamaBook><FONT
size=2><SPAN lang=en-US><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">Parminder Jeet
Singh</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT color=#666666><FONT
face=FlamaBook><SPAN lang=en-US><BR></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT
color=#666666><FONT face=FlamaBook><FONT size=2><SPAN lang=en-US>Executive
Director<BR>IT for Change <BR>NGO in Special Consultative Status with the
United Nations ECOSOC</SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT
face="Times New Roman, serif"><SPAN lang=en-US><BR></SPAN></FONT><FONT
color=#666666><FONT face=FlamaBook><FONT size=2><SPAN lang=en-US><A
href="http://www.ITforChange.net/">www.ITforChange.net</A><BR>Tel:+91-80-2665
4134, 2653 6890. Fax:+91-80-4146 1055<BR><IMG alt=""
src="cid:939143913@09052011-36BD" width=132
height=90><BR></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></P>
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