Press Statement From Occupy Edinburgh 24/11/11
We are pleased to announce that Edinburgh City Council has set a
worldwide precedent by voting in favour of the motion to support the
aims and sentiments of Occupy Edinburgh and the Occupy Movement as a
whole. This motion was presented by the Scottish Green Party, was
seconded by the Scottish Labour Party and was slightly amended by the
SNP and LibDems. The only party not to back the motion was the
Conservatives.
We regard this as a fantastic step forward in the opening of dialogue
with the Scottish government. With this historic decision, Edinburgh
City Council are setting an example in local administration, as well
as sending a message to the governments in both Holyrood and
Westminster. They have shown willingness for open dialogue and respect
alongside a fundamental commitment to the concerns of the people they
are elected to represent. The current systems for economy and resource
distribution are grossly outdated, and as the people educate
themselves we begin to demand changes. Symptoms such as the
“austerity/bailout” response of our government only serves to solidify
the attitude of cynicism toward our current economic system, which has
already moved far into general acceptance. Local Councils are the
first step in the re-population of democracy, and should be following
the example of Scotland’s capital by aligning themselves to a
grassroots paradigm that places people and community before profit and
unsustainable growth. The Council recognises the aims of the ‘Occupy’
movements throughout the world and understands that they are an
attempt to redirect economic decisions to be more orientated toward
the poor and disenfranchised which is a sentiment the Council
endorses.
