Charter of the Citizens' Social Democratic Faction

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Patroklus Murakami
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Charter of the Citizens' Social Democratic Faction

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The following charter was adopted by the Citizens' Social Democratic Faction on 29 July 2006 in the City of Neufreistadt.

[b:2rdqa05d][i:2rdqa05d]Citizens’ Social Democratic Faction – Charter[/i:2rdqa05d] [/b:2rdqa05d]

[b:2rdqa05d]1. Preamble and Principles [/b:2rdqa05d]

The Citizen’s Social Democratic Faction is a Neufreistadt political grouping open to citizens who support our principles.

Our founding documents are the Neufreistadt Constitution, the Neufreistadt Code of Laws, Linden Labs Terms of Service, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Principles of the Socialist International.

We believe in Freedom, Justice, Equality, Solidarity, Democracy and Human Rights.

Freedom has both individual and collective aspects. Each person has the right to be free to realise their potential. But that is only possible if we collectively succeed in the fight to ensure that no person, class, sex, religion or race becomes the servant of another.

Justice means the end of all discrimination against individuals, and the equality of rights and opportunities. It demands compensation for physical, mental and social inequalities, and freedom from dependence on either the owners of the means of production or the holders of political power.

Equality is the expression of the equal value of all human beings and the precondition for the free development of the human personality. Basic economic, social and cultural equality is essential for individual diversity and social progress.

Freedom and equality are not contradictory. Equality is the condition for the development of individual personality. Equality and personal freedom are indivisible.

Solidarity is all-encompassing and global. It is the practical expression of common humanity and of the sense of compassion with the victims of injustice. Solidarity is rightly stressed and celebrated by all major humanist traditions. In the present era of unprecedented interdependence between individuals and nations, solidarity gains an enhanced significance since it is imperative for human survival.

Democratic socialists attach equal importance to these fundamental principles. They are interdependent. Each is a prerequisite of the other. As opposed to this position, Liberals and Conservatives have placed the main emphasis on individual liberty at the expense of justice and solidarity while Communists have claimed to achieve equality and solidarity, but at the expense of freedom.

We believe in the potential for the transformation of the self that comes from labour and learning and believe that virtual worlds (such as Second Life) can enable that transformation.

We believe that the workers, by hand or by brain, deserve the full fruits of their labour and that economic rewards for work and innovation are compatible with a democratic socialist society.

We would like to experiment with novel forms of social ownership both to prevent ‘the tragedy of the commons’ and to moderate the worst excesses of unregulated capitalism. We support the provision of high quality public spaces and builds in Neufreistadt under the democratic control of the citizens through their government institutions.

While we defend the right to individual property, we believe that common resources can and should be used to create high quality public spaces for the good of all.

We believe that government processes must be democratic and transparent and we begin by applying these beliefs to our own self-organisation.

[b:2rdqa05d]2. Duties of Government [/b:2rdqa05d]

We are committed to self-governing communities in virtual worlds. We believe the duties of government are to:
a. Guarantee equal access to public, shared resources and to act as a guardian to prevent the exploitation of the same
b. Legislate in the interests of the community
c. Ensure that legislation is carried out by providing the necessary monitoring and funding
d. Demonstrate the worth of democratic collective action within virtual worlds

[b:2rdqa05d]3. Membership [/b:2rdqa05d]

Membership is open to all Neufreistadt citizens. Prospective members must be ratified by a majority of existing members at a General Meeting of the Faction before they are allowed to vote.

Membership can only be withdrawn from a member of the Faction by majority vote at a General Meeting.

[b:2rdqa05d]4. Officers [/b:2rdqa05d]

The Faction will hold an election for Secretary-General at least once every six months. The Secretary-General is responsible for setting an agenda for General Meetings, organising General Meetings and promoting the CSDF.

The Faction Leader is chosen at election time in line with the Constitution. The Faction Leader coordinates the work of the CSDF within the Representative Assembly.

[b:2rdqa05d]5. Meetings [/b:2rdqa05d]

The Faction will hold a fortnightly General Meeting open to all members and weekly meetings in the run up to Neufreistadt elections.

An Extraordinary Meeting of the Faction can be called using the SL Group voting tools. The EM will take place if 10% or more of the eligible voting members vote in favour.

The Quorum for Meetings is an absolute majority of the current membership (i.e. 50% of the total membership plus one). Voting will be by simple majority (i.e. 50% of members present plus one)

[b:2rdqa05d]6. Amending the Charter [/b:2rdqa05d]

Any faction member may propose suggestions for amendment to the Charter. These must be announced in advance of the General Meeting. Amendments need approval by a quorate General Meeting and a favourable vote of at least 2/3 of all members present at the GM in order to pass.

[b:2rdqa05d]7. Neufreistadt Elections[/b:2rdqa05d]

The General Meeting will appoint a group to write the election manifesto and then ratify it or amend it at a subsequent meeting.

The Faction will select its candidates in accordance with the Neufreistadt Constitution.

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