SIMULTANEOUS POLICY WEBSITE COMBATS POLITICAL APATHY AND PUTS UK VOTERS BACK IN CHARGE

Simpol-UK launches online at  http://www.simpol.org.uk/

Simpol-UK, the UK branch of the not-for-profit International Simultaneous Policy Organisation (ISPO), is launching its website (www.simpol.org.uk), with the aim of putting UK voters back in charge of democracy. The website gives a comprehensive overview of the organisation‚s Simultaneous Policy (SP) proposal, and is the first phase of an internet strategy implemented by a team of volunteer developers who are pioneering adopters of SP.

Simpol-UK has a growing membership of UK citizens who coordinate their votes to encourage Britain and other nations to co-operate in solving global problems. It is the first of many National Simultaneous Policy Organisations throughout the world, working under the umbrella of the ISPO. Spain, India, Canada, the United States, and other countries, will soon follow in Simpol-UK‚s footsteps. Adopters of SP believe the ISPO offers a new way of restoring genuine democracy lawfully and peacefully, one vote at a time.

Site visitors are invited to 'adopt' the Simultaneous Policy, which means they pledge to vote not for a specific candidate but for any candidate, within reason, who has pledged to implement SP, or to encourage their preferred candidate/party to pledge to implement the policy. Instead of dividing people along party-political or other lines, SP unites them behind a common methodology, for which there is already widespread support. Until the advent of SP, this common policy had no means of effective political expression.

Josie Sawers, internet strategist at Simpol-UK, comments: „We believe most people would agree to apply SP to the global problems of terrorism, unfair trade, environmental destruction, global warming, and the undue influence of multinational corporations. Countries need to work together to solve these major issues. However, the competitive global economy reduces the policy options open to governments and, consequently, voters are frequently deprived of their democratic rights.‰

Sawers continues: "Who hasn‚t thought that voting for one political party over another is a case of picking the 'least of all evils'? Some people believe it no longer matters who receives their vote, while others don‚t vote at all. Party politics aren‚t working any more, and turnout figures support our viewpoint."

According to the latest Brussels poll, less than half of European citizens intend to vote in June's EU-wide elections for the European Parliament. Meanwhile, UK local elections achieve a 32-34% turnout; and the 1999 European Parliament polls witnessed a turnout of just 24% - the lowest vote amongst EU member states.

"If citizens worldwide who currently abstain from voting decided to adopt Simultaneous Policy, we could see the beginning of the end of many major global problems within the next 20 years," Sawers concludes.

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Notes to editors

The UK Simultaneous Policy Organisation (Simpol-UK) was incorporated on 22 March 2004 as a democratically operated, not-for-profit company. Worldwide adopters of SP communicate through the International Simultaneous Policy Organisation (ISPO) -  http://www.simpol.org/ - an informal, not-for-profit umbrella organisation.

Simultaneous Policy (SP) is the brainchild of British businessman, John Bunzl, who devised the idea during late 1998. The central premise is to move away from destructive global economic competition and towards fruitful cooperation, within the framework of existing national and international institutions and political processes. The methodology is explained in Bunzl's book, The Simultaneous Policy ˆ An Insider‚s Guide to Saving Humanity and the Planet. The book has been praised by Tony Benn and Noam Chomsky, as well as many other leading figures.

For further information, please contact:

Josie Sawers, Simpol-UK

Tel: 07779 357771

Email:  media@simpol.org.uk