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Nicholas Albery

Small Group Discussions

Here is a list of the sort of questions discussion groups ought to be asking adapted from Nicholas Albery's work in the early 1980s.:

THEORY
How is the area of concern of the discussion defined?
How can the concept of human scale and local autonomy be related or applied to it?
"So we agree with the general line of argument, but what can we do about it?"

PRACTICE
What have been the main problems and needs, successes and failures of efforts within this area of concern to date?
What action-potential for change is there among local citizen groups, national groups, political organizations, the local and national media, professional bodies or international organizations?
What are the outstanding new initiatives being taken (anywhere in the world) and which aspects could be extended or adapted for introduction elsewhere?

WHAT CAN WE DO?
What imaginative ways can we think up to raise public consciousness about our discussions?
Thinking creatively, can we evolve new and unusual proposals?
What are the next steps we will take as a group and how do we build on these discussions?

WHAT MIGHT OTHERS DO?
What safeguards can we suggest for new 'localist' groups and nations to adopt in their external relations to prevent the development of aggressive power-hungry federations and empires?
What role is envisaged for 'powers that be' in relation to the concerns of the discussion
What specific proposals can we make in relation to the global crisis in relation to the dangers of global war and ecological collapse?

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