Simultaneous Policy:
Rediscovering the Sense of our Collective Humanity

The Simultaneous Policy has as its ultimate aim the transformation of the international economy such that it operates in harmony with the global natural environment and with the needs of human nature. John Bunzl

When private citizens and parliamentarians from various countries cooperate on global problems such as climate change, unfair trade and unsustainability, then development can grow faster than left to formal parliamentarian procedures. That is happening with Simpol, or Simultaneous Policy, as shown for instance at December 15th, 2006 by the support of SP in the parliament of Great Britain. Malcolm Bruce, Liberal Democrat MP for Gordon and Vice-chair of Globe UK, became the twentieth MP from all the main UK political parties to sign a pledge to implement SP alongside other governments. “I strongly support action by governments working together to tackle climate change,” Mr. Bruce said.

To avoid governments’ fears that the unilateral implementation of stringent environmental controls would see capital and jobs moving elsewhere, the Simultaneous Policy is to be implemented simultaneously, only when all or sufficient governments have signed up. In this way, supporting SP poses no-risk to any nation’s international competitiveness and is helping to build international and cross-party support while opening the way to far more robust measures being adopted than those presently envisaged under agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol.

The fear of competitive disadvantage is rapidly being recognised as the key barrier to solving global warming and many other global problems. The Stern report recently warned governments to act urgently to curb carbon emissions, but the Financial Times (6th Dec. 06) noted that “…governments remain reluctant to address this threat because any country acting alone to curb its greenhouse gas emissions, without similar commitments by other governments, risks damaging the competitiveness of its industries.” David Milliband, UK environment minister, confirmed this problem, noting that: “There is a collective action problem internationally.”

To short-cut inter-governmental paralysis, the design of SP’s range of global policies is undertaken, not by political parties, but by thousands of citizens around the world who support SP, known as Adopters. To secure sufficient international support for SP, Adopters vote in their respective national elections for any candidate, within reason, who has signed the pledge to implement SP alongside other governments, or to encourage their preferred party to support SP. In this way, politicians who fail to sign the SP Pledge risk losing their seats to those who do. With more parliamentary seats and even entire national elections being won or lost on fine margins, only a relatively small number of Adopters may be needed to make it in the vital interests of the main politicians and parties to support SP. In this way, citizens around the world are adopting SP as a way to seize the political initiative and to drive even uncooperative governments, such as the U.S. administration, towards the internationally co-operative solution that SP provides.

Apart from the UK, there is support for SP in the EU and Australian parliaments and SP campaigns are under way many in other countries. SP is supported by the prime minister of East Timor, Dr. José Ramos-Horta, and by many ecologists, activists and economists.

For further information visit www.simpol.org (global site) and/or www.simpol.org.uk (UK site).