A benchmark, not a brand
The Common Ground
A political framework built on a simple bet: your neighbors agree with you about more than the parties want you to believe.
It is a written standard for builders, workers, and
stewards.
It is not left, right, a candidate, or a fundraiser. Nothing
here is for sale.
Ten principles, in plain words
- 1The long futureLeave the world more workable than we found it.
- 2Anti-enshittificationNothing should get worse on purpose to squeeze the people stuck using it.
- 3Local-first infrastructureCommunities should own their broadband, energy, food, and water.
- 4Radical transparencyIf it bills you, insures you, or governs you, you get to see how it works.
- 5Privacy-first technologyCivic life should never require a surveillance platform.
- 6Worker dignityThe people who do the work are the point — not the people who take a cut.
- 7Margins, not extractionReward businesses built to last, not built to squeeze.
- 8Civic tech as public goodVoting systems and government software: open, auditable, publicly owned.
- 9Heard, and constructiveChallenge anything — and bring a better idea when you do.
- 10Accountable institutionsNo institution is above scrutiny, and none is beyond redemption.