It began as a special edition of the New Statesman magazine in 1988 and it took its name from Charter 77 – the Czechoslovak dissident movement co-founded by Václav Havel.
Charter 77 originally appeared as a manifesto published in a West German newspaper that was signed by Czechoslovak citizens representing various occupations, political viewpoints, and religions.
The writer Harold Pinter, composer Simon Rattle, actor John Cleese and actress Emma Thompson were also early supporters.
[7][9] Other signatories from the entertainment world included actor Ray McAnally, who played the left-wing Prime Minister in the TV film A Very British Coup, whilst other famous names included novelists Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, Julian Barnes, A.S. Byatt, Margaret Drabble, and Angela Carter.
Other famous signatories included Martin Amis,[7] Melvyn Bragg,[7][10] Tim Clement-Jones, Judi Dench, Terry Eagleton, Antonia Fraser, Clement Freud, Stuart Hall,[7] and Christopher Hitchens.
[7][11] Signatory Lord Scarman chaired the launch in the House of Commons of Charter 88's strategy document 'We can Make it Happen in the Next Ten years', and remained a behind the scenes influence.
The intellectual left provided notable signatories however in the form of Ralph Miliband, Robin Blackburn and feminist Sheila Rowbotham.
In June 2003, the chair of the Charter 88 executive and management committee and active contributor Paul Hirst died suddenly.
Local Works, ACT's campaign for the Sustainable Communities Bill continued successfully and the legislation received Royal Assent in October 2007.