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A re-invigorated democracy

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I want to share with others one approach to re-imagining democracy which may or may not work. It is small scale, experimental  and with no certainty of success but even its shortcomings and failures  will, I hope, afford some useful learning lessons for all of us.

It attempts to tackle two issues relating to representative democracy. The first is the absence of any clear, independent record of what candidates actually say and commit to. Cast your mind back to the last election and try Googling an issue of concern – can you find anything?  There may be scattered references in local newspapers or on defunct blogs  but the most important content has likely been deleted or removed, probably soon after the 2010 election ended.  What your MP said then might be a  source of some embarrassment now – or worse! But it is too late, the information has been deleted. Continue reading →

Re-imagining democracy – peoples’ assemblies – by Paul Feldman for openDemocracy

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This spring, inaugural Assemblies for Democracy in London, Manchester and Glasgow will identify the major issues with our clearly inadequate democracy and then start work thinking on how we could solve them.

The Spring Assemblies are part of the unfolding conversation about what Al Gore once described as our “hollowed-out democracy”. Can we fix it with a few palliative, reformist measures? Or, dare we suggest, has representative democracy had its day? Do we, as Owen Jones thinks, need a “democratic revolution”? If Jones and others like Russell Brand are right about democracy’s failings, how are we going to achieve deep-going change? Read more

Young people can revitalise democracy – by Nigel Thomas, University of Central Lancashire

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How can there be a democracy that excludes a quarter of the population? First the vote was restricted to men with property; then it was restricted to men; then it was restricted to adults – at first to those aged 21 and over, then since 1970 to those aged 18 and over. Now there are widespread demands to reduce the minimum voting age to 16, given a massive boost by the success of the Scottish referendum in mobilising young people to take part – not just in the voting but also in the debate. Continue reading →

Assemblies for Democracy – by Matilda Murday, Democratic Society

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This coming spring three grass roots Assembly events will be happening in London, Manchester and Glasgow, where people will come together to discover and discuss democracy and power in the UK. The plan is for these events to generate questions about who and what holds power in the modern British democratic system and what the future could and should look like. Read more

Assemblies can put real democracy on the map – A World to Win

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The Tories’ proposals that only MPs with seats in England should vote on laws that relate solely to England is more than just a political manoeuvre that they calculate will bring them electoral advantage over Labour. Their plan is a further indication of the break-up of the current political arrangements. These are under immense strain from a range of internal and external processes which together constitute the end of democracy – at least as we have come to know it.  Read more