“Every constitution, then, and every law, naturally expires at the end of nineteen years. If it be enforced longer, it is an act of force, and not of right.”
Award winning Constitution Designer Thomas Jefferson advocating an iterative approach to constitution design.
(more here, some contemporary constitution design sketches here).
There were two Open Space session on local democracy at City Camp Manchester.
Summarising both of them from memory, and my interpretation only, I'd say:
- there was a real interest in talking about what local democracy is, and wanting to think about how it might be different
- most people don't like the way national politics happens, and want local democracy to be something else (in the Friday session there were two people from a political party - a candidate in a safe council ward, and a local organiser/activist, maybe paid - and even they seemed to think the same)
- people do recognise that good councillors are valuable to the places they represent, but it is their role as representatives and activists that is valued
In the second of the two sessions I scribbled down notes. I tried to write down everything everybody said, but failed by quite a long way. I've grouped them under headings, but the headings reflect only my interpretation. There are many more possible headings than this, but I'm not clever enough to untangle everything.
Cynicism - felt to be justified - and dislike of the bear pit Question Time model - middle aged middle class London based white men [1] shouting at each other
* council consultation exercises (“when did you stop beating your wife”)
* “I didn't believe it would make a difference”
* “they had already made their mind up”
* cynicism - is it justified?
* voting wont change anything
* voters are angry * “the main parties”
* breaking cynicism
* but party machines get people elected
* why aren't things “properly representative”
* what are we allowed to have direct democratic control over? Shrinking budgets.
* what control/access/info do we have to private companies and privatised stuff (example of prisons run by private companies)
* properly representative = women, working class, not London
Councillors, councils and their roles
* can councillors work effectively - “gather stuff people are saying”
* transparency
* how to support councillors better
* tracking issues raised with the council “who has discussed this”
* Better CRM?
* process of canvassing
* online tools
* policy as enacting ideas
* start with ideas
* devolution of power from local authorities
* councillors as mediators
* what are we allowed to have direct democratic control over? Shrinking budgets.
Redesigning
* utopias (as a way of seeing what we've got more clearly)
* pirate party +1 vote at least
* start your own party
* why don't people like us [in the open space session] stand for election
* party based local politics is bad
* properly representative = women, working class, not London
* why aren't things “properly representative”
* what are we allowed to have direct democratic control over? Shrinking budgets.
* what control/access/info so we have to private companies and privatised stuff (example of prisons run by private companies)
* what do we think about the online petitions?
* utopia vs reform from within
* devolution to the North ( how, what)
* policy as an open source technology
* open knowledge
* devolution of power from local authorities
* participatory budgeting
* properly representative = women, working class, not London
* offering new alternatives
* party based local politics is bad
* what do we think about the online petitions?
* policy making - who does it now
* How do the ideas from things like this (City Camp Manchester) contact with local democracy and policy making
* everyone gets ten votes = redesign of the voting system
* different forms of democracy. Representative democracy is not the only one eg direct democracy
* “direct democracy is easier to swallow”
* “it's easier to swallow opposing results if you know who they are from and why they said it” - “if I know them”
* properly representative = women, working class, not London
* why aren't things “properly representative”
* what do we think about the online petitions?
* devolution to the North ( how, what) [2]
* is “it” not working and why isn't it working
* councillors as mediators [3]
* policy as an open source technology
* open knowledge
* consultation about ideas rather than policies (pirate party)
* what do we think about the online petitions?
[square brackets]
[1] I'm one of those, for my sins, so I'm not saying it's a bad thing to be in itself, just that it's not the only thing
[2]
Manchester city region 3.2 million people
Leeds city region 2.9 million
Wales 2.9 million
Estonia 1.3 million
[3] mediatory democracy is a very interesting phrase I think, and suggests something a bit different from representative, participatory, or direct democracy?
Comments