David Marquand is former principal of Mansfield College, Oxford. Among his many books are The Unprincipled Society (1988), Ramsay MacDonald (2nd edition, 1997), The New Reckoning: capitalism, states, and citizens (1997), and The Progressive Dilemma (2nd edition, 1999). His latest book is Decline of the Public: the hollowing-out of citizenship (Polity Press, 2004).

Recent articles

As the Government announces plans for a reformed House of Lords, David Marquand and Anthony Barnett discuss whether a new chamber should be chosen by lottery.

David Marquand (Oxford): At first sight, the idea of ‘sortition’ for the reformed House of Lords (or Senators or whatever) is attractive. But when you reflect on it it becomes distinctly unattractive.Here’s why:

First (a minor – but still significant – tactical objection), It clearly won’t happen; and it’s a mistake for constitutional reformers to give the impression that whatever the Government proposes they will be against.

Second (and much more serious): The main point of having an elected Second Chamber is to give it democratic legitimacy, so as to make it a stronger check on abuses of power by the elective dictator who controls the Lower House. Whatever may have been true in ancient Athens – not really a democracy, remember, since slaves, women and foreigners couldn’t participate – in today’s world democratic election is the only source of democratic legitimacy. An upper house chosen, in effect, by chance would be less legitimate than the Commons, not more. It would be a permanent focus group, as far removed from true democracy as the Government’s proposed Citizen’s Summit.

This is a response by David Marquand to John Palmer's article on Ireland's "No" vote on the Lisbon Treaty.

David Marquand (Oxford): The real issue goes far deeper than our blinkered political class and media commentariat seem to realise. The post-cold war world, with a hegemonic US as the only super-power, is dying if not dead. An infintely more complex and more dangerous multi-polar world is coming into existence, with China, India and perhaps a revitalised Russia as super powers alongside the US. The US will for the foreseeable future remain the strongest of these super-powers, but it will not be the only one. Economically it has already ceased to be a hegemon: as the dollar falls, the Euro climbs. The crucial question for Europeans is whether we want the world to be run by the Americans, Chinese, Indians and perhaps Russians, or whether Europe should get its act together and become a quasi-super power as well. Europe’s political elites have either funked or fudged that question, and in Britain virtually no one has so far faced it. But the answer Europeans give to it will determine the shape of global and European politics as the 21^st century proceeds. If Europe wants to hold its own in the multipolar world now taking shape it has to make a qualitative leap towards federalism.

David Marquand takes another look at Gordon Brown's governance agenda for Britain, six months after its launch. After so many negative headlines, is there any hope left for democratic reform in the UK?

This is an article for OurKingdom, openDemocracy's group discussion blog on the future of the United Kingdom.

The British prime minister is an extraordinary work of art who combines windy rhetoric, disinterest in ideas, desire to be liked, carelessness with the facts, and messianic zeal. But does he also offer the people what they want? The veteran analyst of Britain's centre-left, David Marquand, discusses Tony Blair’s latest Labour Party conference speech with openDemocracy editor Anthony Barnett.

The Hutton report reveals the crisis of the British model of governance. Tony Blair and the BBC alike have fed the public realm’s “manipulative populism”, says David Marquand. Will Blair’s leadership now be consumed by it?