Citizens Juries

Alexandra Runswick (Unlock Democracy): I have been more than a little sceptical about the government’s plans for a citizen’s summit on the proposed British Statement of Values. I was worried it might be like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where Arthur Dent discovers that the plans for the demolition of his house had been on display for nine months; it’s just that they were on display in a cellar without any lights, at the bottom of a locked filing cabinet, stuck in a disused lavatory, with a sign on the door saying “Beware of the Leopard." So yes, you can be engaged in the policy making process just as long as you are and-picked by a polling company, the government then determines the subject matter, how long the conversation will last and whether the conversation will be followed up by any action. 

Jon Bright (London, OK): involve launched their pamphlet 'Participation Nation' yesterday at a panel event with Matthew Taylor, Shaun Bayley and Hazel Blears. It was nice to hear someone from Labour reaffirm a commitment to localism and participation after so many strong statements by the Conservatives on this.

Anthony Barnett (London, OK): As the Brown government makes a hash of its so-called citizens juries, James Fishkin reports on the conclusion to the altogether more serious efforts to listen to the people of Europe which Clive James Matthews has been blogging over on our sister site dLiberation. It is a must-read if you are really interested in 'listening to the people'. Fishkin works from the Centre for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford and has developed a sophisticated form of deliberative polling. For a good overview of the issues involved see his review of the best selling Wisdom of Crowds. He concludes:

James Graham (London, Unlock Democracy): I have to admit that despite my back issue collection of Fortean Times, I don't really have that much time for conspiracy theories, least of all the ones surrounding the death of Princess Diana. The current inquest investigating her death seems a collossal waste of tax-payers money, and the media scrum surrounding it just leaves me cold. But watching the footage shown on the BBC this evening about the court's visit to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris did at least serve to illustrate what a proper working jury looks like.For supporters of widening the jury principle into public policy, it has been a depressing month. The various "citizens' juries" that are being conducted around the country don't resemble what I ever understood a citizens' jury to be. Far from sober, deliberative exercises of the type we saw in Paris, these appear to be glorified focus groups searching for little more than snapshot opinions.

Alice Casey (London, involve): Political parties can't get enough participation these days: whether red, blue or yellow, the p-word sits at the top of the list for all. There is an emerging consensus that if the state is to fulfill its objectives of improving public services to meet the demands of the modern era then the co-operation of the public is essential. One such change is the reform of NHS from a curative or sickness service to a preventative or wellness service, as demanded by Derek Wanless in his future-facing reports Securing our Future Health and Securing Good Health for the Whole Population. This is an immensely challenging policy that requires the buy-in of the British public if it is to succeed - and there are many other similarly policy challenges facing government, such as environmental and transport-related behaviour changes.

Anthony Barnett (London, OK): One questioner managed to get back at Gordon Brown in today's press conference, the BBC's Nick Robinson. He posed the issue of the election call by contrasting it to the Prime Minister's declaration of principle that he would listen and could be trusted. Thanks to this, Brown said the following,

Jon Bright (London, OK): Interesting idea this that dropped into my mailbox. Who wants to be? is a 'democratic gameshow' where 100 audience members put £10 each into a collective pot, then vote on how to spend the money. As they are able to suggest initiatives and then vote on them themselves, they have complete power to develop the rules of their own game. It's run by The People Speak, a group with lots of interesting ideas about how to bring people together for discussions. Are there any lessons here for the currently running citizens juries? The next show is on the 9th at the Albany in Deptford - if you're going we'd be interested to hear about the experience!

Anthony Barnett (London, OK): When Gordon's Green Paper came out and he asked for a national conversation there was no way you could respond to it as a citizen, no website or even an offer to 'park your view here'. In contrast the White paper from the Scottish Government calling for its national conversation on Scotland's future it concluded with a link to a web page for comments and feedback. This now provides both a blog and comments. We linked to and reported on in OK. I've pointed out the contrast to those close to the government - who smiled. So I was delighted to see a link to an official opportunity to participate. It is on the BBC page on the You and Yours phone-in with Michael Wills the Minister in charge of the national conversation.  It says:

Richard Wilson (London, involve): As Anthony discovered to his surprise below, today sees the roll out of Gordon Brown's 'New Politics', with 10 citizens juries taking place across the UK. The Prime Minister needs us to help solve "many of the greatest challenges we face, such as climate change, national security and obesity", as well as to renew his democratic institutions: as without us they aren't very democratic.So no pressure then!

Anthony Barnett (London, OK): Who judges citizens juries? I ask because this morning's ePolitix news alert states that "The prime minister and health secretary Alan Johnson highlight measures to improve the NHS. Ministers are set to attend each of nine 'citizens' juries' events taking place around the country. "This is not just a listen and learn event. It's more engage and involve," said Johnson. "This is a look towards the next 10 years and actually delivering a health care system that is focussed completely on patient care that moves away from the structural reorganisations that we have had in the past.""

Anthony Barnett (London, OK): the Prime Minister's speech about participation and citizens juries left many of us baffled. It now seems there is a clear commitment to make citizen consultation a regular feature of policy preparation and, more radical, to give 'citizen's summits' actual policy forming power of some kind. I have just been sent (and not by anyone near the government or the Fabian society) a copy of Cabinet Office minister Ed Miliband's opening speech to the Fabian's 'Democracy Day' (which Guy and I blogged in the afternoon). It sets out a case for no less than "a different kind of state – in the way it governs, the way it makes decisions, the way it is held accountable".

Jon Bright (London, OK): I recently criticised Boris Johnson in these pages for making policy on the basis of anecdotal evidence and gut feeling rather than actual research. I was immediately accused of being a Labour partisan (which I'm not). I even contrasted Boris's approach to that of his leader. On Friday David Cameron made a major speech that allowed me to test my suggestion that he has been treated fairly harshly (by some of his own party as well as his opponents) for attempting to do the opposite of Boris. His six major policy reviews, whatever you think of them, have been attempts to base policy on research - for his pains he is accused (by certain floor-crossers) of being vacuous and standing for nothing.

Anthony Barnett (London, OK): I have been scratching my head over Martin Bright's column in the New Statesman. In addition to welcoming Labour being united behind Brown he proclaims that "the left is brimming with new thinking for the first time in years". What is this new thinking? Seriously, I've missed it. Brimming! Could readers post their list of, say, the top ten, or even six, new lines of thought on the left. Either here or on their own websites. To make it easier this thinking does not have to be part of any coalition forming around the Prime Minister as Bright seems to imply.

Daniel Leighton (London, Power Inquiry): In today’s speech opening the political season, Gordon Brown called for a new politics in which  “the democratic impulse needs to be strengthened to enable citizens to share in the decision making that affect them”…No sorry, I’ve got confused… that was in fact Tony Blair speaking in 1996.

Anthony Barnett (London, OK): In his Manchester speech to the Labour Party today, Gordon Brown talked about a new role for citizens juries (see the post below for the full passage). He also talks of "giving more power to the people".

From Gordon Brown's speech to the Labour Party in Manchester today: "And it is time for a new and better relationship between government and the British people – with government the servant and more power in the hands of the people.

That’s why constitutional reform matters directly to me and to all our lives – because all the big challenges we face: the environment, raising education standards, building better communities – can only be met by directly involving and engaging the British people in their solution.