Power Inquiry

Dan Leighton reviews: Why We Hate Politics by Colin Hay.

This book challenges dominant assumptions on political disengagement, showing how neo-liberal ideas and public choice theory have helped create a citizenry increasingly alienated from the democratic process.

Pam Giddy (London, Power Inquiry): The media has never been comfortable with democracy. It may like campaigns which it can brand and have a populist edge, for example the Independent on fair voting, the Daily Telegraph currently on local  power, the Guardian on freedom of information. But once the steam has run out of the coverage the support created is left to wither. The same is true of the BBC and the other TV and radio channels. They want to be the 'voice of the people' and this in fact makes it hard for people to be heard in an independent way. For this we need hard work and campaigns. It was good of Anthony to acknowledge the work of the Power Inquiry on having had an influence on the thinking and the direction the Prime Minister is taking. All reformers now need to stand together to ensure that we cut through the mixture of indifference, hostility and lack of real understanding among even the thinking press. The key challenge for all of us is to explain WHY it matters and what difference the reforms the Prime Minister announced could have on our way of governing and our sense of connection and influence with the democratic process.  The Prime Minister has given us something to really work on - lets take up the challenge.

OurKingdom: We are supporting the following statement initiated by the Power Inquiry. We encourage everybody to sign it using the link provided below. Let us know what you think.

Fellow citizens,

There is a problem with British democracy. It began before 1997 but from the way the Iraq War was executed, to cash for peerages, to the far-reaching but insufficient constitutional reforms which Labour has introduced, there is a growing sense of a failure of government and a deepening public distrust in politics.

Anthony Barnett (London, OK): Just back from a warm and crowded Compass conference (see post below) where I substituted for Helena Kennedy at a Power Inquiry session on globalisation and democracy, along with John Keane, chaired by Pam Giddy. As the remit was global, I talked about the three great fronts of democracy today and the forms of solidarity they demand: assisting the achievement of the fundamental of democracy - eg: free voting, free speech and the rule of law - to those societies which do not have them (from China to Saudi Arabia); developing appropriate forms of democracy for the shaping global institutions (transparency, accountability); and joining participatory and deliberative forms of democracy to representative mechanisms in countries like our own. The internet will help with this. I drew heavily (well, completely) on the article I wrote with Isabel Hilton that sets it out, called Democracy and openDemocracy. It was a small but packed room, a serious atmosphere, good questions. I met Katharine Hamnett who was in the audience and who has been a hero of mine.

Guy Aitchison (London, OK) Today The Daily Telegraph, in association with Direct Democracy, launches a six week discussion aimed at promoting ‘localist’ politics, by which they mean the devolution of power to the lowest practicable level. Debate will be stirred up by ‘The Localist Papers’, a series of pamphlets produced by the Centre for Policy Studies and Direct Democracy, which is a group of Conservative MPs, MEPs, MSPs and candidates. The idea is to focus on how the principles of direct democracy apply across the board. Released with perfect timing is today’s pamphlet, ‘Open Politics’. It focuses on the need for a radical overhaul of the political system. Key proposals are: give local councils the same degree of legislative autonomy Holyrood got in 1998 Scotland Act and make them financially autonomous; use referendums locally and nationally; allow petitions with enough signatures to become legislative proposals in Parliament (a proposal that is also in The Power Inquiry); and scrap the executive's powers under Crown prerogative. Telegraph readers are asked to contribute to the debate at Think Local where Helena Kennedy can also be found giving her views on how Gordon Brown can change politics. (Health warning: when I tried the link was down).

Jessica Reed (London oD): Now that you British are talking about writing down your constitution (and this applies also to the constitution or constitutional treaty of the E.U) one crucial question is sure to give headaches to those at the top: who should write it? Should it be a body of elected politicians? Outstanding jurists? And how should the British public be actively involved? Pam Giddy of the Power Inquiry has said here in OK that she does not want another “bogus conversation”. She did not say that her organisation has a record of holding events which have indeed involved British citizens in political decision making. I witnessed one of these, the recent European Citizens Consultations, which took place in York last March (and which we live-blogged!). Ollie Henman, co-coordinator of the event, later wrote about the deliberative process, and how engaging everyday citizens does work. He also has experience in Brazil. There is much more practical knowledge about legitimate citizens participation, from Canada to Brussels, than you'd know of by reading the London media. Much of it helped by Jim Fishkin of the Center for Deliberative Democracy in Stanford, California. My message to  OK readers is: don't think you are alone!

Anthony Barnett (London OK): Where is Charter 88 now its time may have come? Its supporters have just voted to unite with the New Politics Network. It’s a good match. The Charter has paying members, the NPN has an office buildings (in London!). They have been working together for some time under the banner of Unlock Democracy with a joint website– which has been an influential instigator of, and agitator for, the Sustainable Communities Bill (recently adopted by Cameron’s Conservative party). Last month in a postal ballot 33 per cent of Charter 88’s 3,500 odd member voted and came out overwhelmingly (72 per cent) for the merger. Nearly half the NPN’s 400 members voted. And a Mussolini proportion of over 95 per cent agreed. A Charter 88 general meeting in Salford approved the change on the 21st April. Is it all too late, don't we need to hear from them now? A working group from the two organisations is drafting a new constitution for the organisation to be approved in November. Before then there will be a ballot on a new name. Leading contenders are Charter88 and Unlock Democracy. The latter seems to be the favorite. The difference? Charter 88 called for a written constitution Unlock Democracy calls for a citizens constitutional convention (somewhat like the Power Inquiry’s MakeItAnIssue).