Pam Giddy (London, The Power Inquiry ): A short time ago, in his first official speech as PM in waiting, Gordon Brown acknowledged the need for the sort of fundamental democratic reform called for by The Power Inquiry. The man who has long lived under the accusations of control freakery went out of his way to stress he wanted to listen and learn – from everyone. He says wants to “change the way we are governed”; lets hope he means it. Too often in the first flushes of power political leaders wrap themselves in the bunting of high democratic principle – “we will listen – we will govern differently – we will learn from our mistakes.” Then all too soon then let us down.
Today Gordon Brown indicated he wants to be different! He claims that his aim, over the next few months, to arrive at a shared consensus on constitutional reform. For all democrats this is an opportunity. It is not so much a matter of what he means, but what we call for. It cannot be another big but bogus conversation. We will need much more advanced, democratic methods than speeches and meetings. We will need citizen assemblies that are being experimented with in other nations. Processes that bring people together, help them to learn about issues they might be unfamiliar with and then, through facilitated discussion arrive at an informed view. We must establish a process that allows the people real voice in defining our democratic future - where power lies, how it is exercised and to whom it is accountable. Gordon Brown has said he will rejuvenate parliament. That can only be part of it. Without citizen power and therefore more far-reaching reform, all this will do is give us a constitution fit for the now rapidly receding 20th century. Brown has opened the debate in a serious and generous way but it should not be for him to control. This is the time for all democrats to get to work.
