Direct Democracy: It appears that while he waited for Tony Blair to step down, Gordon Brown has been catching up on his reading - especially of our initial book, and our recent Localist Papers.
In his announcement on constitutional reform, the Prime Minister recognised what we and other groups, such as the Power Inquiry and Unlock Democracy, have long said: that there is a crisis in the way we are governed and the trust people have in government.
The current system has come about because people know that elected politicians - the people they vote for - have lost the power to decide the issues that matter. But how far will Mr Brown's proposals change this, and strip power away from unelected and unaccountable interests?
Although he embraced much of our agenda, the exact details of Mr Brown's plans are still vague. In particular, it is still unknown whether Mr Brown will let local government become self-financing - the single most vital step on the path to freeing local councils to innovate, compete and flourish.
There is also the danger that this will be seen by the public as tinkering within Westminster, something which will affect MPs but have no impact on their day-to-day lives. This is why we have long urged a right of initiative - that Bills should be included in the Queen's Speech, and guaranteed Parliamentary time and debate, if the people demand it.
Such flaws aside, there is a great deal to welcome in the Prime Minister's announcement. The vital thing now is that Mr Brown shows the flexibility that he has often lacked - that rather than a set series of measures being rammed through, he embraces a real deabte about the best ways to reshape our constitution in an efficient, localist and accountable way. It is a good start - but there is much to be done.
Moderator: This is an edited version of Direct Democracy's press release response to Gordon Brown's proposals.
