John Jackson (London, Charter88): Ever since, 58 years ago, when my tutor in constitutional law was unable to explain to me why it was a blessing that we had an unwritten constitution which ordinary people were not expected to understand, let alone meddle with, I have been waiting for a government which had the courage to admit that something was wrong and it was time for a national debate in which we could all participate. It seems that at last we have one.
Having read the green paper presented this afternoon I have one comment only. It is powerful, relevant and interesting but the value of the thought and work that has gone into it is diminished slightly by the whiffs of cautious prescription that leak from those parts of it which touch on direct deliberative democracy. That is in marked contrast with the words of the Prime Minister when introducing it. These I found refreshingly confident, open, unprescriptive and conveying a wish to 'let go" and to trust us to deal sensibly with what his (and our) government is talking about.
