As the Labour party continues to deliberate on whether to back paving legislation for a referendum on AV the people are making their own decision. After last night’s inconclusive debate in the PLP, look not to the halls of Westminster and the British establishment but to new media, where in a radical experiment in democracy over 12,000 votes have already been cast on the shape of democracy.
What would a 21st century constituent assembly look like? An open ideas session where any member of the public can send in their ideas for democratic renewal? A citizens’ convention where a scientific sample of the population could come together to deliberate on the merit of those ideas? A public vote on those ideas so as broad a section of society as possible gets the chance to have its say?
Look no further. Power2010 has begun its public vote having received 4,500 ideas and having held a successful citizens’ convention. In the first three days 12,000 votes have been cast revealing starkly that it’s feelings of impotence, not ignorance, that lies behind voter apathy. If reform is needed to fix politics it cannot be born of the same old broken Westminster system, it must be driven by the dynamic and diverse participation of the people.
‘Strengthening select committees,’ an idea submitted by Progress’s Jessica Asato, came out top of all those submitted as ranked by a microcosm of the population in the citizens’ convention, yet it currently languishes in the vote as other candidates like proportional representation storm ahead.
A fan of party discipline? Then swing behind Jessica’s proposal by voting to strengthen select committees. Want to break free of the whip? Vote for more free votes.
There are 29 proposals to be voted on until mid-February when the top four or five from the vote will form a pledge, a set of people’s proposals on democratic renewal to be put to every candidate in the general election.