The Scottish Government has proposed a Citizens’ Assembly on Scotland’s future, providing an opportunity for greater citizen engagement on issues facing the country. It’s early days, but an event in Edinburgh last week gave grounds for optimism.
A Citizens’ Assembly in Scotland provides the opportunity to democratically work through complex constitutional issues in a way that fosters consensus and understanding rather than division in society.
A contractor is being sought to randomly select 120 members of the public to serve on the Assembly. The individuals will be broadly representative of Scotland’s adult population in terms of age, gender, socio-economic class, ethnic group, geography and political attitudes.
The Assembly will consider three broad issues:
What kind of country should be
How can Scotland best overcome challenges, including those arising from Brexit
What further work is required to enable people to make informed choices about the future of Scotland
Constitutional Relations Secretary Michael Russell said: “This is the first time a Citizens’ Assembly has been used in Scotland and will bring together a wide range of ordinary people from across our country in a genuine attempt to reach consensus on the issues that we face. Similar models have been used successfully in countries including Ireland, Canada, Australia and Poland.
“It is a bold idea and one I hope everyone, whatever their political view, can embrace. I believe we all want the best for Scotland and if we have learnt anything from Brexit it is the need to make space for people to engage with information and to exchange different views.”
But what is a Citizens’ Assembly? A panel discussion hosted by Electoral Reform Society last week offered an opportunity to share and learn about how citizens’ assemblies work in general, and how Scotland’s own Citizens’ Assembly could operate.
On the panel were Citizens’ Assembly convenor designate David Martin, Joanna Cherry MP, Ireland’s citizens’ assembly member Louise Caldwell, Professor David Farrell (Ireland CA), Dr Oliver Escobar (University of Edinburgh and co-director of What Works Scotland) and journalist Lesley Riddoch.
There’s clearly an appetite for change: the free event at Patersons Land on Holyrood Road was heavily oversubscribed and support for a new, participative way of doing politics – doubtless strengthened by the experience of the ongoing Brexit debacle – is gaining momentum.
Members will be identified by early September, with the Assembly meeting on six weekends between the autumn and Spring 2020.
Assembly members will receive a gift of thanks of £200 per weekend to recognise their time and contribution. Travel, accommodation and other reasonable costs, such as child care, will also be covered.
The Assembly with be a genuine ‘people’s forum’: there is no place for MSPs, MPs, MEPs, councillors and members of the House of Lords, political party staff, public appointees and senior public and civil servants, all of whom will be ineligible to sit on the Assembly, as will representatives and officials of relevant advocacy groups.
The Scottish Government certainly seems to be embracing the concept, but many have yet to be convinced that a Citizens Assembly in Scotland will be anything other than just another talking shop, without any powers to really change anything.
This is just the beginning of the process in Scotland, however, and the experience of citizens in other countries has been a positive one. Scepticism is understandable, but greater public engagement in the decision-making process has got to be a good thing and it will be interesting to see just how Scotand’s Citizens’ Assembly develops. It’s good to talk.
The Holyrood event was live streamed and you can now watch the recording of Scotland’s Democratic Future: Shaping Scotland’s Citizens’ Assembly online.
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