Could citizens’ assemblies save democracy?

Recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival 2024 on Sunday 20 October at Church House, Westminster.

ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION

This year’s General Election saw the lowest voter turnout in the UK since 1928, leading many to suggest we have become disillusioned with democracy. Some blame voter apathy, while others worry that giving civil servants and bureaucrats too much power has alienated the electorate.

If faith in the political process is indeed so low, could citizens’ assemblies offer an alluring way to entice the electorate back into the voting booth by giving them a stake in the decision-making process?

Downing Street chief of staff, Sue Gray, has revealed she is considering the use of citizens’ assemblies, arguing they would break the deadlock on divisive issues such as reforming the House of Lords, implementing new housebuilding plans and granting more power to elected mayors. The health secretary, Wes Streeting, has also advocated for their use over contentious issues such as assisted dying.

Citizens’ assemblies have been used worldwide for some time. The most cited success story is their use in 2016, in Ireland, which led to the legalisation of abortion.  They are seen as an important tool in reconnecting citizens with politics and directly challenging increasing levels of political disenfranchisement. In addition, many advocates argue that citizens’ assemblies provide a strong bulwark against the rise of populist parties.

Critics of citizens’ assemblies, however, claim that rather than increasing democratic engagement, they actually limit genuine engagement by setting the parameters of the debate – sometimes in quite narrow ways. Very often, opponents argue, they are simply a ‘consensus laundering’ exercise. Critics also point out that the organisations who facilitate these assemblies are unelected and unaccountable – and so are the bodies who fund and oversee their work. This means that those setting the questions and presenting a range of views on the issue have no democratic mandate.

Yet, with trust in politicians and our political processes so low (recent ONS polling shows that only 27 per cent of us trust the government), democratic renewal is an important topic. Could citizens’ assemblies be a way to address this issue and help us build a new democracy? Or are they simply an attempt to exorcise the ‘democratic deficit’ on policies those in power want to implement, but for which there is little popular support?

SPEAKERS
Dr Roslyn Fuller
managing director, Solonian Democracy Institute; author, In Defence of Democracy

Sophie Harborne
founder, DemocraFest; senior parliamentary researcher

Rich Wilson
CEO, Iswe Foundation

CHAIR
Dr Mo Lovatt
national coordinator, Debating Matters; programme coordinator, Academy of Ideas