Description

Involve is exploring ways that we can help to create a national conversation about what democratic reform means for ordinary citizens. And we want this to influence any decisions that are made about our shared futures by those in the Westminster Village.

The aftermath of the Scottish independence referendum has left us asking what our future democracy looks like and how it could work. Many now agree that the status quo can’t continue. Politicians are suggesting commissions or constitutional conventions but is this just an attempt to take control back after a massive upsurge in political engagement in Scotland?

Scotland taught us that the public want to get involved, will debate the issues and are more than capable of making decisions. People aren’t disconnected, just dislocated from a system to which they find hard to relate. The current situation calls for more, not less public involvement.

This event is the beginning of a national conversation. We will make the case for why a national conversation matters and why and how it can work. We’ll then turn the agenda over to you. We’re not saying it’s going to be easy and we know we can’t do it alone, but we want to make a start by drawing on the experience and energy in the room to ask where to next? We’re also realistic about what has to happen first: this isn’t the time to talk about the detail or content of any conversation, it’s the first step in co-creating what the process might look like.