Scotland’s ground-breaking Citizens’ Assembly has wrapped up. What’s next? Scotland’s first Citizens’ Assembly, a deliberative body made up of 100 citizens reflecting the country’s demographics, concluded in January and published its visions for the future of Scotland. Citizens’ Assemblies which aim to create ‘mini-publics’... Posted 09 Feb 2021
Building a better democracy – 2020 and the Electoral Reform Society It’s hard to think of a more troubling year in living memory. But the public health crisis has, perhaps counter-intuitively, put issues of democracy at the forefront. The election may feel like a distant memory,... Posted 07 Dec 2020
What happens at the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland? On Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th October, The Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland kicked off at the Grosvenor Hotel in Edinburgh, with one hundred people from across the country meeting for the first time. The Assembly... Posted 25 Nov 2019
The Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland: What can be learnt from elsewhere? How do you ensure the recently-announced Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland is open and transparent while protecting the participants from hostility and excess lobbying? How do you ensure it is independent of government – but also that it... Posted 17 Jul 2019
Four pitfalls and opportunities for the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland Next Monday, the firing gun will be started on the Scottish Government’s plans for a ‘Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland’. Hundreds will gather to discuss what this might look like, what it might involve, and how... Posted 05 Jul 2019
Scotland needs new institutions to transform our local communities Can you remember a time you were talking with someone and the response you got back meant that it was blatantly obvious that they hadn’t understood what you were saying? You try again, but again... Posted 27 Feb 2019
What is a Citizens’ Assembly? Citizens’ Assemblies are often in the news, from the assemblies that led to the referendums on equal marriage and abortion in Ireland, to the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland and local council climate assemblies. While the... Posted 24 Jan 2019
Long Read: What’s gone wrong with our democracy – and how do we fix it? This is a time of high political anxiety. No one seems to be very sure of much anymore. Not that long ago it all seemed so different. The twentieth century was a time of tremendous... Posted 14 Aug 2018
The Scottish people should be involved in the devolution debate Yesterday (Wednesday 16th September) the Scottish Parliament debated ‘Scotland’s Future: Democracy and Devolution’. One year on from the independence referendum, and with the Scotland Bill due to go to report stage in the next few... Posted 17 Sep 2015
Women and Scottish independence This blog was first posted on Engender As the date of the referendum draws ever nearer, and the gender gap in the polls shows no sign of closing, there seem to be more events targeting women... Posted 03 Jul 2014