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Theme : democracy
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Oh for a tub of lard
That left Jackie Ashley chairing a panel of Sunder, former LSE Director Tony Giddens and Young Foundation Director (and Demos founder) Geoff Mulgan. It turned out to be a really interesting and constructive conversation.Tony Giddens started by saying that he thought Labour would stick to the two big ideas that had made it successful in elections so far: First, the primacy of economic policy over social policy and second, not leaving any issues open to the right such as crime or immigration.He...
from : paulmiller
13th April 2005
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Parliamentary monitor
Tom Steinberg emails in to tell us about a new feature on TheyWorkForYou. Not only can you search everything that's been said in parliament on a particular topic since 2001 but you can now get email alerts as well. So for the nanotechnology project I'm working on I can go to http://www.theyworkforyou.com/search/?s=nanotechnology and sign up to get an email anytime anybody Right Honorable opens their mouth on the subject.
from : paulmiller
18th February 2005
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WriteToThem
Another great MySociety project sees the light of day - WriteToThem is an update of FaxYourMP which lets you write a letter to any of your representatives be they MEPs, MPs or local councillors based on your postcode. They've also made the code available so it can be easily adapted for other countires.
from : paulmiller
15th February 2005
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P.A.R.T.Why?
openDemocracy carried an interesting interview with Greek opposition leader George Papandreou in which he described his aspirations to lead a process of democratic renewal in Greece by starting with his own PASOK party.Demos has been doing a bit of thinking about whether parties can save themselves, and our current models of representative democracy, from extinction. Tom Bentley and Paul Miller had the FT Magazine cover story on this topic back in September, and we had a good discussion with...
from : pauljoseph
10th January 2005
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it's demoicracy, stupid
I often find in such gatherings, which are almost self-selectedly Europhile, that detailed expert knowledge of European Union institutions and procedures translates into a narrow, slightly myopic and elitist view of the democratic challenges facing Europe. Much of the discussion this weekend fell into that trap, with participants claiming that the European Parliament was a sufficient demonstration of the EU's democratic credentials in the face of the lowest average turnout since direct...
from : pauljoseph
13th December 2004
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Smaller government...literally
Apparently polling has demonstrated some support for the idea, but is it really going to achieve greater trust or belief in politics? Although I can’t find the evidence for it (well, not it England anyway), I wouldn’t mind betting that people trust and value their local MP far more than they do politicians or the government in general - this has certainly been the case with other institutions suffering from a lack of democratic legitimacy. If it does apply, then is making MPs more...
from : duncanoleary
13th December 2004
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Webb Essay 2004
The 2004 Webb Essay competition asked "Can Democracy be Exported?". My winning entry is online on the FPC website.
from : jamespage
9th December 2004
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From last resort to first
Staffer turned poli sci journeyman Peter Macleod had an op-ed piece in Canada's Globe & Mail yesterday about his constituency project . He talks about new federal funding for constituency offices in Canada, and their shift from last resort to first port of call for citizens looking to navigate the complexity of public services. Is this a way to bridge the governance gap between the public and their services or unwarranted interference in collective provision? (And while we're at it, how...
from : johncraig
25th November 2004
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Storming the Bastille
Needless to say the papers were today filled with pictures and stories of yesterday's protest - both inside and ouside the House. Alongside comparisons to miners and poll tax rioters of the past and discussion of Parliament's woeful security arrangements nestled a familiar theme: disengagement.The story goes something like this: protests of this kind reflect the impotent rage that British people feel towards their elected representatives. It is another nail in the coffin of parliamentary...
from : alistairdavidson
16th September 2004
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Another world is... coming to London
By the way, you can use those fuel cell buses for free for a weekend if you're one of the first 20,000 people to register for the European Social Forum which is in London this year. I'll be going along to see what all the fuss is about.
from : paulmiller
7th September 2004
