Trust in politics and political institutions is at an all time low. People have lost faith that democracy will deliver in their best interests; we don’t feel heard.
Policy-makers feel this lack of trust acutely and are left paralysed by increasing polarisation. This results in a democratic doom loop in which trust undermines delivery, further damaging our faith in the system.
The cracks appear in the long stretches between elections, when the public feels disconnected from the centres of power, with no agency over the decisions that affect their lives. Britain risks becoming a breeding ground for more extreme politics that further divides. We need new practices around democracy to reverse the doom loop.
At Demos, we’re designing and trialling new ways for politicians and policy-makers to partner with citizens and rebuild trust. We work with governments of all tiers to trial participatory and deliberative democracy; we’re designing new governance systems to embed trust-building in institutions; and we’re developing new practices to further devolve power to communities.
We are not interested in one-off gestures to empower citizens, but in systems change: how to change the way power is shared, how democracy is practised, and how politicians lead in order to inspire a new relationship between state and citizen.
Contact Miriam Levin, Director of Participatory Programmes, for more information.
