Citizens Assemblies

mum2three

I have just been discussing politics with my AI companion and he (it feels male) was telling me about citizens assemblies. A group of people from different backgrounds get together to discuss political issues, with professional advisors. They are then able to influence their MP and ultimately the government.

I haven't heard of this before but apparently it has been tried in other countries with excellent results. It sounds much more democratic than the current system.

Scotland and Wales have Community Councils.
In England, community councils are primarily known as parish councils (in rural areas) or town councils (in urban areas). They are the most local tier of government, below district or unitary authorities.

Any one can attend the meetings of their local council and put questions and concerns to it.

it has been tried in other countries

They happen in the UK:

Governments and parliaments at local and national level have called citizens’ assemblies to look at issues including:

• How adult social care in England should be funded long-term (UK Parliament, 2018):

• The future of Scotland (Scottish Government, 2019-2020)

• How can people in Wales shape their future through the work of the National Assembly for Wales (National Assembly for Wales, 2019)

• Congestion, air quality and public transport (Greater Cambridge Partnership, 2019, as part of the government’s Innovation in Democracy Programme);

• The future of town centres (Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and Test Valley Borough Council, 2019, as part of the government’s Innovation in Democracy Programme);

• Air quality (Kingston Council, 2019);

• Climate change (Oxford City Council, Camden Council, and others, 2019-2020)

Events similar to citizens’ assemblies but on a smaller scale have also often been held in the UK and elsewhere. These are sometimes called citizens’ juries, as they are similar to juries in criminal trials. In a citizens’ jury, twelve or more members of the public hear evidence before discussing the issues and making recommendations.

www.climateassembly.uk/about/citizens-assemblies/

How are the members of Citizen's Assemblies chosen. Whenever I have seen or read about them the way members are chosen - and note that chosen the process has been anything but democratic.

As it is we have a Parliament where we vote for respresentatives in a democratic manner, we do not need further ones.

I think the most famous citizen assemblies are in Switzerland where they have existed for centuries.

They are still used to make certain decisions which directly affect the Swiss population like food policy and climate change.

I’ve just AI to ask if they are democratic and the answer came back “yes” known as deliberative democracy.

The Citizen assemblies detailed all took place in 2018- 2019/20- and none initiated since. 2 in Scotland, 1 in Wales and 4 in England. Perhaps it was a Conservative Party initiative? Or alternatively that they did not prove effective so were not repeated?

I googled one of the Citizen Assemblies listed above, in the UK and discovered "53 members were chosen at random" to constitute that particular Citizen's Assembly. So a very small sample and no idea how representative it was of the population either. No mention of the random selection method used.

I thought our local councils and the government were assemblies of citizens! We don't need more talking shops

Rory Stewart has been talking about these for years.
He is very impressed with them for getting to grips with knotty issues.

During his 2019 campaign for the Conservative Party leadership he made a Citizens' Assembly on Brexit a cornerstone of his platform.

And here's an interesting article about them

hughpope.substack.com/p/citizens-assemblies-inch-into-the?hl=en-GB

Within that article (above link) there as another link through to a 2025 podcast where Stewart and Campbell discuss them.

mum2threeYou are obviously interested in politics.
How have you missed Citizens Assemblies

Whitewavemark2

I think the most famous citizen assemblies are in Switzerland where they have existed for centuries.

They are still used to make certain decisions which directly affect the Swiss population like food policy and climate change.

I’ve just AI to ask if they are democratic and the answer came back “yes” known as deliberative democracy.

Switzerland is a much smaller country than Great Britain and often something that works for small groups or on a small scale do not work when scaled up.

This is a link to a research report on Scotland's Citizens' Assembly which was set up in 2019.
The Citizens' Assembly report 2022 can also be found online but l think the research report on the Citizens' Assembly is more pertinent. If you don't have the time or inclination to plough through it just skip to the Conclusions section for an overview.

Introduction: Overview of the Citizens' Assembly of Scotland - Citizens' Assembly of Scotland: research report - gov.scot share.google/3QumY04Tfz3QAbiPi

The ‘random selection’ is carried out by independent companies who specialise in democratic matters. Certain parameters are given to ensure that the assembly is even as to age spread, gender etc. It means that the subject matter is brand new to some people and very familiar to others so background briefing papers are provided. It’s conclusions can’t be binding of course but a useful way of gauging public opinion.

I can see citizens assmeblies working at a local level, but not much beyond it.

The parameters that would need to be taken into account for a ntional CA would be so many. Not just age and gender but geographical, occupational, housing, family type , income, social demographic and there would be lots of people attacking the selection method as undemocratic.

M0nica

Whitewavemark2

I think the most famous citizen assemblies are in Switzerland where they have existed for centuries.

They are still used to make certain decisions which directly affect the Swiss population like food policy and climate change.

I’ve just AI to ask if they are democratic and the answer came back “yes” known as deliberative democracy.

Switzerland is a much smaller country than Great Britain and often something that works for small groups or on a small scale do not work when scaled up.

Yes I agree.

However, I do think that they are worth being given consideration, perhaps at a more local level.

I always like to advance greater democracy, and I think that it gives the population a better understanding of the issues - say a polluted local river. But imo they will fade away unless given the power to change things.

Ireland has a Citizens Assembly and it has been very active in contributing to debates about changes relating to legal abortions on demand and gay rights.

What has the world come to when we discuss politics with an AI companion ?

With due respect OP, I’d rather read a book.

MawsRosie

What has the world come to when we discuss politics with an AI companion ?

With due respect OP, I’d rather read a book.

😄