Just joining the #RSADemocracy seminar 1/

2/ I'll attempt one of my twitter threads summarising what goes on. On the panel there are @RSAMatthew chairing, @ClaudiaChwalisz @PantheaLee
and @Smith1966G #RSADemocracy

3/ Claudia is up first, going through @OECDgov's recent report, which is well worth looking at if you haven't yet https://www.oecd.org/gov/innovative-citizen-participation.htm #RSADemocracy

4/ the three key criteria for deliberative events for @OECDgov are - representativeness; Deliberation; and impact

5/ this tweet from @GrahamAllenMPX is critical for the last of these criteria - how will deliberative (or any engagement) plug into decision-making, and this requires high-level political commitment https://twitter.com/GrahamAllenMPX/status/1314164056979394561 #RSADemocracy

6/ Claudia exploring the types of problems deliberative processes are suited to address: values based dilemmas; complex problems that require trade-offs; long term questions #RSADemocracy

7/ I agree with this, but worth noting that deliberation is also well suited to situations where there are very different framings or understandings of the issue/ problem. This might fall under the first type of problem, but mustn't be missed #RSADemocracy

8/ She's now turning to the critical question for me, how to embed public deliberation, and is focusing on legal and process change in order to institutionalise it. #RSADemocracy

9/ I agree that this is part of the solution, it will help to avoid advances being lost due to political changes. However, it isn't the only part of the solution, cultural change is also critical, both within our institutions, and eventually the wider political sys #RSADemocracy

10/ and these are big changes so we are going to have to think strategically about what the best next steps are #RSADemocracy

11/ @jonathanflowers asking a question in the Youtube comments stream - ​Question: (slightly tongue in cheek). Why aren't values-based, complex trade-off, long term dilemmas exactly the thing that we elect people to resolve? #RSADemocracy

12/ I think this is an important question to engage with. If we are embedding these things institutionally then we need to be sure that they aren't trying to deal with a current political problem, but are a genuine advance in our system of #Democracy #RSADemocracy

13/ I believe they are, as well as them being a sticking plaster right now too, but we need to be able to articulate more clearly why they are needed in any #Democracy regardless of the current weaknesses #RSADemocracy

14/ and for me this is because there are a class of problems which elected representatives are badly placed to engage with and make decisions on - those being very complex issues which span political divides and require solutions which need to stick beyond elections #RSADemocracy

15/ aargh, can't engage with both YouTube comments and twitter... #RSADemocracy

15/ Next up is @Smith1966G asking what is it that makes for an authority able to commission effective deliberative processes, in particular to ensure that they have an impact rather than cherry picking the recommendations they want to implement #RSADemocracy

16/ @RSAMatthew stepping out of chair role, noting that deliberative processes aren't a substitute for representative democracy, but politicians find this hard to understand and believe #RSADemocracy

17/ he also thinks that journalists are a real problem, they are threatened by Citizens' Assemblies because they aren't adversarial and the journalists are pushed out of their role as intermediators between government and citizens #RSADemocracy

18/ Next up @panthealee talking to us from New York, noting that we're a short distance from a very troubling election. But we need to avoid thinking about democracy only by focusing on what's happening at the polarised top #RSADemocracy

19/ we need to also look at the grassroots where there is lots of generosity, creativity etc #RSADemocracy

20/ She's making the case that the people who got us into this mess aren't the ones to get us out of it, and that the people in communities are much better placed for lots of reasons, and sees deliberative processes for bringing them in #RSADemocracy

21/ she's now on a theme I really agree with, how do we move the way institutions and legislatures work to be more deliberative, how do we enforce active listening, and engaging with ideas rather than just rebutting - stares hard at #PMQs #RSADemocracy

22/ @rsamatthew asks whether @panthealee has used deliberative techniques to tackle conflict. She disagrees with the basis of his question, the amount of conflict is magnified by news media and isn't as bad on the ground #RSADemocracy

23/ that said, she has seen these techniques used in the conflict situations which are there, but hinting that need to be careful of using them to paper over where power is over exerting itself 'we need more than empathy' #RSADemocracy

24/ @ClaudiaChwalisz agreeing with @rsamatthew that the conflict and 'debate' we currently see in our democracy are design decisions, we have built them into our institutions - making it clear we can design them out too #RSADemocracy

25/ @RSAMatthew is wrong that online processes are cheaper, you do save on travel, hotels, food etc, but they take much more time to support citizens from all backgrounds to participate, they are also not quicker.... #RSADemocracy

26/ @ClaudiaChwalisz taking head on the question of whether deliberative processes should be binding, her answer is no. I tend to agree, harking back to a tweet higher up this thread, these processed complement not supplant representative democracy #RSADemocracy

27/ and it's important that all citizens can hold the decision-makers to account if they make a bad decision (there is no guarantee that deliberative processes will always make good decisions, they're filled with humans...) #RSADemocracy

28/ @Smith1966G countering this view - an organisation in Poland refusing to run these processes if elected representatives won't commit to implementing decisions which have 80% of participants supporting them #RSADemocracy

29/ and there is evidence that Gdansk has better flood defences as a result he says #RSADemocracy

30/ he also notes that citizens are very happy if decisions aren't implemented if they are given a 'bloody good' explanation #RSADemocracy