Vision for democracy calls on Chartists’ spirit
Political editor David Williamson reports on a series of bold proposals to ‘rejuvenate’ democracy in Wales that could see the nation having radical forms of decision-making
JUST as people are called to serve on a jury today, one of the leading thinkers in Welsh politics wants to see the creation of a “Citizens’ Chamber” of the National Assembly which would consist of women and men drawn from across Wales.
David Melding, a former Deputy Presiding Officer, has come forward with a series of bold proposals to “rejuvenate” democracy and address the “often dysfunctional relationship between citizen and politician”.
Arguing that Wales has a chance to “lead the way”, he envisages a system in which people would be called to serve in the Citizens’ Chamber to investigate key challenges facing Wales and come up with draft laws. It could meet in the old Assembly debating chamber located in the building next to the Senedd.
Further reforms he advocates include: A universal income; Greater use of “citizens’ juries” to examine policy options;
The teaching of citizenship in schools;
Councils including “citizen members” drawn by ballot to sit alongside elected members.
The South Wales Central AM, who has been in the Assembly since 1999 and will launch his proposals this week in a detailed paper, wants to bring some of the excitement which drove the Chartists into modern Welsh politics.
He said: “I do fundamentally think democracy is worth the trouble and it’s a great gift, but you do have to constantly rejuvenate it – it’s such a radical concept, really, in the history of ideas.” There is no push for Wales to have its own version of the House of Lords but Mr Melding can see the case for a second chamber. Describing how a Citizens’ Chamber could work, he said: “This would not require 60 members of the public to serve full-time for five years... The citizens’ chamber could be a pool of 600 or even 6,000 citizens over a fiveyear period. “Each citizen would be allocated specific tasks that concentrate on a part of governmental activity... Draft laws or ideas for laws could then be fed into the National Assembly, which would become, in a very modern guise, a bicameral institution.” There is gathering international interest in the idea of a universal income as a way of providing a safety net if good jobs grow scarce in the future and salaries increasingly no longer cover the cost of living. The Conservative AM argues that the roll-out of a universal income could go hand in hand with the introduction of “citizens’ service” – “a general obligation that is occasionally called upon, as jury service is now.” M r Melding can see a new role for ordinary citizens in local government.
He writes: “Town and community councils are well-placed to develop their role as the voice of the community. Larger town councils might consider establishing the office of an elected mayor.
“The councils themselves could be made up of directly elected councillors and randomly selected citizens serving a term as part of their public service obligation. Invigorating the most local level of democracy would also help to refresh municipal government in general.”
As well as serving in the Citizens’ Chamber of the Assembly, members of the public would be drawn by ballot to sit alongside elected members on councils.
Mr Melding said: “I would expect [a] system then that once you’ve served you probably don’t serve for another 10 years or whatever and you’d expect all citizens over the course of life to have done some significant service.”
A further idea is the creation of “citizens’ juries” to consider important questions.
He writes: “The oldest form of such service is the obligation to sit on a jury. Random selection could be similarly applied to the recruitment of electors to serve on citizens’ juries to examine a local or national policy challenge.”
Describing the time commitment his proposals could require, he said “It would range from full-time for a short time (a citizens’ jury on the development of a local amenity) to part-time for a longer time (a day a month for two years in the Citizens’ Assembly perhaps).”
Mr Melding also suggests that “wealthier communities could be encouraged to twin with more deprived neighbourhoods”.
Suggesting this could be part of a “criterion in funding decisions,” he writes: “A leafy town or village packed with accountants and solicitors would thus be encouraged to lend such expertise to communities lacking similar social capital.”
Mr Melding is convinced that Welsh democracy needs to change.
He writes: “We have lost all sense of excitement about democracy. It has become the insipid background to daily life rather than the force that actually makes our lifestyles possible.”
He was not impressed by the In/ Out Brexit referendum as a way of engaging the public on a key issue, arguing: “It is depressing that the political elite played so fast and loose with our democracy. A more coherent approach would have required the clearer expression of alternatives, or a two-staged process where the citizens authorised the Government to explore an alternative to EU membership and subject the results to a second referendum.”
However, he can see potential dangers if a second referendum is called, writing: “What would happen if it produced a similarly narrow result but in the opposite direction? Bitterness would be added to division and our democracy weakened.”
Hopeful that his ideas will spark debate, he said: “Today the greatest act of political leadership would be to enhance the energy of citizenship – a democratic vision that would match the excitement of the Chartists and all who have sought to create open, free societies”.