Brian Barder’s excellent – and comprehensive – opposition to ‘participatory democracy’ has been up and commented-up for long enough to be worth a second visit if you’ve seen it already.
My only problem with it is that posts such as this probably have an obligation to advocate consultation – in it’s most creative and energetic form – to ensure that the monopsony enjoyed by civil servants, think tanks, pressure groups and political parties can be disrupted. Discussing this with a council leader the other night, I heard a very interesting corrollary to the ‘hard-to-reach’ demographic that his council is concerned about when it consults.
We have a bigger problem with the ‘hard to avoid’ group. Our old friends, the active citizens…
A blog about representative democracy, social media and a conversational politics. How will peer-to-peer communications change local democracy? How is representation changing? 
I’m grateful for these complimentary remarks. Have you noticed that there’s a rather muddled proposal for ‘participatory democracy’ at the end of Professor Vernon Bogdanor’s generally rather muddled article in today’s Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/20/constitutional-reform-uk-bogdanor) about the government’s newly published ‘Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill’? I have submitted a letter to the Guardian drawing attention to the many questionable things in Bogdanor’s article. If, as I expect, the Guardian doesn’t publish it, I’ll put my letter on my own blog — http://www.barder.com/ephems/.
Brian
http://www.barder.com/ephems/
I love the term ‘hard to avoid’ group – hilarious! But on a serious note shouldn’t we be trying to help create more ‘hard to avoid’ people to make democracy work effectively. I am inclined still to think that democracy works best when there is a cacophony of voices shaping policies and directing decision-making..
Brian,
I find Vernon Bogdanor’s status slightly baffling. I’ve never had any idea why he’s taken seriously by anyone.