In recent years, the democratic system of the UK has come under strain. The Scottish independence movement, Brexit, and now the Coronavirus crisis have all played their part. Consensus is lacking over key issues such as the role of the judiciary, the voting system, devolution, the second chamber of Parliament, the role of Parliament as a whole. At the same time, the use of deliberative democracy as a means of engaging members of the public in resolving political dilemmas has grown, both internationally and within the UK.

How might a Citizens’ Convention on UK Democracy, incorporating randomly selected members of the public, help resolve some of today’s challenges, and how can we ensure that its recommendations would be taken seriously by those politicians in a position to implement them?

This online event is open to all.

Speakers:

• Graham Allen, Visiting Professor in the Department of Political Economy, former MP for Nottingham North (1987-2017) and Convenor of the Citizens’ Convention on UK Democracy
• Ceri Davies, Director of the NatCen Centre for Deliberative Research
• Dr Marta Wojciechowkska, ESRC Research Fellow in the Department of Political Economy

Chairman: Dr Rod Dacombe, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Economy, King’s College London.