'People power' must set new parliament agenda

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By <a class="bodl" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/26937.stm">Baroness Kennedy</a> Chair, Power2010

With several months to go until the next election, and the political parties already in campaign overdrive, many have predicted that this will be one of the longest and most bitterly fought campaigns yet.

Baroness Kennedy says people do care about politics

Less frequently remarked on, but far more important to the health of our democracy, is the very real danger that the upcoming election will see yet another decline in turnout as millions of people opt to stay at home rather than vote.

This is not a new phenomenon. For a long time, people in the UK have been switching off from formal politics. Voter turnout in the last two general elections has hovered at around 60% - a historic low - whilst membership of political parties has been dwindling for years.

As chair of the Power Inquiry, which carried out the largest ever investigation into the sources of disengagement from British democracy, I was privileged to travel the length and breadth of the country, listening to the views of ordinary people detached and distant from the political process.

That inquiry exploded the myth of voter apathy.

Voice heard

If British citizens stay away from the ballot box, it's not because they can't be bothered to track down to the polling booth; it's because they see parties and politicians as "all as bad as each other" and feel powerless to do anything about it. They want their voice heard.

If anything, the coming election will be fought against an even more toxic background of anger and distrust stoked by the twin scandals of MPs' expenses and the banking crisis.

Trapped in the Westminster village, politicians and journalists fail to appreciate the massive gulf that's opened up between their activities and the hopes and fears of ordinary voters.

Given the opportunity, people do care a great deal about politics and are prepared to put a lot of effort into debate Power2010 blog

With politics at such a low ebb, where is the change we so desperately need going to come from?

Two weeks ago Power2010 - the successor campaign to the Power Inquiry - brought together a microcosm of the UK to debate and discuss exactly that.

Selected at random to be scientifically representative of the population as a whole, these citizens came from all political backgrounds and walks of life to take part in a <a class="bodl" href="http://www.power2010.org.uk/pages/79">Deliberative Poll </a> under the guidance of deliberative expert <a class="bodl" href="http://comm.stanford.edu/faculty/fishkin/">James Fishkin, of Stanford University</a> .

Public cynicism

Participants made use of balanced briefing materials, small group discussions with moderators and plenary sessions with experts to discuss proposals for reforming British democracy drawn from nearly 4,500 submissions to Power2010 by members of the public.

Today, with public cynicism at sham government consultations, spin doctors and policy wonks at an all-time high I think there's a lot we can learn from their example.

It was a wonderfully inspiring two days as participants took to their task with energy and enthusiasm, exploding the myth politicians like to peddle that people don't care about the issues and aren't capable of discussing them in a serious and intelligent fashion.

It's time for politicians to step aside and the people to have their say on how our country should be run Helena Kennedy

As one participant, <a class="bodl" href="http://www.power2010.org.uk/blog/entry/i-feel-more-positive-about-politics-and-more-likely-to-engage/">Paul Senior,</a> put it on the Power2010 blog: "Given the opportunity, people do care a great deal about politics and are prepared to put a lot of effort into debate.

"They are prepared to listen carefully to other points of view, and to consider the facts, even when they don't agree with the conclusions reached."

The most popular ideas following the weekend's deliberations were those which would create a stronger more independent Parliament, protect rights and freedoms and give people more of a direct say over issues that matter to them.

These ideas have now been <a class="bodl" href="http://www.power2010.org.uk/votes">put to the public vote</a> and over the coming weeks Power2010 will be working with individuals and organizations across the country <a class="bodl" href="www.power2010.org.uk/vote">to ensure as broad public participation as possible.</a>

The five ideas with most support will form the backbone of a nationwide campaign at the forthcoming general election to get every candidate to sign up to a new politics based on the people's priorities for reform.

The pledge will be the unvarnished and untainted proposals of the people, decided on by the people. So if the people want an elected head of state, that's what we'll be asking the new parliament to back; or if they want more power to local government, then that is what we will put into the pledge.

At the start of this crucial election year, with nothing less that the future of our democracy at stake, it's time for politicians to step aside and the people to have their say on how our country should be run.