Building power, deepening democracy

By George Gabriel

It was written on LabourList some weeks ago that if the “constitutional reform bill” is to be a “democratic renewal bill” its process must come to reflect its ends. Democratic renewal cannot be achieved behind closed doors, power cannot be given, and to bring people back into politics, the political system must be prepared to have its agenda set by the people. Recent initiatives from the Labour Party towards a fairer voting system, strengthening Parliament and the introduction of a written constitution are to be lauded. But, it was argued, the people must be brought in.

For that reason it has been exciting to watch James Purnell‘s recent offensive on behalf of a procedural ethic:

“Power is not a means to an end – it is the end. The process is the goal: to create powerful people, through organisation and action, based on the creed that “if the people have the power to act, in the long run they will, most of the time, reach the right decisions”.

Where the process is the goal, we help avoid the perverse sacrifice of ends to means, the grim lesson of failed 20th century utopian projects – evidently still to be learned by some as we increasingly learn of complicity in torture in the name of our rights and freedoms.

So where are the processes? London Citizens is rightly cited by Purnell as at the forefront of this battle, building power in and among the most downtrodden. Its slow, patient and at times dogged growth and campaigning is a testament to both the challenges of such an approach but also its fidelity to this core principle.

Power2010 is another candidate. With over 4,000 ideas for democratic renewal submitted by the public, a deliberative poll of a random sample of the public, and almost 100,000 votes cast to forge the people’s proposals for democratic renewal, we see another process alive and well. You have until midnight tonight to cast your vote and add your voice to this unique campaign. Please do so here.

So is Purnell right to conclude, as any progressive must, that the people, in general and under favourable conditions, make the right decisions? London Citizens’ keenest campaign is for a living wage, an idea generated and sustained by the support of its member community groups – a proposal now roundly backed by most economists and built on a sound case study with the introduction of the minimum wage.

And what about Power2010′s online vote? The leaderboard currently runs: Move to a more Proportional Voting System; Scrap ID Cards and Roll Back the Database State; Introduce a Fully Elected Second Chamber; English Votes on English Laws; and a Written Constitution.

And the beauty of truly popular processes? If you don’t like the outcomes you have a right, as much as anyone, to take a lead and have your voice counted and your argument heard.

Building power in people, building a truer democracy in all social spheres is the agenda. London Citizens and Power2010 show two creative ways of taking the agenda forward – the state cannot do it alone, and the market won’t.