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| News Canon proposes reforms The newly-elected Scottish Parliament needs to build up an internet-based People's Chamber to sound out detailed public opinion on its proposals, according to one of the architects of devolution in the 1990s. Canon Kenyon Wright, one of the leaders of the Scottish Constitutional Convention, is also arguing that expert panels should be appointed on every major devolved policy area, with their members providing advice to MSPs and taking a longer view than the next election. He is to set out the ideas in a speech today, after the close outcome of the election began to force a change in the way Holyrood operates. Canon Wright has been at the forefront of a campaign to create a constitutional commission to consider ways in which Holyrood can develop, including new powers it could take on from Westminster. That could have some support from the SNP, which is expected to move into a minority administration next Wednesday. He will tell a meeting of the Institute for Contemporary Scotland that minority government should not be seen as second best, but "as a dynamic, positive and welcome step to the new politics". 12:45am Saturday 12th May 2007  Print  Email this  Comment
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Isonomia on 8:04am Thu 15 May 08
Whilst the suggestion of a people's chamber is to be applauded, it will not stop the rot of a political elite devoid of any empathy for ordinary people unless the chamber is given real power.
What we need is a chamber where the politicians are forced to engage with ordinary people on the issues of the day, not one where they pretend to listen for a few hours for the PR. The only way to force politicians to engage, is to give the chamber real power so that politicians simply can't get their business through without convincing the members of the chamber, without taking seriously their concerns, and paradoxically, through the chamber convincing the public of their (presumed) good intentios.  | 
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