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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

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