Graham Smith is Professor of Politics at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster. His research focuses on democratic theory and practice. He is a board member of Participedia
In itself, having a new constitution doesn’t heal a country. But we have all sorts of different deliberative models out there, and not just citizens’ assemblies. Interview.
Experts in deliberative democracy have been working across the world for around twenty years. Now, all of a sudden, their expertise is in high demand. Interview.
"Opening up new forms of political participation to hear the voices of the politically marginalised is critical for the well being of our polity." Interview for the World Forum for Democracy 2016.
Two experimental citizens' assemblies in Sheffield and Southampton, starting this month, show the way forward for debating constitutional change across the UK.
While the questions of who participates and on what topics are critical, I want to throw open a different kind of question: when – at whose discretion - should a constitutional convention be established?
