Collaborative Democracy Involves the Public
This is the original, slightly longer version of my article in today's Times Colonist Newspaper on collaborative democracy.
When Democracy Falters Who You Gonna’ Call??
Public anger and resentment is growing worldwide against the political elite. Politicians and corporate leaders have been unable to resolve global economic crises and spreading unemployment. Hundreds of billions in public tax dollars continue to pour into private banks and corporate bailouts. Billions more go into questionable military adventures with only minority public support.
Many people are questioning whether democracy as-we-know-it is up to dealing with these modern day challenges. There’s a creeping malaise in Western liberal democracies. The hyper-partisan politics of today is creating a party-focused system with politicians consistently putting the interests of their parties ahead of the interests of their constituents and the public trust.
Consider the disrepute the BC Liberals have engineered for themselves with their shady HST tactics and BC rail cover-up. Look at the recent shenanigans by the unelected Senate as they killed Bill C-311 in a surprise vote without debate; a move that many Canadians consider an affront to democracy.
Fortunately, wiser forms of democracy are beginning to emerge, providing citizens with meaningful opportunities to participate in political decision-making. For example, the government of Iceland has initiated a constitutional assembly that is considering suggestions put forward by 1,000 randomly chosen citizens. The expectation is that the assembly will radically alter the current contract between citizen and state.
