The Scottish Government has reached an historic agreement with the Scottish Green Party, creating a draft shared policy programme. Over the next few days members from the SNP (party of Government in Scotland) and the Scottish Greens will discuss the merits of the agreement and vote on whether to go forward. We are delighted to see citizen participation feature within the policy programme, with a commitment to Citizens' Assemblies and initiatives that involve the people of Scotland in decision making.
By institutionalising Citizens' Assemblies in the form of a House of Citizens, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Greens can take a big step forward toward this vision. A House of Citizens would hardwire citizens into positions of scrutiny, and empower the people of Scotland to set the agenda for future Citizens' Assemblies. The House of Citizens was first recommended by the Citizens' Assembly on the Future of Scotland, by an overwhelming 83% of members. Since then, we have worked with ERS Scotland, the RSA and Common Weal to realise the ambition for a citizen-led second chamber in Scotland. It would be fitting that Scotland's first Citizens' Assembly would pave the future for participation from all sections of our society in Scotland's democracy. We look forward to working with both the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party in the delivery of this ambition.
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(pp.6, Draft Shared Policy Programme) |
