Assembly Dialogues

What is it that makes democracy good?

There’s a grassroots effort bubbling up across the UK trying to figure out what makes our democracy work best. How do we convene ourselves to take part in political culture, beyond voting? What does ‘good participation’ look like? If we’re going to renovate or upgrade democracy, do we have a better blueprint? One answer lies in assemblies – where people gather, sometimes by choice and other times by ‘democratic lottery’ to learn about and deliberate on subjects that matter to us where we live. That’s why we’ve hosted 5 plain-speaking dialogues with practitioners, organisers and experts, to get stuck into assemblies: how they work, and how they can make democracy work better…

Read more about the dialogues

Key summaries of each dialogue

Each dialogue was 75-90mins, but we’ve synthesised key points from each into 10-12m videos, full of clear nuggets of democratic gold from local and international voices. Watch below, or click on the page links for the full sets of videos.

Dialogue #1: How can people’s assemblies and citizens’ assemblies work well together?

Professor Graham Smith held the question for this dialogue with Clare Farrell and a dozen fellow practitioner-experts, academics, organisers and activists, to explain the differences between the kinds of assemblies, and then figure out how they can best talk to each other. (See all videos at the Dialogue #1 page.)

Dialogue #2: Is there anything neutral about an assembly (or a facilitator?

Claire Mellier (Iswe, Global Citizens’ Assembly) held the question for this dialogue with Clare Farrell on things like money, power, decision-making; everything that’s real in making participation work well for people and our places. (See all videos at the Dialogue #2 page.)

Dialogue #3: Who sets the agenda?

Rich Wilson (Iswe, Global Citizens’ Assembly) held the question for this dialogue with Clare Farrell, about how good participation has fair and open agendas about what the assembly is for and what it is going to do. What does it take for assemblies to be legitimate for their participants and the people and places they are about? (See all videos at the Dialogue #3 page.)

Dialogue #4: Can assemblies be more radically anti-racist?

Lee Jasper (Humanity Project, Operation Black Vote) held the question for this dialogue with Clare Farrell, to ask: the assembly movement can’t carry on as it did before the death of George Floyd; if we want a politics fit for the 21st century, how can assemblies be more radically anti-racist than they’ve been so far? (See all videos a the Dialogue #4 page.)

Dialogue #5: What happens afterwards?

Jon Alexander (author of Citizens) held the question for this dialogue with Clare Farrell, to ask: What’s the bigger plan? How do we make the outputs of any national-level assembly unignorable, so that they don’t let people down, either those who took part in the assembly, or the people the outcomes might affect? (See all videos at the Dialogue #5 page.)

Thank you to all of our participants

Alex Lockwood, Anwar Akthar, Carne Ross, Claire Mellier, Clare Farrell, David Bent, Deborah Field-Pellew, Diane Beddoes, Dr Floyd Millen, Ed Gillespie, Elena Moses, Eva Schonveld, Gospel Obeke, Professor Graham Smith, Granaz Baloch, Helen Goulden, James Robertson, Jamie Kelsey Fry, Janosch Pfeffer, Jenn Reid, Jeremy Till, Jessica Edwards, Jon Alexander, Josh Knowles, Josie Moon, Justin Kenrick, Kathie Conn, Lachlan Ayles, Lee Jasper, Liam Killeen, Liz Goold, Lucy Reid, Manfred Hellrigi, Mara Livermore, Marit Hammond, Martin Rausch, Martin Wroe, Mary Nassr, Michael DaCosta Babb, Mike Eccles, Mirian Levin, Molly May, Moussa Sylla, Myghal, Nick Anim, Professor Oliver Escobar, Paul Ewen, Perry Walker, Pete Bryant, Phoebe Reith, Reema Patel, Rich Wilson, Robbie Stamp, Dr Rosa Zubizarreta, Rossana Massuelo, Sarah Castell, Siddi Mujabah, Stephanie Draper, Stephen Bennett, Professor Stephen Elstub, Steve Conlon, Susan Richie, Timi Okuwa, Tom Lord, Yago Bermejo.