The state of eDemocracy

It’s interesting to reflect on the state of eDemocracy in the UK, not simply as I step into the role of Director of the eDemocracy Programme at the Hansard Society but as someone who has not that long ago returned after a long absence.

From overseas, it seems that the UK has led the development of eDemocracy in a number of areas. In local government, the UK is particularly strong, although this is limited to a few councils. One might argue that the spread of eDemocracy beyond those early adopters is not occurring as quickly as was hoped.

Within the Parliamentary process there are world leading innovations too. Most have emerged from outside the system but are now integral parts of our democracy. The work of MySociety obviously springs to mind, with websites such as theyworkforyou.com and hearfromyourmp.com. These two websites have had an undeniable impact on the political landscape, the latter certainly being at least an occasional catalyst for renewed civic enthusiasm on the part of some of our elected members.

The cause celebre of eDemocracy is the Downing Street ePetitions system. I’ve commented previously that, as a tool in its own right, I have some doubts about its efficacy and others have argued that, with no real link to process behind it, the value was always going to be limited. However, as a Trojan horse trundling into the heart of British democracy it has been invaluable. And it has certainly engaged the mainstream media in eDemocracy in a way that has never happened before. A democratic placebo, yes, but its legacy will, I hope, be as one of the catalysts for democratic modernisation. The House of Commons Procedures Committee set up to look at how ePetitions can be used within Parliament is a direct outcome and my colleague, Laura Miller, recently presented the Hansard Society’s views to them.

The Westminster system is resistant to modernisation and to change and there are many reasons for this, some to do with scale, others to do with history and culture. ePetitions are eDemocracy light, they are not true tools for effective engagement and they are certainly not active or deliberative, I doubt even their strongest proponents would argue otherwise. Is this a criticism? No; it is undoubtedly easier to introduce a light-weight engagement tool, such as ePetitioning, into a single location, such as Downing Street, than it is to even contemplate turning the entire system of government into an online deliberative process!

Increasingly, politicians have turned to the internet through websites, blogs and – more and more – social media tools, such as Facebook and MySpace. SecondLife looms on the not too distant horizon. The results are mixed. At best, there are some excellent examples that demonstrate that citizens can maintain a level of engagement with their elected representatives that was simply impossible before. Without any particular bias or ranking, I’ve noted MPs such as Ed Davey (www.edwarddavey.co.uk), where I can view his diary as well as up-to-date news and information relevant to the constituent. There is David Cameron too, with his very slick but informative webcameron.org.uk site, and, to keep things balanced, David Millband’s blog, now hosted at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (blogs.fco.gov.uk/blogs/david_miliband). Here at the Hansard Society we are working on the soon to be launched Lords of the Blog, involving a number of Peers and our work on Digital Dialogues continues to identify eParticipation and eDemocracy examples from within government (including David Miliband’s blog). Looking beyond Westminster, it’s gratifying to see an increasing number of active bloggers and Facebook members in the Welsh Assembly.

So, going back to my opening paragraph, what is the state of eDemocracy, particularly as it relates to Parliament? There is activity but a lot is on the fringes. There are interesting projects but many are coming from outside. Good things are happening but often in isolated pockets and overly dependent on enthusiastic individuals rather than any downward pressure for systemic change.

Challenges exist and I have been surprised by the lack of debate about what eDemocracy could really do to invigorate British democracy. Too often the conversation is on systems and technologies, not on transformation and visions for the future. Conversations need to happen amongst proponents of eDemocracy as well in the wider circles of government and civil society as to how new media can halt the decline in public trust and help to overcome our democratic deficit. I hope that a contribution I can make as I settle into my new role is to take a forward-thinking position; not just what’s happening today or could happen tomorrow but where could we be in five, even ten years time. After all, I start this job as the eDemocracy Programme here at the Hansard Society moves into its eleventh year. Surely an auspicious time to be visionary.

Andy Williamson

eDemocracy Programme Director

a[.]williamson[@]hansard[.]lse[.]ac[.]uk