ENGAGING THE ELECTORATE: AN EVOLVING PROCESS IN SCOTLAND
Petitions systems are a useful tool for engaging with the public and involving them in the policy making process. However, in order to be effective it is important that they constantly evolve, says the Convener (Chairperson) of the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee.
Mr David Stewart,
MSP, in Edinburgh. Mr Stewart has been a Scottish Labour Party Member of the Scottish Parliament since 2007. A former social worker, he was a Labour Member of the United Kingdom House of Commons from 1997 to 2005 and served from 2005 to 2007 as an Assistant Director of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organizations. This article is based on a presentation he gave at a Public Participation Conference in Johannesburg at the invitation of Hon. Lindiwe Maseko, MPL, the Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.
For the many people across the Commonwealth who are alienated from the political process, public participation may seem like a hollow sentiment – a healing balm or sticking plaster which ignores fundamental inequality in many of our democracies. Yet, inaction seems a strangely inadequate response to a global participation pandemic. So I welcome the opportunity to write about a Scottish solution to ignite public participation – public petitions. Einstein once said “learn from
yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow” and it is vital that we do indeed learn from yesterday if we are truly to engage with the people which we as Parliamentarians represent. The last few years have seen the rapid rise in social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+. We are now arguably more socially connected than at any time in our history. Yet, it is now that participation and interest in politics is at its lowest. Simply doing what we did yesterday, what we have always
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done, is no longer enough. How we engage and how we encourage participation must evolve.
An ancient tradition updated At the Scottish Parliament we are proud of our public petitions system. Indeed, in Scotland there is a long tradition of petitions dating back to the 14th century and King David II who introduced a right for every subject to petition the King. Seven hundred years later the re- establishment of the Scottish Parliament provided an ideal opportunity to resurrect the petitions tradition. The Scottish Parliament was
founded on four guiding principles as follows: first, power sharing (between the Parliament, the Scottish government and the people of Scotland); secondly, accessibility, openness and participation; thirdly, accountability; and fourthly, equal opportunities. The petitions system at the Scottish Parliament reflects these principles and indeed is one of the
Mr David Stewart, MSP
key ways by which members of the public can seek to have a direct influence and role in the policy development process. The Scottish Parliament has a
dedicated Public Petitions Committee whose remit is to consider petitions and take such action as it considers appropriate. A public petition addressed to the Scottish Parliament must not request the Parliament to do anything which the Parliament clearly has no power to do. Nevertheless, during the last 13 years this has enabled a wide