04-17-2007, 07:22 PM
Hi Shadow,
I, too, am very excited about the Citizens' Assembly and its proposal. When I was doing my undergraduate work in BC I had the opportunity to watch the proceedings first hand and was amazed at the quality of the citizen deliberations. I've been similarly impressed in Toronto (where I'm doing my MA) and my PhD will likely relate to "experimental" deliberative exercises like the CA format, which (I think) might have interesting ramifications for the future of political representation. It's definitely helped to jar some preconceptions (among political scientists) about the ability of average citizens to reason about politics. When placed in the right setting, members have shown an impressive willingness to change their mind and actually respond to arguments and reasons rather than simply adhere to pre-formed biases and interpretations. Rather promising, I think.
I'm also excited at the prospect of electoral reform, although I've been shocked at the strongly pro-establishment attitude of several Toronto "media elites" who are presently controlling much of the public dialogue surrounding the issue. This was definitely not the case in BC - a sign of differences in political culture that might have been predicted, I suppose.
Anyways, I hope you get your wish and the proposal goes through.
BTW: our friends in California should get to know the process a little bit; from what I understand, there may be a proposal made sometime in the future that similar exercises (of a smaller scale) be used as deliberative "filters" on proposed ballot initiatives. There's also a similar process going on re: electoral reform in the Netherlands, so eppie should be paying attention!
I, too, am very excited about the Citizens' Assembly and its proposal. When I was doing my undergraduate work in BC I had the opportunity to watch the proceedings first hand and was amazed at the quality of the citizen deliberations. I've been similarly impressed in Toronto (where I'm doing my MA) and my PhD will likely relate to "experimental" deliberative exercises like the CA format, which (I think) might have interesting ramifications for the future of political representation. It's definitely helped to jar some preconceptions (among political scientists) about the ability of average citizens to reason about politics. When placed in the right setting, members have shown an impressive willingness to change their mind and actually respond to arguments and reasons rather than simply adhere to pre-formed biases and interpretations. Rather promising, I think.
I'm also excited at the prospect of electoral reform, although I've been shocked at the strongly pro-establishment attitude of several Toronto "media elites" who are presently controlling much of the public dialogue surrounding the issue. This was definitely not the case in BC - a sign of differences in political culture that might have been predicted, I suppose.
Anyways, I hope you get your wish and the proposal goes through.
BTW: our friends in California should get to know the process a little bit; from what I understand, there may be a proposal made sometime in the future that similar exercises (of a smaller scale) be used as deliberative "filters" on proposed ballot initiatives. There's also a similar process going on re: electoral reform in the Netherlands, so eppie should be paying attention!
But whate'er I be,
Nor I, nor any man that is,
With nothing shall be pleased till he be eased
With being nothing.
William Shakespeare - Richard II
Nor I, nor any man that is,
With nothing shall be pleased till he be eased
With being nothing.
William Shakespeare - Richard II