UK Democracy Bulletin, 19th December 2022

Fortnightly news, jobs, grants and gossip from the democracy sector, brought to you by James Moulding, Louise Dunmore and Max Roche of the Democracy Network and Centre for Democracy. Read by 400+ democracy organisations. We read everyone’s newsletters & research so you don’t have to. If you want us to cover yours, let us know: democracynetwork@involve.org.uk

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Highlights

• A New Britain Brown Commission publishes landmark report
• Civic Power Fund community action fund
• Cornwall devolution deal agreed
• Greater Manchester Legislative Theatre wins international prize in UK first
• Assisted Dying to be legalised in Jersey following Citizens’ Jury
• Democracy Defence Coalition resurrecting following concerns over Elections Act implementation
• Reichsbürger far-right coup foiled in Germany

Important information

The UK Democracy Bulletin & Meetups will be paused until late January.

Thanks to our contributors

Thanks to everyone who joined us last week for our Democracy Meetup. We were joined by Katy Rubin — Legislative Theatre, Myf Nixon — mySociety, Prof. Graham Smith — Centre for the Study of Democracy, Titus Alexander — Democracy Matters, Gavin Barker — Citizen Network and Charlie Mansell — The Campaign Company.

Upcoming Legislation

Online Safety Bill returns to Parliament

The Online Safety Bill returned to parliament last week for a further round of debate. Last month, a coalition of campaign groups, including Liberty, Big Brother Watch and Index on Censorship, wrote to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression warning of the threat to free speech and privacy that would arise if the Online Safety Bill becomes law. In recent months, all aspects of the Bill concerning disinformation have been removed and key sections concerning privacy rights have been scaled back.

Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill has first reading in parliament

Cat Smith, Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, has introduced the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill to parliament calling for PR to be implemented at all parliamentary elections, mayoral elections and local authority elections in England, and Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales. The Bill had a first reading in the Commons on the 29th of November and is set to have a second reading on the 20th of January 2023.

The Public Order Bill has completed committee stage in the Lords

The Bill will be scrutinised at report stage in the New Year, which those working to improve the Bill believe to be crucial to amending it and removing the aspects they see as damaging.

Democracy Sector

Democracy Network Annual Conference

It has been just over a week since the Democracy Network’s Annual Conference and participants across the sector already can’t wait for next year. If you attended the conference be sure to provide feedback to the team on how it went for you. Check out the Network’s new video marking one week since the event here.

Frances Scott (50:50 Parliament), Matteo Bergamini (Shout Out UK), Mohammed Afridi (Civic Power Fund) and Ruth Hannah (People’s Powerhouse) at the Democracy Network Annual Conference

Notwestminster — February 18th, register now

Notwestminster is a free conference on building a more open, kinder local democracy. Based in Huddersfield the event will run on the 18th February 2023. Find out more and register now.

Response to Gordon Brown’s ‘New Britain’ report

Whilst the report itself is covered later in this issue, those across the sector have spent the past week or so digesting a sector-wide response. Tom Brake, Director of Unlock Democracy, is penning a joint letter for organisations to sign in the next few weeks. Rich Wilson and others at the Democracy Network conference suggested that the response include an independent process facilitated by the Democracy Network to feed into Labour’s consultation, which may potentially build support for a wider range of reforms. Titus Alexander also suggested following in the footsteps of previous campaigns such as ‘Campaigning Is OK’ to run a ‘national roadshow’ building widespread institutional and grassroots public support for the proposed reforms. Stay tuned here or follow the ongoing discussion on the UK Democracy Forum mailing list for more information.

Democracy Defence Coalition resurrected

Over the last 18 months, the Democracy Defence Coalition (DDC) — an alliance of more than fifteen organisations across the sector — worked closely to oppose and limit the potential damage from the then Elections Bill. Whilst dormant since the inception of the Elections Act, the DDC is being given a new lease of life due to widespread concerns over the implementation of the Elections Act.

Involve on the lookout for new Trustees and Treasurer

Ed Cox, Chair at Involve, and their wider team are on the lookout for promising candidates to be their next Treasurer for the Board and Trustees. Find out more and apply here.

Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust hiring new Grant Officers, Executive Governance Officer

The Trust is looking to hire two new Grants Officers and an Executive Governance Officer over the coming period. Applications close 8th January, apply now.

Seb Payne departs the lobby for Onward

Hailing their new role as ‘Westminster’s finest think tank’ Seb Payne has departed their role as Whitehall Editor at the Financial Times taking the helm at Onward as Director. Former Onward Director Will Tanner stood down earlier last month before moving into the №10 team as the PM’s Deputy Chief of Staff.

Civic Power Fund keeps the flame of Campaign Bootcamp alive

In recent months Civic Power Fund (CPF) won a bid to take ownership of Campaign Bootcamp’s assets, resources and website. In order to keep vital campaign resources available to activists and campaigners CPF opted to keep Campaign Bootcamp’s website up as a legacy website and archive. Campaign Bootcamp announced their closure this time last year after more than 8 years and 1,300 graduates of their powerful training programmes.

UK Open Government Network reinvigorated

Through Involve’s stewardship of the Open Government Network (OGN) reform agenda, they are looking to convene a sponsoring committee to provide bridge funding for a coordinator and help raise longer-term funding. This is as the UK Government start to turn their attention to Open Government National Action Plan 6, the deadline for which is 31 December 2023. The publication deadline for National Action Plan 6 is 31st December 2023 — Sign up to assist the OGN as a volunteer.

New research briefing looks at the causes and prevalence of political disengagement in the UK

A new briefing paper by Neil Johnston and Elise Uberoi of the House of Commons Library looks at the causes behind political disengagement across the UK and the reasons why certain groups have lost faith in the democratic process.

Republic are on the lookout for a new Lead Campaigner

Republic has had a busy few months making the case for a democratic alternative to the monarchy and are now looking for an experienced campaigner to help grow their membership base and boost public support for republicanism in the UK. Apply before December 30th and help shape the debate around King Charles III’s coronation.

Graham Smith steps down as Chair of Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development

Prof. Graham Smith is handing over the leadership of the Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development to Peter Davies of Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act fame, who was also Wales’ first Future Generations Commissioner.

Tom Tugendhat discusses democracy in an age of state threats at Policy Exchange event

In a keynote speech, Minister for Security, Tom Tugendhat discusses the question of how to defend democracy in an age of state threats. Watch the full lecture on YouTube.

Democratic Reform & Innovation

Starmer promises to abolish the House of Lords if elected

Labour leader Keir Starmer has revealed plans to abolish the House of Lords in an attempt to ‘restore trust in politics’, replacing it with an elected chamber. The plans aim to combat the growing public disillusionment with the political system by putting a stop to the practice in which outgoing prime ministers have appointed ‘lackeys and donors’ to the House of Lords. Labour Peers have, however, warned the Labour leader against the reforms, which they suggest would land him in a ‘constitutional quagmire’ and unable to push through key domestic reforms.

Gordon Brown publishes key report on constitutional reform and democratic renewal

The Brown Commission has released A New Britain: Renewing our Democracy and Rebuilding our Economy — a 40-point briefing outlining how our political system can be rebuilt to make the UK more prosperous, egalitarian and accountable. A significant decentralisation of power, an elected second chamber and improvements in standards of public life are at the centre of the proposals. The Electoral Reform Society, along with other pro-PR groups, have criticised the plans, however, for not proposing proportional representation for the Commons, which they describe as ‘a glaring hole in Britain’s new constitutional settlement’. For a brief summary of the report, check out this overview from the Institute for Government.

UK Supreme Court rejects authority of Scottish parliament to call independence vote

In mid-November, court proceedings over the question of Scottish independence finally concluded with the UK Supreme Court ruling unanimously that Scotland cannot hold another independence referendum without the prior approval of Westminster. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has vowed this will not be the end of the referendum push however and has said she will treat the next general election as a de facto referendum with independence being a central theme of the SNP manifesto. For more information on the Supreme Court decision, see this research briefing from David Torrance at the House of Commons Library.

Greater Manchester Legislative Theatre wins global participatory democracy award

Katy Rubin reports that earlier this month in Grenoble, France, Legislative Theatre for the Greater Manchester Homelessness Prevention Strategy was chosen out of 122 nominations to win the 2022 Award for Best Practice in Citizenship Participation from the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy. This is the first time that either the UK or the Legislative Theatre methodology have been honoured with this international prize.

Assisted Dying likely to be legalised in Jersey following Citizens’ Jury

In a major landmark policy shift, the island of Jersey is likely to see Assisted Dying legalised on the back of a Citizens’ Jury recommendation. Parliamentary Select Committees have been reported as asking for input into an inquiry on the issue beyond Jersey. The jury topped off a process initiated in 2019, when more than 1800 islanders signed a petition which triggered an online public survey, a GP and doctors’ survey and a public meeting on the issue. Together these elements signalled widespread support for policy among islanders which led to the Jersey Government commissioning a Citizens’ Jury on the issue.

Hansard Society Lecture looks to the future of the House of Lords

The Lord Speaker’s Parliamentary Affairs 75th Anniversary Lecture was delivered on the 7th of December exploring a range of issues related to the reform of the Upper House. During the lecture, the speaker Lord McFall of Alcluith, discussed the size and appointments system and the House’s role in wider society, stressing the need for reform whilst underlining the importance of the Lords’ scrutiny and revision roles.

Climate Change Committee experiments with deliberative engagement

Jake Ainscough, Senior Research Associate on the Climate Citizens project at Lancaster University, interviewed Climate Change Committee CEO Chris Stark on the Committee’s recent experiments with deliberative research.

Integrity & Transparency

Sunak rejects calls to overrule European Court of Human Rights over deportations

Downing Street has rejected a short bill introduced earlier this week by Tory backbencher Jonathan Gullis which would allow the government to deport asylum seekers even if the ECHR has explicitly ruled against it. Rishi Sunak has pledged not to contravene ECHR rulings despite calls from within his party to do so, although he failed to answer questions in the commons as to whether he would remove the UK from the ECHR altogether.

Report calls for increased powers to enable robust parliamentary scrutiny

A joint report from the Bennett Institute and the Institute for Government has found that the amount of time spent by MPs debating bills in parliament has declined over the past 20 years, now representing just a quarter of their time. The report suggests parliament’s powers have been eroded in recent years and calls on the government to empower parliament to allow proper scrutiny of legislation, checks on executive action and greater balance to the UK constitution.

mySociety publish their annual review and WhatDoTheyKnow’s transparency report

Deep dive into the work of mySociety over the past year with their 2022 Annual Review. Meanwhile Sally Reader, Service Manager on WhatDoTheyKnow, reports back on a year of FOI requests through the platform — this year they racked up more than 109,653 requests made by more 239,540 WhatDoTheyKnow accounts (an increase of 16,217 this year!).

openDemocracy re-opens ‘Who Funds You’ campaign to investigate think-tank funding

The re-booted programme uses think tanks’ disclosed sources of income to position them on a scale of funding transparency. Their analysis gave nine out of the twenty-eight think thanks analysed the worst possible ranking as they found no, or negligible available information on their funding streams. These ‘dark-money’ think tanks, who often publicly claim to carry influence within government, had a total income of £14.3m.

Network for Police Monitoring reviews 2022: ‘the year it became okay to jail protesters in Britain’

‘It has not been a good year for our right to dissent’, report NetPol — the review lays bare the successive challenges and threats to civil liberties and basic political rights of expression by the Johnson, Truss and Sunak Governments over the course of 2022. This year saw the introduction of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, coming into force in the summer, the new Public Order Bill — and the National Security Bill — both taking aim at the right to demonstrate and dissent. This year saw the highest number of political prisoners incarcerated within British jails for decades, with some 54 people currently in prison for taking part in protests, with more than 100 environmental activists having spent time in prison in 2022.

Climate protestors may be classified as terrorists by police

According to secret documents seen by openDemocracy, intelligence on climate protesters who specifically target large companies is being handed over to counter-terrorism police (CTP) to see if it classifies as terrorist activity. Although public order and protest-related duties have been removed from the CTP remit since 2020, information is still being shared with the department, meaning protestors from direct action groups such as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion may be assessed by the CTP.

Report and blog explore scrutiny within local government

Megan Ingle, Researcher at the Centre For Governance and Scrutiny, has written an introductory guide on scrutiny, looking at the main facets of scrutiny and a summary of some of the key tools and skills needed to improve and enhance scrutiny in local authorities. A blog from Charlotte Cameron, Democratic Services Officer at Peterborough City Council looks at how to improve scrutiny from the perspective of a new Democratic Services Officer.

Elections

Labour retains seat of Chester with firm by-election victory

Samantha Dixon MP won the seat earlier this month with the party’s highest-ever vote share (61.22%) and a majority of just under 11,000. The Conservatives received 6,335 votes and a 22.4% vote share, their worst result in the constituency since 1832.

Electoral Reform Society criticises government over voter IDs

The government finally published their list of voter IDs that can be used at the next election as part of the reforms introduced through the Elections Act. The Electoral Reform Society has criticised the list however, for offering the elderly significantly more options than young people, which could see young people discouraged from voting. For more information on Voter IDs, check out this research briefing from Neil Johnston and Elise Uberoi at the House of Commons Library.

Devolved Democracy & Local Government

Government signs landmark £360m devolution deal with Cornwall

The Government has signed a £360 million devolution deal with Cornwall, creating a new directly-elected Mayor and giving the area greater control over transport, housing and adult skills. The deal now means that almost half of England is covered by some form of devolution deal. Give Back Control, a policy paper released by Onward over the summer, sets out 25 recommendations for giving these mayors deeper and broader powers, alongside bolstered accountability and increased capability.

Bright Green speak to Welsh Green Party about the prospect of Welsh independence

In a recent interview with Wales Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter, Bright Green discusses Future Cymru Forum — a new body set up by the Welsh Greens and Plaid Cymru to make the case for Welsh independence. Listen back for updates on the Welsh independence campaign and the Welsh Greens’ prospects at the next election.

Titus Alexander is developing a Scottish Sovereignty Index

The Scottish Sovereignty Index AKA ‘Independence Readiness Index’ is currently at 72% according to the first assessment. Titus and the team are looking for an organisation to host it and help promote the Index (for which they have funding). Contact Titus if you’re interested.

People’s Powerhouse launch their new film

People’s Powerhouse work to include the voices of ordinary Northerners in the decisions that affect their lives. Late last month they teamed up with Northern wordsmith Nathan Parker for their new film.

Democracy & Media

MPs vote through controversial National Security Bill

The Society of Editors has warned that the proposed new laws would ‘ride roughshod’ over established journalistic protections meaning journalists and campaign groups might be deterred from publishing information in the public interest. The society has joined a coalition of organisations demanding amendments to the bill to prevent the criminalisation of public interest journalism. The bill passed its third reading last month and now goes to the Lords for further scrutiny.

Editors and industry experts call on Dominic Raab to introduce anti-SLAPP legislation

Leading editors, lawyers, journalists, publishers and free speech organisations have written an open letter to Dominic Raab asking him to back meaningful anti-SLAPP protections. Pressure has been mounting over the last year to introduce legislation to protect the press from the ‘abusive legal tactics’ that are often employed to silence investigations.

Plans to privatise Channel Four could be scrapped

The UK Government appears to have dropped their plans to privatise Channel Four as they enter discussions with the broadcaster over alternative funding models that could avoid privatisation. Whilst ministers claim they are still considering all options, Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan told MPs: ‘I’ve been looking at other options on sustainability and discussing those with Channel 4 as to how feasible they are.’

Institute of Welsh affairs publishes results of citizen-led research on Welsh media

In the summer of 2022, a selection of fifteen citizens from across Wales came together with a range of ‘expert witnesses’ to discuss and debate how the media in Wales can better serve its citizens. Led by independent facilitators, the meetings focused on three main areas; media regulation, democracy and citizenship education, and recognising Welshness. Check out the full report and all the recommendations put forward by how to improve the Welsh media.

Public Interest News Foundation report looks at link between local media and electoral turnout

In the run-up to local elections in London and Birmingham in May 2022, PINF provided funding to five news providers to increase levels of local journalist activity to see whether this would in turn increase democratic engagement. Although the project did not generate conclusive evidence that voter turnout or registration had improved, there were a number of other interesting insights around knowledge of local issues, opportunities for engagement and trust in local information. Would you like to know more?.

New research from Impress reveals low levels of public news literacy

Impress recently surveyed 3000 members of the public for their beliefs, experiences, and perceptions of today’s news landscape. Their recently published report reveals a striking correlation between low levels of trust in journalism and a lack of knowledge about the news media industry more broadly. Improving trust in journalism means engaging more thoroughly with the public on news values and the role of regulation, said Impress CEO, Richard Ayre.

The Ferret launch new community newsroom in Glasgow

Thanks in part to crowdfunding donations from members, The Ferret will today (Friday 16th December) open a new community newsroom which they will share with Greater Govanhill Magazine. The newsroom will offer a space for community building and will allow hyperlocal, community-based journalism to collaborate with rigorous investigative journalism.

Funding Democracy

Civic Power Fund’s Community Action Fund is now open

Civic Power Fund new Community Action Fund is aimed at supporting grassroots organisations that are building the power of their community and campaigning for long-term change. The fund aims to provide flexible, one-off grants between £2,500 and £20,000 — Apply now.

Unlock Democracy to receive funding for campaign on automatic voter registration

Shaun Roberts, Head of Campaigns and Digital, at Unlock Democracy reports that they have just had confirmation of funding for a new parliamentary campaign to support AVR.

Common Knowledge funded by Civic Power Fund

Not-for-profit tech worker cooperative Common Knowledge work closely with grassroots organisations across the UK to provide high quality digital and campaign support. They have worked to produce new brand identities, strategies and digital presence for campaigns such as 350, London Renters Union, StopWatch, Autonomy, GND UK, Generation Rent, Nurses United and more. Civic Power Fund are providing core funding for their work to support grassroots organisations.

And Finally…

German right-wing coup d’etat plot foiled

Earlier this month more than 3,000 police across Germany moved to arrest members of the far-right terrorist group Patriotic Union, part of the far-right Reichsbürger movement. Coup plotters threatened to violently seize Germany’s federal government and install Heinrich Reuss as monarch. A former Alternativ für Deutschland (AfD) MP was also implicated and arrested in the police action.

Does our mental health affect democratic participation? The Practical Democracy Podcast investigates

Joined by Dr Antonis Kousoulis, Director of the Mental Health Foundation, a new episode of the Practical Democracy Podcast looks at the relationship between mental health and public participation, examining how issues such as financial instability and social inequality may impact someone’s capacity to involve themselves in the democratic process.

The Community Power podcast returns for a second series

The Community Power podcast is making a return for a second series, exploring what happens when you give local people the money, power and resources to become changemakers in their communities. Check out current episodes on community resilience, local regeneration and climate conversations.

Featured Upcoming Events

The Centre for Democracy maintains a full database of events from across the democracy sector.

View the database here — Have we missed something? Add it here!

Active Job Listings across the Democracy Sector

View the full database of upcoming job listings here — have we missed any? Add them via this form.

Apply ASAP

• Apply by 30th Dec: Lead Campaigner (Communications) at Republic (£31,000)

Jobs with upcoming deadlines

• Apply by 8th Jan: Grants Officer x2 at JRCT (£37,373)
• Apply by 8th Jan: Executive Governance Officer (£37,373 — £42,553)
• Apply by 9th Jan: Representation and Democracy Coordinator at City University SU (£31,411 to £38,592)
• Apply by 21 Jan: Head of Finance at NEON (£52,556 4DWW)
• Apply by 25 Jan: Political Offiicer (Conservative) at Local Government Association (£41,191 incl London weighting)
• Apply by 26 Feb: Programme Operations Assistant x2 at NEON (£28,176 4DWW)
• Open Deadline: Senior Software Engineer — Full Stack at Apolitical (£70,000 — £80,000)
• Open Deadline: Deliberative Democracy Officer at TPXimpact (£32–39,000)
• Open Deadline: Head of Policy and Advocacy at The 3 Million (£40,225)
• Open Deadline: Democracy Development Coordinator at King’s College London Student Union (£28,563 — £34,514)
• Open Deadline: Voter Registration Ambassador at I Have a Voice (London Living Wage)
• Open Deadline: Communities & Campaigns Manager at Best for Britain (£35,000)
• Open Deadline: Chief Operating Officer at Democracy Club (£40k pro rata)
• Open Deadline: Board Member — Treasurer at New Economy Organisers Network (Voluntary)
• Open Deadline: Board Member — New Economy Expertise at New Economy Organisers Network (Voluntary)
• Open Deadline: Legislative Director at Fair Vote UK (£38–45k)
• Various Democratic Services roles at Association of Democratic Services Officers
• Open Deadline: COP26 Communications Officer at Wellbeing Economy Alliance (£30k pro rata)

Unsalaried job listings #ShowTheSalary

• Apply by 30 Dec: Research Associate in Digital Campaigning and Electoral Democracy at University of Manchester
• Apply by 13 Jan: PhD Studentship: Citizens, Environmental Sustainability and Local Democracy at Nottingham Trent University
• Open Deadline: Contract Specialist (Part-time) at Purpose (salary not given)
• Open Deadline: Campaigns Adviser at Digital Action (salary not given)
• Open Deadline: Senior Software Engineer at Apolitical (salary not given)

We’ve been experimenting with the format of this email and the accompanying meetup, if you have any feedback we’d be glad to hear it.

If you can’t make our weekly meetup, you can always drop in to the meetup document of the current fortnight and add to it by going to democracymeetup.org.uk.

See you next time, add to your calendar

James, Max, Louise and the Democracy Network team