Swan's Reach
S a t u r n D r a g o n
UTW
Maturity 1
Ten Sights
UCCS
the Chevil Até Project
C3
A3
3C22 Extinction Rebellion NOLA
Concerting Initiatives:
Axis-3
Ten-3
Reference Links:
Concerting References:
General References
NOTES
Subject
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XRNOLA
CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLY
I.
Don’t
confuse citizens’ assemblies with people’s assemblies.
A.
People’s assemblies are open to anyone who wants
to attend, they last a few hours and are great for quick discussion or
decision making.
B.
Citizens’
assemblies are made up of randomly-selected people from all walks of life
coming together over a period of time to investigate and find solutions to
difficult issues.
Contexts and Perspective
I.
Extinction Rebellion’s third demand calls on the government to
create and be led by a citizens’ assembly on climate and ecological justice.
II.
People
from all walks of life, randomly selected like a jury reflect on an issue of
public concern
III.
Democracy
as an expression of the will of the people...an [informed] expression of the
will of the people.”
·
Purposes
I.
Bringing together a cross-section of society to
hear from experts and stakeholders, ask questions, deliberate on policy
options and make recommendations that shape government policy.
II.
If organised properly, a national citizens’
assembly on climate and ecological justice will enable politicians to address
the emergency before it’s too late.
III.
Real democracy: a new direction for the country
made by people for the people.
IV.
To
resolve the political disconnect of traditional political parties.
V.
Getting
to hear what the ordinary people, the people that it affects on the ground,
feel about something.
VI.
Providing
the people with a way to request radical change and, thereby, giving
government legitimacy to act.
VII.
Allowing
for cross-party support.
VIII.
Public
participation acts as a counterweight to parliamentary systems that
prioritize short-term electoral gain over the long-term needs of current and
future generations.
IX.
Deliberative
processes, supported by safeguards against bias, lead to more diverse and
informed voices in political debates than in a purely elected body.
X.
Assembly
members are not chosen to represent political parties and so are free to make
decisions solely based on their own informed viewpoints, values and sense of
what policies would be for the common good
·
Vision
·
what succeeding looks like in
fulfilling the purpose(s)What does the "environment" or the
"state of conditions" that the concept exists within manifest
as/resemble or "looks like"/result in after the efforts being
proposed are completed – what are the resulting situations or
conditions that enable a declaration of "mission accomplished"?
·
Strategies
I.
A
citizens’ assembly is run by a team of coordinators (normally a professional
organisation or a group of such organisations) whose impartiality is
essential. These coordinators are responsible for conducting the process of
random selection and inviting experts, stakeholders and facilitators.
II.
Citizens’
assemblies can also be held at city or local level. However, given the
urgency and complexity of the climate emergency, only the national government
has the power to tackle the scale and scope of necessary action—that is
why Extinction Rebellion is demanding a national citizens’ assembly
III.
Advisory
Board: The advisory board develops key criteria for the selection of the
expert/stakeholder panel. It also ensures, with the help of the oversight
panel, that the background material and evidence presented to a citizens’
assembly is balanced. The advisory board may be composed in different ways,
for example, in the Irish Citizens’ Assembly the board comprised academics
and practitioners across a number of specific fields of interest.
IV.
Expert/Stakeholder
Panel: These are a mixture of experts, stakeholders and rights-holders who
brief the assembly on their perspective. They are invited by the coordinating
group based on criteria set by the advisory board to ensure fair and broad
representation of opinion. Assembly members also have input and are asked
whether there are specific questions they would like answered or particular
groups or individuals they would like to hear from. They also have the chance
to cross-question panel members at the assembly itself. Contributions from
experts, stakeholders and rights-holders can be made in the form of a talk in
person, a recording, a written briefing, or they can be live streamed.
V.
Facilitation
Team: A team of facilitators is appointed by the coordinators. In every
session during the citizens’ assembly a facilitator sits at each table with
assembly members. The role of the facilitation team is to ensure that the
deliberation is not dominated by a vocal few and that everyone has a chance
to speak. This role should be carried out by experienced practitioners who
can ensure that the deliberation environment is respectful. The team should
be impartial and sufficiently large to adequately support the number of
assembly members. The facilitators will not have the opportunity to voice
their own opinion.
VI.
Oversight
Panel: The oversight panel can be made up of citizens, representatives of
government, rights-holders (representatives of those whose rights are under
threat, such as grassroots campaigns), technical experts in deliberative processes
and other stakeholders such as NGOs and corporations. The role of this body
is to monitor the whole process ensuring its compliance with standards.
·
Methodologies
VII.
Formats:
A.
Each
series of gatherings concentrates on a specific issue to
B.
Structured
debates around information, discussion, questions and answers, and allow
citizens to really thrash things out with expert advice, very often people
will shift their positions.”Run by an independent organisation free from
interference by government, corporations, or anyone else - including
Extinction Rebellion
C.
Investigate
the issues in depth
D.
Consider
evidence and views from all sides
E.
Question and discuss in small groups Make
decisions together about how we move forward.
F.
Assembly organisers use demographic quotas to
ensure that it is inclusive in terms of a range of factors; for example,
gender, age, ethno-cultural heritage, education level, sexual orientation,
disability and geography.
G.
Once members have been selected, the process
includes four key phases: listening, learning, deliberating and deciding.
·