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New group established to boost democratic participation across Wales

By Mark Mansfield
The Innovating Democracy Advisory Group with Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies

The Welsh Government has brought together a group of leading experts in democracy, community engagement and policy development to explore new approaches to improving democratic participation across Wales.

The Innovating Democracy Advisory Group, led by Dr Anwen Elias, was established by the government in response to a recommendation from the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales which found that many Welsh citizens feel disconnected from decision-making processes that affect their lives.

The group hopes to address the lack of engagement through what it describes as "innovative approaches to civic education and participation covering all levels of government."

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Expert advice

Reporting to the Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, the Group will provide expert advice to the Welsh Government, while also seeking to engage directly with the Senedd and local government in coming months as they begin their work.

The Deputy First Minister met with the Group during its first meeting. He said: “Through their combined expertise, members of this Group will work to ensure everyone’s voices are heard and valued. Their innovative work extends beyond traditional electoral processes to revitalize democracy at all levels.”

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'Real value'

Dr Anwen Elias said: “I  am delighted to be leading the Innovating Democracy Advisory Group to take forward the Commission’s recommendations. We have brought together a diverse group of influencers and advisors in the field of democratic innovation, participation, and involvement.

“We are committed to working in partnership with others across Wales who are already demonstrating best practice in public participation and democratic education. Together, we’ll explore where this Group can add real value to ensure that the people of Wales are heard in decision-making at all levels of government.”

The members of the group are, Mo Alamgir, Sarah Allan, Jess Blair, Mike Corcoran, Tomos Dafydd Davies, Professor Sally Holland, Yvonne Murphy, Julie Sangani, Professor Diana Stirbu, Daisy Thomson and Leanne Wood.

More information on the members of the advisory group is available here.

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20 comments

Rob

The best platform to get people motivated into politics is social media. Facebook, You Tube etc. Hardly see anything online in regard to Welsh politics.

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HarrisR

I think we will most definitely need another "democratic "group of experts to assess this expert group of experts. And perhaps a subsequent evaluation group to assess their evaluation, followed by a task and finish report group leading to an interim report, and a subsequent major conference at one of Wale's finest conference centres, with guest speakers from other European democracies and beyond. This could be game changing. I for the life of me can't see why people don't vote.

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Jeff

I doesn't help when the press run “don't vote for them and don't for them either”. i dont use the socials but guess the same message was there as well. But it was evident last ge. Including here.

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Mab Meirion

On the knocker with Huw and chums...

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Mab Meirion

That is a football team there...this guy is a waste of money...Huw's Day Out...

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Bruce

And some of them were even in Wales.

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Bruce

Perhaps everyone who votes for the first time could be given a ÂŁ20 Spoons voucher.

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Nia James

I don't think there will be a shortage of voters next year as I have recently met so many people, mostly ex-Labour voters, who said that they are going to vote Reform. The people of Wales will turn out in decent numbers for the Senedd Election and they'll be supporting English Thatcherite Nationalism.

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Dyfrug Caradog-Rhydderch

It amazes me that Westminster elections garner more people than the Senedd elections.

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Bryce

They don't really when you look at by-elections. That's when people who really care about their representation in SW1 make the effort The general election boost is just down to habit, "because we've always done it".

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Howie

More navel gazing by expert navel gazers.

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hdavies15

Picking fluff out of each others' navels. Very productive !

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Tucker

There was no blanket imposition. Keep spouting the right wing lies and we'll keep laughing at you.

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Jeff

Er, we voted on a manifesto with 20 in it. Start to lob that out with a gamed petition then what is the point of voting? Just run the country on petitions. Every time oiks like ARTD get upset, his hired chumps start a petition, and get the law changed. The test was the demo at the Senedd, where 500k turned into what, 20 people? Remeber the go slow around wales? how many truned up complete with conspiracy banners? Petitions are not a vote and should never be.

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Chris Jones

It would be incredibly difficult to find a more impressive, talented and well connected line-up of 'experts' and advisors than this one. I'm sure their report will be brilliant and learned and the Welsh government will take due notice and act positively according to their recommendations... oh, wait! It wont be ready for a year? Damn.

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Y Cymro

In reality this newly created group to boost participation in democracy in Wales shouldn't actually exist because the Welsh public should care about their country not be reminded. Sadly most here aren't engaged Welsh politics because for decades both Labour & Conservatives has dumbed down Welsh society, so much so, the public here aren't even aware because what they read & hear in their newspapers and on TV doesn't feature or reflect Wales or their own lives back, this because the media is largely anglocentric in Wales or based entirely in England. Why do we think Wales voted for Brexit in 2016 even though against our own national interest? To most the Europe Union wasn't even an issue on the doorstep until they were whipped into a frenzy by the redtop media who pandered to the Farage far-right . A good example is the recent asylum seekers issue affecting Kent in South East England. Leaving the EU caused the very explosion in small boat crossings. Hundreds are dead because of Nigel Farage. But will he take responsibility? Like hell he will. It's all France's fault. And the EU want to punish us BS. Point of Interest. Reform UK Nigel Farage spokeswoman Catrin Thomas admitted to the BBC in June last year that immigration has not been a "a big issue" in the election campaign in Wales and was "much more of an issue" in England. Point made. Reform UK BBC article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cek9gn74nlro Unfortunately the Welsh were lead by their noses like cattle to the slaughterhouse by the ERG extremist wing of the Conservative party and confidence trickster Nigel Farage aided and abetted by the English right-wing redtop media owed by Australian fascist Rupert Murdoch. This what happens when you don't control your own national media & broadcasting. And why it's so important to have Nation Cymru and other independent Wales-based outlets to vent our political frustrations and promote the positives of Wales in equal measure.

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Steve George

The usual suspects!

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Gerallt Llewelyn Rhys.

Senedd bubble.

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Why vote

Is there an election coming up, now Mr Davies wants to engage with the population by spending our money engaging consultants to tell him what's wrong with the population. the madness of it all.

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Martyn Rhys Vaughan

We will never hear from them again.

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In reality this newly created group to boost participation in democracy in Wales shouldn't actually exist because the Welsh public should care about their country not be reminded. Sadly most here aren't engaged Welsh politics becaus...

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