On 11 August, we all have a chance to start building meaningful democracy

Our electoral system works… for the rich and powerful. For everyone else, it sucks. It pretends that voting in elections makes a difference. But it very rarely does anything that really threatens the domination of those at the top of the dog-eat-dog system we live in. The faces change but the policies essentially stay the same. At a time when the far-right are conducting race riots across the UK, the urgency for change has never been clearer.

We don’t just have to resign ourselves to that form of rubber-stamp capitalist ‘democracy’, though. And there’s an exciting event on 11 August that promises to get the ball rolling for a new way of doing things.

Assemble: building solutions together to ‘upgrade democracy‘

One powerful way to challenge this awful electoral system we have is to build something new. Right now. Without asking for permission from our corporate overlords and their parliamentary lackeys.

Grassroots democracy organisation Assemble believes we can, and should, do that. It believes that democracy means actually getting involved. It isn’t just waiting to put a mark in a box on a piece of paper every few years. We can work with others in our communities. We can discuss what needs to happen, and how we can achieve it together. As Assemble said in a press release:

This form of deliberative democracy is proposed to be significantly more effective and representative than representative democracy alone.

On 11 August, Assemble will host “the launch event for a new and radical national institution, the House of the People”. It explained:

It will be a free ticketed event with food, speakers, and musical performances. It will be held in the Grade II listed Heritage & Arts Centre at Holy Trinity Church, Bow.

The group has already been supporting local assemblies across the country in recent months to start meeting and getting used to the idea. As it asserted:

Assemblies are open meetings, where people come together to build solutions to local, national and international issues, and plan to make these solutions happen. The House of the People will be a randomly selected, representative body of people in Britain who will make the final decisions on matters raised in local Assemblies.

In the recent election, there were 28 independent candidates that Assemble endorsed and supported. And the group said:

This tactic of holding freely accessible meetings where the local communities create the policies was a game-changing way of doing politics – and it was just the start. One of these candidates, Shockat Adam, is now the independent MP for Leicester South.

“We can do so much better than our politicians want us to believe”

Maddison Wheeldon was another independent candidate in the 2024 election who got Assemble’s backing, and she’ll be a co-facilitator at the 11 August event. She insisted that:

When we come together we can make change happen and build a more equal and fair society with room for all perspectives, cultures and faiths. The House of the People has the power to strengthen and focus the voice of the people of this country, breaking down the walls and party lines that divide us. It’s time to let the people who live the realities of the issues decide.

Assemble spokesperson Molly Shelton added:

Our inspiring and inclusive election campaigns were the start of a new way of doing politics. They showed that when people are empowered to participate in genuine democratic spaces, we can do so much better than our politicians want us to believe. At the launch for the House of the People on 11th August, everyone is welcome to come and have their say in the direction we take together.

In an ideal world, having a permanent citizens’ assembly like the House of the People would be “the most popular alternative to replace the House of Lords”. As Assemble spokesperson Yaz Ashmawi said:

A free, uncorrupted and unencumbered institution like the House of the People can create the sort of logical, proportionate and effective solutions to the enormous crises we are facing – genocide, inequality and climate collapse. This body will rival the Government and in time, seeks to replace the House of Lords.

The event will start at 3pm on 11 August. It will give us all the chance to start building meaningful democracy. And that’s an opportunity we should welcome with open arms.

Featured image via Assemble