The People and Parliament
Full Technical Report
New as of Dec 2012: PDFs of Report in Executive and Full Technical versions
Also, PDF of the original question/process forms (also appended to the Full Tech version)
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(The material below is now mostly archival as it is replaced as of 2012 by the PDFs above)
This report is the full version of People & Parliament: Reshaping Scotland? - The People Speak as discussed in pp. 5-6 of the Runnymede Trust's Parekh Report, The Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain (Profile Books, October 2000, www.runnymedetrust.org.uk). In 1999 three members of the People & Parliament steering group made a presentation to Lord Parekh's Commission, speaking about Scottish identity (drawing especially on the work of Glasgow's GalGael Trust) and the People and Parliament process, with reference to ideas that were to result in the Embracing Multicultural Scotland study. We are therefore greatly warmed to read, in Chapter 1 of the Parekh Report, that, "[The People & Parliament findings] serve to introduce many of the themes of this report: how to reimagine English, Scottish and Welsh history so that it includes everyone; how to understand identities in transition; how to balance cohesion, difference and justice; how to deal with racism... The creation of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly and the increased prominence of Scottish and Welsh identities, have profound implications for people in England."
"Once in many generations there comes to a people the chance to take their destiny into their own hands, to say with confidence who they are and what they want, and to reshape their society in line with their vision. That time has come for Scotland."
- Canon Kenyon Wright, Convener of People & Parliament
This report comprises about 100 printed pages, some in extensive MS Word tables. It has therefore been broken into separate files according to section numbers in the original published report. These can be read by clicking the underlined hyperlinks either in the Contents section (below) or at the head and foot of each page. Whilst the internet version of this material is initially posted to the website of one of the Steering Committee members (www.AlastairMcIntosh.com), its compilation was a group effort which belongs collectively to the People & Parliament Trust.
On This Page - Scroll down or Click these Links
1. Introduction to Reshaping Scotland? The People Speak, by Canon Kenyon E Wright
3. Contents of the Full Technical Report
4. Introduction to Full Technical Report by Canon Kenyon E Wright
6. Listing of Steering Committee Members
(This text by Kenyon Wright, Convener of People & Parliament, introduced the executive version of the report which was entitled Reshaping Scotland? The People Speak.
“We are acutely conscious that much of the world is watching us and wishing
us well. We must not waste this opportunity. We must do all we can to get it
right.”
These
are the words of one of the 450 Groups, from all over Scotland, who took part in
“People & Parliament” and sent in their responses. They came from
cities, towns and rural areas, from highlands and lowlands, from east and west,
north and south - and from most sectors of society. If there was any bias or
weighting, it was the success in hearing the voices of so many groups
representing those usually voiceless, marginalised or excluded - the unemployed,
disabled, youth, pensioners, ethnic minorities (“the new Scots”) and others.
The
words used were as variable as the participants - but a single message comes
through with a compelling clarity of insight, consistency, conviction, humour,
and passionate intensity.
There
is deep frustration with our fragmented society, and a feeling of anger and
disconnection with the present system of government and politics. Based on this,
there is a profound longing for a new kind of politics and society that will
listen to, care for, respect and share with, all our people - rooted in a strong
sense of national identity and community, and the vision of a renewed nation in
which all count and none are excluded.
This
is reinforced by the recurrent theme, that the people of Scotland must now learn
to take responsibility for their own destiny - and mistakes - and overcome the
tendency to blame others. The strong desire for a better society and community
is constantly linked with the need for greater participation and partnership in
power. Improvement needs empowerment.
That
is the vision by which Scotland’s Parliament will be judged. Our new political
servants will ignore that message at their peril. They need to earn the respect
and trust of the people, so dangerously eroded at present.
The
people clearly hope and expect that the Members of our new Parliament, and
others in positions of influence and power, will grasp the unique opportunity to
develop a new culture of openness, accountability and participation; that their
conduct will demonstrate their readiness to share power, and to encourage a
participative democracy, in which the people really are partners in the
development of policy.
Will
it work? Will the new Parliament be, as the Government’s Consultative Steering
Group said, “the central institution of a new political and community
culture”, or will the high hopes of “People & Parliament” be
disappointed, and turn again to cynicism?
People
expect and long for, something different. There will never be a time of greater
opportunity than now. The task of creating a new level of democracy, and finding
practical ways in which people can really participate, will not be easy. No task
could be more important, more worthwhile, or more likely to give Scotland a
distinctive role in the Europe of the new Millennium.
One
youth group ended their response like this...
“We don’t
believe any of these comments will make a difference -
so please prove us wrong”
Will
we? Can we?
WHAT NOW?
With
the publication of this Report and its presentation to the people of Scotland
the “People & Parliament” process is complete.
The
hopes and expectations it reveals so strongly and consistently, remain!
These
will be met only if there is real change both in politics and in civil society,
in the parliament and the people!
1)
The high expectations for the Members of Scotland’s Parliament, and for
a new kind of politics, seem to demand a new attitude of service and
accountability, probably defined by a positive and distinctive Code of Conduct
and Job Description.
2)
The universal demand for participation and sharing in power, can only be
met by the development of new institutions, or the strengthening and
redefinition of existing ones, in Scottish civil society at all levels; local,
regional and national, which will have the authority to monitor how Scotland’s
Parliament lives up to the expectations of the people.
Whether
these can be achieved is the central question facing us now. The answers we give
will determine whether Scotland’s new Parliament belongs to the people, and is
the central political institution of a renewed democracy for a new era.
(Canon)
Kenyon Wright,
Convener.
on behalf of the “People & Parliament” Steering Group.
Executive Summary
The
People & Parliament project started when a small group of citizens came
together with common passion to deepen and broaden the debate in Scotland about
who we are, what we care about and how we think the new Parliament should work.
The project was convened by Canon Kenyon Wright, chair of the executive of the
Scottish Constitutional Convention, the body that steered the consensual
political process that led to the setting up of Scotland’s new Parliament.
Canon Wright maintains that he learned about liberation theology from Indians
whilst working in India. Several other members of the steering committee were
also theologically informed. One came from a Muslim family background.
The
first stage in the process was to circulate a simple leaflet widely across
Scotland. Some 30,000 were printed. This encouraged ordinary people to get
together in neighbourhoods, schools, workplaces, churches and interest groups.
After a warm up question in which each person was invited to share with other
group members one experience of what living in Scotland means for them, they
were asked, collectively, to complete three paragraphs beginning:
1.
WE ARE A
PEOPLE WHO...
Identities
2.
BY THE
YEAR 2020 WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE A SCOTLAND IN WHICH...
Vision
3.
WE
THEREFORE EXPECT OUR PARLIAMENT TO WORK WITH THE PEOPLE IN WAYS WHICH...
Process:
Relationship with Parliament
Over
450 groups met to discuss these questions. Local conferences were held and
attended by Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). Results were analysed to
select indicative statements - ones
that made a clear impact. These were sorted according to type. Drawing from both
Jesuit and Quaker principles of spiritual discernment, effort was made to search
for the taproot of groups’ feelings rather than getting tangled in the mass of
grassroots data. Reports were produced and sent to participants and MSPs to help
them better understand the values, aspirations and expectations of the nation.
There is evidence that this had a direct effect on the nature of national
political debate. Many participants remarked that the process helped them
understand themselves, Scotland and participative democracy more deeply. There
was wonderful diversity in the responses, but key themes, which emerged
consistently and passionately, were:
·
Great
pride in and a strong sense of identification with the Scottish environment.
People called for land reform and sustainable development in both rural areas
and cities.
·
People
expressed a strong sense of belonging, wishing their communities to be
inclusive, supportive and nurturing, where “children are celebrated, not
ignored,” and “the generation coming behind us has something to look forward
to in their old age.”
·
There was
recognition of shortcomings and a lack of confidence in Scottish people. Many
saw the reality of conscious and unconscious racism and called for a
Scottishness based on civic, not ethnic identity.
·
People
disliked trends in modern society that fragment society and break up community,
leading to poverty and stigmatisation of those with, for example, mental
illness.
·
Many were
passionate about health services and the education system as a way for
individuals to realise their potential and build “a broad economy based on a
diversity of skills.”
·
People
expressed considerable disillusionment with power politics. They wanted
accessibility and accountability, with meaningful local ability to engage
participatively. A group of primary school children looked towards a Parliament
that “does not take away our freedoms, but adds to our lives.” A group of
people living in urban poverty urged politicians to remember, “All power is a
service.”
·
Practical
ideas for a more effective politics included: MSPs “listening to us first and
foremost” rather than always toeing the party line, citizenship education,
devolution of power to local levels wherever possible, parliamentary committees
meeting in the regions, use of electronic communications and voting technology,
training MSPs in techniques of listening and participation, and crèche
facilities at political gatherings and in the Parliament.
(This summary was originally prepared by Alastair McIntosh for Land, Power & National Identity, a presentation on the vocation of nationhood to the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is published in pp. 90-92 of the book, Healing Nationhood. It draws heavily on a summary originally produced by fellow Steering Committee member, Peter Ritchie.)
Convener’s
Introduction, Acknowledgements, etc.
0.
An Exploration of National Values
0.1 Why
People & Parliament
0.2 The
Public’s Response
0.3 Method of
Data Analysis
0.4 Stratified
Sample Study, and Presentation
0.5 Attribution
of Statements
1.
Question 1: “We are a people who...”
1.1 Sense of
Environment and Place
1.2 Sense of
Community and Belonging
1.3 Sense of
Identity (including Ethnic Minorities)
1.3.1
Ethnic Scots and English People
1.3.2
Indigenous Ethnic Groups
1.3.3
Non-Indigenous Ethnic Groups
1.4 Values
and Characteristics
1.5 Public
Sector
1.6 Private
Sector
1.7 Social
Exclusion
1.8 Political
Process
1.9 National
Stature
2.
Question 2: “By the year 2020 we would like to see a Scotland in
which...”
2.1 Sense of
Environment and Place
2.2 Sense of
Community and Belonging
2.3 Sense of
Identity (including Ethnic Minorities)
2.3.1
Ethnic Scots and English People
2.3.2
Indigenous Ethnic Groups
2.3.3
Non-Indigenous Ethnic Groups
2.4 Values
and Characteristics
2.5 Public
Sector
2.5.1
Education (including the Arts and Research)
2.5.2
Health
2.5.3
Housing & Transport and Utilities
2.5.4
Law & Order and Defence
2.6 Private
Sector
2.7 Social
Exclusion
2.8 Political
Process
2.9 National
Stature
3.
Question 3: “We therefore expect our Parliament to work
with the people in ways which...”
3.1 Values
3.2 Conduct
3.3 Participation
3.4 Representation
3.5 Political
Education
3.6 Communication
3.7 Sectors
(Public and Private)
3.8 Local
Governance
3.9 International
Relations
4. Table of Indicative Statements
(i.e. data classified by coding frames in form that can be re-sorted for further analysis)
5.
Table of Origins
(i.e. brief details of groups that participated)
6.
Statistical Analysis & Response Forms
(i.e. according to gender, postcode, etc.)
Introduction
by Canon Kenyon E Wright, Convener
The “Executive Report” of People & Parliament, which has been widely distributed, sets out the most frequent points made by hundreds of groups who took the time to debate the questions, and send in their considered responses. To a remarkable degree, these were consistent, clear, and often passionate and humorous.
This “Technical Report” provides the more detailed background material for any who wish to study the responses, or the methods used, more intensively. In particular, it includes a Table of indicative Statements and a Table of Origins, covering all responses received.
While all members of the Steering Group were fully involved in the process, we are particularly grateful to Alastair McIntosh for the detailed work of analysis, and for producing the comprehensive Tables in this Report. We also thank the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust for making it possible for Alastair McIntosh to spend much of his time working on the analysis of the responses to the “People & Parliament” process.
(Canon) Kenyon E Wright
Convener, People & Parliament
10 March 1999
The
“People and Parliament” Trust is grateful
for support from:
The Scottish
Churches “Vision 21” Group for initial funding
The Network for
Social Change for initial funding
The City and
District Councils of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow, and Perth &
Kinross for conference facilities
British Petroleum
(BP) for communication equipment
British Telecom
(BT) for leaflet reprint and finance for
Freephone
The Allen Lane
Foundation, for funds for administration
The National
Lottery Charities Board, towards presentation and conferences
The Educational
Institute of Scotland (EIS), for leaflet
reprint
UNISON Scotland, for
general expenses
Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden KT
... and many others who have contributed in diverse ways.
Christine
Anderson
Director, Craighead Institute, Glasgow
*Alasdair
Hogg
Education
Elizabeth
Hogg
Consultancy
*Hanna
Maan
A recent graduate in psychology
Alastair
McIntosh
Social activist - human ecology & land reform
Vérène
Nicolas
Adult and community education
Anne
O’Donnell
Social policy officer
Peter
Ritchie
Director of an Edinburgh-based training company
Ninian
Crichton Stuart Landowner and community worker
Betty
Wright
Voluntary sector and church work
Kenyon
Wright
Scottish Constitutional Convention &
Consultative Steering Group
*
indicates members of the registered People and Parliament Trust
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