More
information on how
The
first stage is the sharing of the ideas and the information.
All the ideas are pooled on the website (eventually,
we will have funding for an App, too, which will make
it even easier for you to participate), with relevant
background information.
It is key that this information is robust, transparent,
independent and impartial.
And it is also crucial that this information is communicated
really succinctly and clearly.
There will be links back to the research, to the academic
papers which underpin the headline details, so that
you can check for yourself. Nothing is hidden. But
the essential details will be clear, easy to understand,
and won't take long to digest.
The ideas can come from anyone.
From political parties, or from well organised interest
groups. From individual politicians or working people.
From families, people working in the media, artists,
surfers, cleaners. From poor people or from rich people.
There is no monopoly on having a good idea.
The information can come from
anyone, too, but will be checked and verified. We
don't want what More
or Less (BBC Radio 4) call "Politician's
Maths"! We need to be able to trust what is on
the Talk Together website. Impartial, objective, expert.
There are some great fact checking organisations these
days, and we will share the best of their work.
The
second stage is agreeing on the best ideas.
Agreeing on the ones which really represent what we
want to happen.
Using technology similar to that used by Pitch
to Rich, and the facial recognition sofware now
common on many smartphones, tablets and computers,
we will enable everyone in the country to vote on
every issue.
There will be deadlines, but
there will also be rolling issues, as more and more
information is uploaded, and as more and more ideas
are shared.
When you vote on an issue, you
will have the opportunity to read the essential background
about it, to help you understand the implications
of supporting something.
- What are the real costs,
for example?
- How effective is this likely
to be?
- What are the alternatives?
Things will be explained really
clearly, to make sure that no one is excluded.
The ideas may be important, but the words used to
explain them can be easy to understand.
Trustworthy
It will be very important that
the system for managing voting is transparent, robust,
independent and trustworthy. Regular statistics will
be available, such as for page views, voting numbers,
etc.
As participation increases, it may be useful for social
science researchers to be able to identify (anonymously)
where voters are living, etc, to inform the way in which
the information is processed. |
