Democracy from the bottom up
HOW did the one-school-two-sites proposals get so far down the highway before hitting the roadblock of public and professional opposition?
It is a question that should occupy the minds of States members long after next week’s critical education debate.
After two years, and with £4m. spent, there is a risk that thousands of hours of staff and political time invested in the two-college system will go to waste.
Despite countless news stories and press releases it is clear that islanders did not engage early enough in what the transformation would mean.
Partly, that is because key information was slow to emerge – the cost, which schools would close, the traffic impact – but that was not the only reason.
An early attempt to find out what islanders wanted their education system to look like, Your Schools, Your Choice, has become a textbook example of how not to involve a community.
But is there another way? One which would suit a wealthy, tech savvy, island with a community that is keen to get involved.
The island state of Taiwan offers some hope.
By using technology to bind, not divide, society democracy is benefitting from innovation.
In essence, Taiwan’s government is asking its population to find solutions with which a majority can agree before the politicians even go to work.
A problem is identified and outlined. Advocates of viewpoints across the spectrum put their cases and the public are invited to engage online.
The system groups people according to their views and votes and it starts to become clear where areas of consensus lie.
Crucially, contributors cannot respond directly to each other, preventing the trolling and partisan argument typical of social media. It is not a binary discussion.
Eventually, through compromise, proposals are put together with which 80% can agree.
At present, the government in Taipei is not obliged to follow the proposals but, with half of the island’s population already engaged, there is hope that it might become a more formal relationship.
Local politicians might worry that such a system would cost them influence but the signs are that bottom up government increases trust in politics.
And it should avoid expensive U-turns as well.