We all know that the House of Commons looks nothing like us, it's one of the reasons we support a fair, proportional electoral system. But even when all our votes count, there is more to democracy than casting a ballot once every five years.

We want to see a democracy where there are more opportunities for people to take part in decision making, not just looking on from the sidelines.

So, we were pleased when the Labour leader’s Chief of Staff said the party was considering the use of Citizens’ Assemblies, and referred to their successful use in Ireland to break deadlocks on divisive issues. You can read our view on the announcement here.

Citizens’ Assemblies are made up of a group of people, put together like a jury, who meet up on a regular basis for a set time, with a clear task to achieve by the end of it. The group are paid for their time and hear from experts on all sides of the issue.

The idea is not to hear what people already think, but what they think after hearing from both sides and talking over the issue with people they may never usually meet. You can read our article on how they work here.

In Ireland they looked at things like legalising same-sex marriage and removing blasphemy as an offence under the Irish constitution. They have been used in the UK as well, including two, on Brexit and regional devolution, which were supported by us here at the ERS.

Do you think this sounds like a good idea?