| Politics/ Political system |
Democracy/ Democratic |
Democracy has strong positive connotations for many people, whereas politics does not. The root cause of our problem is the system, not politicians themselves. |
| Who will do right by us |
Who will make the best decision |
"Best decision" cues considerations around expertise, qualifications and competence - the belief that decisions should be left to politicians and elites. "Who will do right by us" implies moral considerations around honesty, sincerity and who has our best interests at heart. Politicians can’t compete with the public as trust in politicians is so low. |
| We have a right and responsibility to contribute to decisions |
The public are shut out of decisions |
Many people say that the opportunity to vote, lobby your MP and even stand for election are examples of how ordinary people aren’t locked out of politics. |
| We, us |
The public/ they |
Don’t separate our interests and experiences from those of the public. We are the public! |
| People like us / people from our communities |
The public/ people |
“People like us” is a sticky phrase that people recall. |
| Our teachers, doctors, scientists, shopkeepers, friends and family members People from different walks of life |
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Specifying these groups of people reminds us that we already trust the public with important decisions. |
| Like a jury ... we all have an equal chance of being selected / they mirror the population in terms of things like gender, race, age and class. |
Random selection |
When talking about participatory processes (e.g. Citizens’ Assemblies), talking about random selection tends to cue “randoms” i.e. odd, untrustworthy people. In comparison, a jury is relatively well understood and trusted by the public. |
| Not representative / unrepresentative |
Not elected / unelected |
Emphasising the importance of being elected (e.g. in the House of Lords) can reduce support for (unelected) citizens being more involved in decision making. Furthermore it positively depicts politicians as “more democratic” in comparison, subtly reinforcing the legitimacy of the current electoral system that appointed them. |
| The system is... old fashioned / Victorian / needs updating / upgrading |
The system... is broken / democracy is broken / we need to fix democracy |
We found that these audiences had some pride in the democratic history of the UK, especially compared to other countries. They don’t agree that democracy is broken and as it’s not broken nor does it need to be fixed. However, they acknowledge that there is plenty of room for improvement to make it fit for purpose in the 21st century. Talking about updating or upgrading also makes it clear that the system is designed by human beings and can be changed. |
| Real/deeper democracy/ democracy for the people by the people |
Democracy fit for purpose |
people don’t want to get rid of our system |
| Party based/ confrontational |
Participatory/deliberative democracy |
Keep the language simple and positive, don't get lost in jargon |
| Informed/honest conversation |
Discussion,Deliberation, Debate, Finding common ground |
Consultation |
| Listening to / Learning from each other |
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| Brave, Courageous |
Radical |
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