Direct Democracy and the Public Poll

The British taxpayer is consulted on public spending in roughly the way a turkey is consulted on Christmas: technically present, rarely heard. Budgets are set in Whitehall, announced at the despatch box and explained afterwards, usually with a chart.

Our case for Swiss-style referendums is set out elsewhere. This piece concerns something more routine: regular, structured polling of the public on how their money is spent and which laws they want considered.

The idea is simple. Several times a year, citizens would be offered a short, published set of options drawn up by officials with relevant expertise in economics and social policy. Each option would set out its cost, its trade-offs and the evidence behind it, with sources cited in full.

That last point matters. A poll is only as good as the information behind it. Voters should be able to see how a policy has worked abroad, whether in Zurich, Copenhagen or Tokyo, and judge for themselves. Critical thinking is not a skill reserved