Our democratic and party-political system is failing us. Trust in it is at an all-time low. We’re stumbling from crisis to crisis. Putting someone else in charge is not going to fix this. It’s the system itself that’s in crisis; a failure of structures and cultures.

The latest crisis just exposes the depth of the problem. And by doing so, it shapes a moment where change can happen.

To achieve the Good Society we want, where we can all live fulfilling and sustainable lives, we need a better system, one fit for the 21st century. A democracy that is open, inclusive and compassionate - that understands that the future can only be negotiated, not imposed.

At the heart of the 21st-century society sits the ‘inalienable right to participation’. Our democratic system must enable and encourage citizens to be active and engaged. For that, we need to fix and reinvigorate it.

Compass wants to help build a new, transformed democracy for the UK, together with everyone who shares our yearning for a Good Society. By nature, this campaign can only be open and participative, just like the democratic culture we want to see.

We the People is our initiative to begin the transformation. We are seeking urgent, essential changes to our political institutions, including a written constitution and a fair voting system. But we also want to see big changes to how people participate in decision-making, through greater devolution and a new wave of deliberative democracy, including citizens’ assemblies.

Improving our democratic structures and systems is vital. But it’s not enough. At the same time we need to change the culture, so that decision-making arenas stop being the hostile environments they are to most people. We’ll nurture a democracy and a politics that aren’t about winning and losing, but about working and deciding together, through empathy and mutual understanding.

The future of our democracy can only be decided democratically by us, the people.

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