Politics

Caroline Lucas on Scottish referendum: We need a People's Constitutional Convention

September 19, 2014
Some SNP voters feel Scotland is already on the way out. © AP Photo/Virginia Mayo
Some SNP voters feel Scotland is already on the way out. © AP Photo/Virginia Mayo

We’ve awoken today to a strong consensus that nothing will ever quite be the same again. That today’s result isn’t a full stop, but a new beginning. We’ve awoken to a fresh thirst for real democracy and a promise of change.

This has been an inspiring and passionate campaign. There will need to be some time for healing, and dialogue. And the next steps must not happen without the full and proper consultation of all affected.

Today we have a unique opportunity: to continue this conversation, to commit together to building a real democracy. A new kind of politics: accessible, fully representative and accountable. A political system that embodies the principle that power flows upwards from the people, not down from a centralised state.

That's why I'm urging the Leaders of all parties to commit to a People's Constitutional Convention—it is the people who should decide the shape of a new political settlement, not the politicians.

Editor's note: Caroline Lucas's call for a People's Constitutional Convention has been matched this morning by the Electoral Reform Society, who said in a press release: "This referendum has demonstrated that when it comes to deciding the future of our country, people want to be asked."