ERS Scotland’s State of Scottish Democracy lecture, 2023

ERS Scotland is proud to host the second annual State of Scottish Democracy lecture. Each year we assess the health of Scottish democracy and institutions at a local and national level. How can decision-making and debate be enhanced? How can we deepen the role of citizens in shaping Scottish politics? What is the impact of the constitutional question and the future of Scottish democratic life.

This year we look at these questions with a focus on the importance of local democracy and the potential opportunities that lie ahead with the coming Local Democracy Bill in a lecture conducted by author, broadcaster and journalist, Lesley Riddoch.

As a longtime advocate for a revamped local democracy, Lesley will provide an overview of local government in Scotland and the use of citizen-based decision-making from Ireland to Iceland.

How can citizens have more say over their local place? Can you have a meaningful community without real democracy? How do we compare to other countries on these questions? What are we missing and how have our Nordic neighbours created ultra-local democracies?

Join us to discuss and debate the issues that are shaping Scottish democracy, its institutions, and people. You can view last year’s lecture here.

About Lesley Riddoch

Lesley Riddoch has been an award-winning broadcaster and journalist for more than 30 years – 25 working as a presenter on Channel Four and BBC2, Radio 4 and Radio Scotland – focusing on politics, domestic policy and land reform. She was Assistant Editor of the Scotsman in 1995 and editor for the day of the Scotswoman, when the paper changed title and was written and edited by its female staff on International Women’s Day. Lesley was also part of the launch team behind the Sunday Herald, wrote weekly columns for the Scotsman for 15 years and now writes for the National newspaper.

She was a member of the Isle of Eigg Trust that steered the islanders’ 1997 community buyout, set up Africawoman, a charity that trained African women journalists online, gained a PhD in 2020 comparing the hut and cabin traditions of Scotland and Norway, won the Saltire Society’s Fletcher of Saltoun Award 2020 for contribution to public life and was named Independence Campaigner of the Year. She’s written several books, the latest Thrive was published in May 2023, presented four films on Scotland’s Nordic/Baltic neighbours (currently filming in Denmark) , co-presents her own weekly political podcast and is Director of the Nordic Horizons policy group.

More at www.lesleyriddoch.com.