Room for a View

Today I went to my first Imagine festival event on the “State of Democracy in Northern Ireland.” It wasn’t what I expected, but still interesting. We explored the work of a researcher who points out that an election does not a democracy make. “Elections rarely reveal what voters think clearly enough for elected representatives to act on.” And: “A healthy democracy is one where there is a high level of representation and exchange of views within and between different parts of the system... Decisions should be informed and influenced by a wide range of perspectives.”

We spent most of the time putting Post-It notes on big pieces of paper, sharing our ideas about what gets in the way of true democracy in Northern Ireland and how that can change.

The event was in one of Belfast’s gorgeous churches, which has been converted into an arts centre:

It was a good room in which to get inspired.

Duncairn is in North Belfast, affording me a great view of Cave Hill. Can you see the sleeping giant? Supposedly the inspiration for Gulliver’s Travels.
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