Witness sessions
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Thursday 26 May, Cardiff
1.30-4.30pm
St David's Hotel, Havannah Street, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5SD
The Witness Session in Cardiff focussed on the role of political parties in the British political system and how turnout in elections might be increased. Witnesses included Matt Carter (General Secretary, Labour Party), Alan Duncan (Shadow Secretary of State for Transport), Deborah Mattinson (Pollster, OLR) and Simon Thomas (Former Plaid Cymru MP,
Ceredigion (2000-2005)).
Discussions and statements
Listen to the discussion & read transcripts and summaries
How might turnout in elections be increased?
Peter Facey, Kay Jenkins & Deborah Mattinson
Listen to the discussion (part 1)
Listen to the discussion (part 2)
The role of political parties/ New and emerging groups in Britain's political system
Matt Carter, Alan Duncan, Keith Taylor, Dan Thompson, Stewart Rickersey, Simon Thomas, Simon Wakefield,
Listen to the discussion
(Transcripts and summaries will be available soon)
Timetable
| 1-1.20pm | Registration |
| 1.30-2.15pm | How might turnout in elections be increased? Peter Facey Director, New Politics Network & Co-Director, Charter88 Kay Jenkins Head of the Wales Office & Director of Policy and Strategy (UK), Electoral Commission Deborah Mattinson Pollster, Opinion Leader Research |
| 2.15-3.35pm | Audience questions |
| 2.35-2.50pm | Break |
| 2.50-3.30pm | The role of political parties Matt Carter General Secretary of the Labour Party Alan Duncan Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Simon Thomas Former Plaid Cymru MP, Ceredigion (2000-2005) Simon Wakefield Cardiff County Councillor |
| 3.30-4pm | New and emerging groups in Britain's political system Keith Taylor Co-Principal Speaker, Green Party & Councillor, Brighton & Hove (Green Party) Dan Thompson Co-Founder of Your Party & The Independent Network Stewart Rickersey Independent Councillor, Mansfield and (in May 2005 General Election) Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Mansfield. |
| 4-4.30pm | Audience questions |
Witnesses
General Secretary of the Labour Party
Matt Carter became General Secretary of the Labour Party in January 2004.
Previously he was Assistant General Secretary and prior to that worked as a Regional Director and Organiser for Labour in the South West and North & Yorkshire regions. He was also a Parliamentary Candidate in the Vale of York in the 1997 election.
Before working for the Labour Party, Matt taught politics at the University of York, whilst completing a DPhil in Politics.
He has published T.H. Green and the Development of Ethical Socialism (2003) and The People’s Party: The History of the Labour Party (1997), with Tony Wright MP.
Born near Grimsby, Matt now lives near Bath, with his wife Erica and their three children, Hugh, James and Evan.
Alan Duncan Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
Alan Duncan was President of Oxford University Union in 1979 and from 1979-1984, was active in the Battersea Conservative Association. He then worked for Shell International Petroleum, and subsequently for an independent commodity company as a trader of crude oil and refined products. He first stood for Parliament (unsuccessfully) in Barnsley West and Penistone in 1987, and was elected in his present constituency, Rutland and Melton in 1992.
He served on the Social Security Select Committee (1993-95) and was Chairman of the Conservative Backbench Constitutional Affairs Committee (1994-95). In July 1995, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Dr Brian Mawhinney MP, Chairman of the Conservative Party. In June 1997 he was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party, and Parliamentary Political Secretary to the Leader of the Party, the Rt Hon William Hague MP. In June 1998, Mr Duncan was appointed Shadow Health Minister; and in June 1999, he was appointed Shadow Trade and Industry Spokesman. In 2001 Iain Duncan Smith appointed Alan as Shadow Foreign Minster with special responsibility for the Middle East. Alan has also served as Shadow Secretary of State for International Development.
His publications include: An End To Illusions (Demos 1993), with co-author Dominic Hobson Saturn's Children - How the State Devours Liberty, Prosperity and Virtue (Sinclair Stevenson May 1995).
Alan is currently Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.
Director, New Politics Network
Peter has been Director of New Politics Network since July 2001and became Co-Director of Charter88 in December 2004 as part of a partnership agreement. He is a committed constitutional and democratic reformer and is known as a expert on political parties, participation and electoral systems.
He formally worked for the British Youth Council as its Chief Executive and the Electoral Reform Society as its Parliamentary Officer.
Kay JenkinsHead of the Wales Office & Director of Policy and Strategy (UK), Electoral Commission
Kay Jenkins has been Head of the Commission’s Wales Office since 2001 and is at present also Interim Director of Policy and Strategy for the Commission UK-wide. The Commission’s Wales Office deals with the full range of the Commission’s functions in Wales, including: promotion of public awareness, modernisation of elections, regulatory duties, provision of advice and guidance to elections staff and scrutiny of electoral law.
Kay formerly worked in local government and then at the National Union of Teachers headquarters, where she became a senior official and head of the Union’s Legal and Professional Services.
Pollster, Opinion Leader Research
Deborah Mattinson is one of Britain’s leading practitioners of issue-based research and consultation. She has unparalleled expertise in accessing and understanding opinion formers. She is also renowned for developing innovative leading-edge solutions, especially in the area of stakeholder dialogue and public involvement.
In 1992, she co-founded research agency, Opinion Leader Research to specialise in research and consultation amongst opinion formers, with clients including Accenture, Barclaycard, BBC, BT, Department of Health and the DfES. OLR led the development of public involvement methods such as Citizens’ Juries and Citizens’ Forums. Deborah writes and broadcasts widely on public opinion, citizen engagement, corporate social responsibility and political polling.
After graduating in law at Bristol, Deborah began her career in advertising, working as Account Director/Planner first at McCann Erickson then at Ayer Barker. She then set up her own consultancy, Monitor, in 1985, providing research and strategic support on policy and issue based campaigning for a wide range of clients including the Industrial Society, the TGWU, Greenpeace and the European Parliament. She was key advisor to the Labour Party through the 1987, 1992, and 1997 General Elections.
She is joint Chief Executive, and joint Chair of the Chime Research Group and a founder Director of the Smart Company, a consultancy that helps organisations develop strategies to enhance their social, ethical and environmental responsibilities. Deborah is also a commissioner of the Equal Opportunities Commission and a trustee of the Green Alliance.
Stewart RickerseyIndependent Councillor, Mansfield
Stewart Rickersey was a Prospective Independent Parliamentary Candidate for Mansfield in the May 2005 General Election. openDemocracy reported that Stewart was widely considered to be the most likely of the 160 first-time independent candidates to gain a seat in Westminster on 5 May. In the event Stewart came third with 17% of the vote. Had he been elected Stewart intended to use local radio and newspaper media to ask constituents for their views before voting in the Commons. Stewart's involvement with politics began three years ago when he instigated and coordinated the campaign for a directly elected mayor, which was successful in 2002. He then went on to run the campaign for the Independent candidate, Tony Egginton, who was successful in being elected mayor. Stewart then became an independent district councilor himself standing on behalf of the Independent Forum. The independent forum now has a majority on Mansfield Council.
Stewart is Managing Director of Richland Group Limited, a small group of Companies based in Mansfield with interests ranging from broadcasting, business consultancy, marketing, publishing, training and recruitment, and event organisation and promotions; he was formerly Managing Director of North Nottinghamshire Newspapers (1995-2000). Stewart has held – and continues to hold – a number of voluntary and community positions in and around Mansfield.
Keith TaylorCo-Principal Speaker, Green Party & Councillor, Brighton & Hove (Green Party)
Keith Taylor is co-Principal Speaker of the Green Party and a city councillor in Brighton & Hove.
With roots in community activism Keith became involved with local politics because he thought that not enough notice was taken of community needs and aspirations. He remains committed to increasing participation and public involvement and empowering local communities.
Since his election in 1999 he has taken on a wide number of community issues as well as national ones, and in the 2005 General Election he secured the highest ever result in Brighton Pavilion constituency, collecting 22% of the votes cast. As the Party's number one target candidate Keith has appeared widely in radio and television coverage. He is widely tipped to become the Green's first MP.
Simon ThomasFormer Plaid Cymru MP, Ceredigion (2000-2005)
Simon Thomas was elected MP for Ceredigion following a by-election in February 2000 – becoming the seventh Welsh Nationalist MP ever. He held the seat again in the general election of 2001, although the Liberal Democrats narrowed the gap. Simon lost the seat on 5 May 2005 to the Liberal Democrat candidate, Mark Williams – losing by 219 votes.
As an MP Simon spoke in the Commons for Plaid Cymryu on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Transport, International Development, Energy, and Culture, Media and Sport. Simon also acted as Whip for his three parliamentary colleagues. He was Plaid Cymryu’s director of policy and research for three years, and co-authored the party's Assembly election manifesto in 1999.
Simon has worked as an anti-poverty officer, and as a researcher for Taff Ely Borough Council. He was on Plaid Cymryu's list for the National Assembly elections in 1999, for Mid and West Wales and was a Ceredigion county councillor for a year before his election as an MP.
Simon was born in 1963 in English-speaking South Wales; he went to Aberdare Boy's School and taught himself Welsh before taking a degree in it at Aberystwyth. He did a postgraduate diploma in librarianship and became an assistant curator of the National Library of Wales. He lives near Aberystwyth with his wife and two children. He is the author of O'n gwirfodd - As good as our words - guidelines for the use of Welsh by voluntary organisations.
Dan Thompson
Co-Founder of Your Party & The Independent Network
Dan Thompson is the co-founder and leader of Your Party - an organisation that seeks to increase public participation in the political process. He is also an executive of the Independent Network - a support group for independent candidates. Previously Dan worked as an entrepreneur in the media industry for a number of years. In 1997, he founded 365 Corporation plc, an Internet and telecoms company, that, with Dan as CEO, floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1999. Prior to that he worked in the music business with Sanctuary Music and Rhythm Kind Records and in the computer and video games business with Renegade Software (founder and CEO; sold to Time Warner) and Time Warner Interactive. Dan continues to advise and sit on the boards of a number of companies in the media and leisure sectors.
Dan is also an active supporter and ex-Treasurer of Amnesty International; an Executive Volunteer for Crimestoppers; and a member of the Abbotsholme School Council. Dan studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University.
Simon WakefieldCardiff County Councillor
Simon Wakefield was a Councillor on West Glamorgan County Council from 1985 to 1989, before becoming a Cardiff County Councillor (Cathays ward) in 1999. He currently chairs the council’s Environmental Scrutiny Committee. A former constituency party Chair, Simon was the prospective parliamentary candidate for Cardiff South and Penarth in 1997. Simon is a lecturer and the Director of Teaching at the Cardiff School of Earth, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, University of Cardiff.
