Electoral reform is key, while ever parliament is predominantly white, male, middle to late aged, middle class and professional, people will not engage. Where are the dinner ladies, care workers, bus drivers, farm workers etc etc in parliament? Introduce a maximum of two consecutive terms as MP. The culture of benefit dependency is corrosive and disconnects those people, who do not see themselves as citizens with a stake in society which confers both rights and responsibilities. Move to a citizens income for all adults, with additions for disability, children, extreme age etc etc as needed. Tax every adult (a nominal amount of a £1 per week for those on lowest income)so that everyone is a taxpayer. Ditch benefit system completely and make all payments to citizens through the inland revenue so that everyone has a transparent income and tax relationship with the state. Introduce far more bands of taxation eg 10%, 20%, 30% 40% 50% to make it truly progressive or even by 1% increments (as in Switzerland) No public servant should earn more than the prime minister. Private companies/individuals paying/earning more than that should pay additional taxes. Establish a realistic ratio between low and high pay within organisations eg 1:10 or 1:20 Being a local councillor should probably be a full-time paid role, properly skilled and accountable,having only one layer of local govt would streamline processes considerably and needs to be adequately funded.

Civic engagement is composed and rehearsed to obligate equal partnership to invoke a liberal constitional programme. Its depict to question what barriers limit a burden imposed on what should be equally valued and shared . Its compatible to question what beliefs have descended to give manual guide to lmprovacational concession.

Individuals could be encouraged to participate more and be less disengaged if they felt those invloved were not from such privalaged backgrounds and more like them. That thiose in charge understood the issues which effected them. You don't want to be involved in something which does not seem to include people like you. British society is based on acceptance, equality and a good healthcare system these are slowly dissapearing at the moment. Citizenshio education is not going to do enough promote shared values and the skills needed to engage in society if these principles are not being led from the top. Promoting a chort of those in charge who reflect the population as a whole, as well as policies that assist the average person in their everyday life such as NHS public provision, good education and good working conditions will stimulate people to want to get invloved with a civic society that promote these principles. Jeremy Corbyn is a very effective role model in how this should be done, as are Nye Bevan and Tony Benn.

Thats a good question reason ,society has no communal leadership no forward vision has to restore growth and economy. People feel discourage has to improve in living cost so high inflation, burdens the weight has to withdraw from society. A new foundation and platform to build upon shared equality of values would ideology change there thought of thinking and renew strength and leadership qualities to gain diplomatic engagement to withstand and be heard .

My sense of why there is disengagement is that Parliament, debating, discussing DIFFERENT views that may or may not bring censure, disapproval or difficulty is not practiced in our society now...people, tend to talk like to like and on social media. The use of 'screens' e-mail and apps distances people, young and old from direct, living contact with those outside either friendship groups or those 'like them' Also, women are not encouraged, even now to be in the 'public square' but tend to function within friendship and or family and community contexts. Positive ways forward maybe scholarship prizes and bursaries for schools, colleges and churches on a local and then national school for debating skills!

I would suggest that many outside of London, like me, feel far removed from a parliamentary democracy which seems to revolve around the machinations of career-politicians who don't represent where I come from (rural, not the SE), my background (not privately educated) or even my gender (men still greatly outnumber women). Democratic voting appears to be more strongly influenced by the needs of one, mega-wealthy Australian than the the people of the UK ("it was the Sun what won it"...) and all local decision-making is hamstrung by central government austerity in which we feel we have no voice and no influence. Watching (yaa boo) debate in the House of Commons makes me feel frankly embarrassed to be British and resembles no form of sensible decision-making I observe day to day in our public, private or charity sectors, or our law courts. If a jury of my peers can decide whether I should be convicted of murder and imprisoned for life, why should I and my fellow citizens not also be able to make important decisions about the running of the country (informed, of course, by expert testimony)? Why should I not get called up for 'parliamentary service' in the same way as I might for jury service? Would I necessarily be less informed than a minister who has just taken up a brand new portfolio in a cabinet re-shuffle? Or less capable of asking important questions of the experts?

The current discomfort in society is fuelled by insecurity regarding very basic human needs- housing, and employment; and the two are linked as the rise of insecure employment excludes people from being allowed to rent or take out mortgages. See the model 'Maslow's hierarchy of physiological need' for an elegant pictorial prediction of what is happening in society. When these very basic human needs are insecurely met, people are anxious, and do not function at their best. They also fall prey to exploitation by others- eg loan sharks, unscrupulous landlords. Their lives are increasingly 'on the outside' of the rest of society, and so the rules of that society are increasingly irrelevant. Their experience of the police, for instance, is that they can do nothing to help. We do not need more understanding of this situation than we already have. We need political will to fix it- and that is missing from our current and recent governments. Fix these insecurities, and you will start to heal society.

A better understanding of terms / definitions / - how when, and where, they are used - and by whom - and then further interpreted - in relation to the human being / race would help in re-connecting citizens to citizenship, duties and responsibilities. Any civilised society not addressing such fundamental equations - or - such communications / both used and received, and they not being understood, merely exacerbates the already clear misunderstanding in society between the distinctions of equal rights and equality or rights. I think the ancient Greeks were the first to recognise the implications for this in society a while back. Social engineering is meant to be engineered.

My main point is that when I taught informal adult education to women from the south Asian diaspora they were able to see the relevance of British politics to their own lives. I started from their everyday realities rather than basing the learning on the facts about British politics. We need more educational opportunities like these.

Introduction: I am an EU migrant from Poland, a local ‘community activist’. I was brought up under communism in Poland, and when I watched the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 I never dreamt that Europe could change so much in such a relatively short period of time. Growing up in Poland in 1980’s was an interesting experience! From time to time, I have to “pinch” myself as I still can’t believe that until 1989 Poland as well as many other Eastern European countries were separated and we were not able to travel freely abroad, express openly our views, practise our religion or even watch foreign TV. I still remember queuing and trying to get basic items in order to bake a Christmas cake. We were also not allowed to learn English so I was taught Russian. Overall, our freedom in those days was hugely limited. This is why I feel that citizenship and civic engagement matter so much! My childhood has most definitely shaped me (which I only understood when I migrated to the UK) and helped me to understand how important it is to be actively part of the process. Disconnection with the democratic process: I do feel that we in Britain take for granted our ‘freedoms’ also when it comes to voting and being aware of the political & democratic processes. This is also why I think this exercise, led by the Houses of Lords, is so important, practically today when we are experiencing an ‘identity crisis’. I don’t think that laws encourage active political engagement. I had a privilege to stand and win a seat in Welwyn Hatfield. I took huge pride and responsibility in representing my residents. Having said that, less than 35% voted when I was elected. People are disconnected, there is a lot of distrust and confusion. It is now more than 15 since the EU referendum. I have lived in a number of European countries but I don’t remember seeing anything like the effect of the vote. It seems to have resulted in a complete lack of ability to have a mature debate on issues which affect us all, like globalization, migration and the refugee crisis. I truly feel that we’ve lost an ability to listen to each other. We are no longer able to build a space for a real dialogue. ‘Cheap journalism’, sensationalism do not help. Instead of projecting a balanced and matured debate, many of the newspapers try to divide us. This also discourages people and very often those who have no voice, became even more isolated and disadvantaged. Role of the educational authorities: I think that schools and educational authorities play a vital part in promoting the ‘citizenship agenda’. I also think that a lot more needs to be done to encourage students from a very young age to learn how to debate and discuss many important issues. I have been involved in number of initiatives (see question 7). I have recently attended a meeting which took place in the Netherlands (June 2017). It was so refreshing and uplifting to see many people who believe in united world. It was a really important experience for me which once more demonstrated that we have a huge responsibility to bring unity where there is disunity or bring and understanding where there is hate and divisions. Maybe because we are in difficult, uncertain and turbulent times, we should try a bit harder to become, wherever we are and whatever we do, ‘Champions and Ambassadors’ for Unity. We all have a huge part to play in being builders of bridges not walls. We all should, in every single environment, to take every risk and use every opportunity to each person we encounter that there is so much more than unites us than divides us. I’ve tried always to do my part. As an employee of a local secondary school, I’ve set up a ‘debating club’ which brought together many students from a lot of different backgrounds. The school itself has a bad reputation however this small initiative enabled me to interact with students and discuss with them many topics which at that time were relevant (e.g. first talks of Scottish Independence Referendum etc.) Role models: Lech Wałęsa, was the leader of the Polish Solidarity Movement, a guy who helped to bring down communism in Poland. The reason I think he was an impressive guy is because he was just an electrician, and he didn’t have impressive qualifications, but he led a movement that helped free my country. He had faith, believed in something and was able to mobilise a nation. More locally, a true British hero – Jo Cox who said that a lot more unites us than divides us. I love the ‘Great Together Campaign’ which was set up in her memory of Jo Cox. Local communities were invited to get together with their neighbours to share food and celebrate all that we hold in common. There were more than 100,000 events organized across the UK e.g. street party, shared barbecue or a picnic. What mattered was that people had fun and opportunity to bring communities closer together. Jo was a true ‘Ambassador for Citizenship’