The House of Campaigns would often help people who wanted to make an argument that was important but not urgent. That said, the House could also be valuable when immediate decisions have to be made.
Only a few years ago, when Britain was wrestling with questions of Brexit, the House of Campaigns could have played an exceptionally useful role. It could have provided a national forum in which people representing different parts of the economy and the community could have set out the challenges which they faced and the opportunities which they wanted to seize. Many of the speakers would have disagreed with each other, but they could all have provided useful insight and ideas. The net result would have been higher-quality debate and better-informed decisions.
The House could also be useful with the crises of today.
The United Kingdom is of one mind in wishing to support Ukraine. All of our hearts go out to Ukrainians battling to defend their homeland. What is less clear is how we can best help. It could only be an advantage if Parliament had a mechanism whereby it could hear from:
- Ukrainians who are resident in the United Kingdom;
- Britons who are resident in Ukraine; and
- Dual UK/Ukraine nationals who are resident anywhere.
Their insights, not to mention their hopes, deserve a proper place in our national debate. How fitting it would be, in the context of a fight for democracy, if President Zelensky’s address to the House of Commons could be followed by contributions from ordinary citizens representing others with a British-Ukraine connection. The House of Campaign’s proposed link with Parliament existing e-petition system should make it easy for such representatives to be identified. Those representatives could speak via video link if necessary and would be assured of an attentive national (and, in all probability, international) audience.
The House of Campaigns could also provide a means for UK-based Russians, Russia-based Britons and UK/Russia dual nationals to make their own contributions. Putin apologists would be unlikely to win British hearts and minds, but many others may have valuable insights into potential weaknesses in Putin’s regime and into ways to influence public opinion in Russia. We should hear from their representatives too.
The many Britons who have ties to Ukraine or Russia do not only deserve our sympathy; they deserve their say.
We may not agree with every argument that they would make – but their representatives should have the right to make their case at the highest level of our national debate.
The House of Campaigns would allow them to do so.