Martin Wolf (Opinion, February 17) wants to involve “ordinary people” in political debate through citizens’ assemblies.
The experience in Ireland is not encouraging. Assemblies here have demonstrated neither engagement nor utility. Only 61 of the original 99 members of the 2012 Constitutional Convention stayed to the end of the deliberations and just 26 attended every meeting. By 2020, assemblies had made 28 proposals to the Oireachtas (the Irish parliament) of which 24 have been ignored.
Letters to the Editor provide all the involvement most of us need.
Dr John Doherty
Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland