Hi, I am the Director of a working class led feminist campaign group, and I joined this network predominantly because we believe there is a great deal of policy capture at the moment in terms of how the Scottish Government is approaching policy making, and also working class people are entirely missing from the policy making process and we believe this is having a hugely detrimental impact, particularly on working class women. We want to work to change this, and very much support the principles of Open Government, and at this point I am wondering if anyone can share any kind of progress in regard to agreement with the Scottish Government on ensuring it adequately engages beyond government funded organisations and with ordinary people and indeed all groups of stakeholders in its policy making?
We are looking for some kind of commitment the government has made that could be referred to if and when the government fails to engage with voices outwith those organisations they fund, and where it fails to listen to those who are/who represent ordinary people outside of government funded organisations and the lobbying process, particularly grassroots groups. Something that can also be understood as a government commitment to engage with a diversity of views from stakeholders, not just those who hold the same views as the government and thus already agree with them and provide no diversity of thought or challenge in regard to government policies and proposals.
We believe the government should be committed to a set of principles regarding open policy making. We are not sure what they have agreed to do specifically in order to uphold the principles of open government in Scotland, or what has been put to them by this network, so we were hoping someone could help clarify all of this with us, and indeed if there is anything the government has committed to that would function as a commitment to everything we have outlined here. We would very much appreciate anyone who can help.
