Lords Chamber Event 2014: Decision-making in a digital society
On Friday 28 November 2014, over 190 people came together in the House of Lords chamber for an inter-generational debate on decision-making in a digital society.
- View exclusive images from this year's event on Flickr
- Watch the debate in full on YouTube
- See how the event unfolded on Storify
Participants were drawn from partnerships with a number of organisations including UK Youth, the University of the Third Age and the Tinder Foundation, as well as students from the Universities of Exeter, Ulster and Warwick, the London College of Communication, and various schools from England and Northern Ireland.
Widespread social media use and developments in digital communications mean there has never been an easier time to understand public opinion. Digital communities talk, think and problem-solve together – can Westminster afford to ignore this potential? How should Parliament meet the demands of a digital society?
The question we asked was:
- Parliament 2.0: in a digital society, is politics for politicians or is everyone a decision maker?
The House of Lords opens up the chamber every year, inviting people from across the UK to take part in a debating event. This year's debate was the latest event in a broad outreach programme that aims to raise awareness of the role and work of the Lords.
Subjects up for debate in recent years have included defence and remembrance, social care, climate change and the future of the Lords itself.
- 2013: The Great War: Listening to the Past; Talking to the Future
- 2012: The Big Care Debate
- 2011: Commonwealth Youth Parliamentarians: Climate change
- 2010: Debate Mate event
Further information
- See exclusive images from the event on Flickr
- Find out more about our event partners
- House of Lords Outreach
Image: House of Lords 2014 / Photography by Roger Harris