Where now for informed citizenship post-Election?
Bill Johnston returns for the third part in his series on deliberative democracy with a call for a more informative and more collaborative media environment.
Introduction
Now that the dust has settled on the 2026 elections, it’s time to look ahead to the SNP’s third consecutive term in government and a new 5-year parliament, with majority support for independence. In this contribution, I’ll build on previous articles in January and in March and focus on Scotland’s information ecosphere as a context for deliberative democracy. Deliberative democracy goes beyond simply counting votes after an election campaign, revisiting manifesto promises, and keeping up with daily news. It requires ongoing reasoned debate within civil society and the co-construction of political futures. So, how to go forward?
Whilst political parties are important, other collective organisations are necessary for democracy to thrive. Trade unions, community alliances, research groups, think tanks and citizens’ assemblies must all play a part in raising issues and co-ordinating pressure on government, parliament, and powerful corporate interests.
Nuzhat Uthmani’s article in the National is a timely micro example of an informed citizenry in action. She reports on Chai Aur Chaat, established in Glasgow by/for Asian women in the run-up to the 2026 election. They talked through basic information about parliament, elections, and the voting system, leading into conversations about representation and policies. They are due to meet again in June to extend the discussion into issues in education, finance, local politics, etc. As she concludes, “… a network like this might look like a social gathering: in practice, it’s civic education”. As part of their endeavours, they will surely need information to fuel discussion, clarify challenges and decide on action for change.
The information literate citizen in a changing world
As an evolving discipline for the information age, Information Literacy (IL) is relevant to education, workplaces, everyday life, and civic action. IL is constituted by the knowledge, skills, experiences, and values that people draw on to traverse their information environments. So, people developing their IL can maximise effective citizenship by, for example, sourcing and critiquing information to assist reasoned and ethical discussion of their political problems. This would include sharing existing knowledge and accessing expert views, as well as official government material. Critiquing the influence of mis/disinformation in the news media/ social media and identifying the motives of content creators is a critical part of the undertaking.
Current expertise in libraries, education and activism can guide practice in our changing world. However, it would be important to design supporting initiatives using social justice/transformation objectives (Sobota, D. and Spiranec, S. 2026: In Pursuit of Social Justice: Reclaiming Information Literacy as a Transformative Practice - Information Matters).
“Inevitably the public tend to come off second best when media are characterised by proximity to the political establishment and tending to rehearse establishment positions in their ‘news’ and ‘commentary’.”
The Scottish information environment and its UK Context: Better apart?
Gerry Hassan’s article “Communication failings” analyses media as influential information sources in the public sphere of Scottish life, where everyday concerns meet with state power and establishment structures. Inevitably, the public tends to come off second best when media are characterised by proximity to the political establishment and tend to rehearse establishment positions in their ‘news’ and ‘commentary’. This needs to change and should be a major theme of the new parliament and wider civil society. If anyone doubts the urgency of this work, an analysis of the UK situation should be a corrective.
A recently published report from the Full Fact checking agency, “A system under strain: strengthening the UK’s democratic information environment,” illuminates the UK context. The report, supported by the Nuffield Foundation, draws on Full Fact’s expertise in fact-checking, calling for corrections, advocating and campaigning for higher standards in journalism and public life.
The text “… assesses the precarious state of the UK’s information environment, focusing on growing uncertainty about what to trust and the serious impact this is having on democracy” by examining “… how political and technological change is reshaping the way information is produced, distributed and amplified”. Including the influence of AI-mediated systems and the adverse implications of these for government, regulators, and the public. Elections heighten these problems and further undermine confidence in democracy. The conclusion is that the next general election will be worse. That should be a major concern for independence-minded Scots as it forecasts another Westminster-centric exercise in discounting Scotland’s interests. This is the information environment, or information dystopia, that the information literate citizen of the UK must struggle to traverse and overpower.
In the context of deliberative democracy, this analysis is not good, and the demand is for journalists, commentators, civil servants, and politicians to raise their standards. Whilst the Full Fact report chimes to an extent with Gerry Hassan’s evaluation of informed democracy in Scotland, Gerry provides a distinctively Scottish scenario linked positively to the future. He concludes: “It is a time to recognise the ruins around us and the revolutionary times we are living in ...” A suitable challenge for newly elected MSPs and their constituents!
Conclusions: From an informed citizen to a critically conscious citizen
As Holyrood settles down to business, we all need to compare what was said in campaign manifestos with emerging policy, particularly in the Programme for Government. This can be a first step to building a revitalised civic space. There is scope for collaborative projects in civic society around specific areas of interest, possibly involving the option of calling for a citizens’ assembly on given topics. This will entail revitalising the information ecosphere in Scotland and empowering citizens to be increasingly active and information literate in that space.
Additionally, the potential of the ‘Celtic Triangle’ (Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland) for independence campaigning is a new focus for evaluating the future of the UK. For example, Sinn Féin is introducing a proposal to the Dáil that the Irish government begin preparations for reunification. The Sinn Féin approach includes proposing a Citizens’ Assembly on reunification to ensure wider social engagement. Allied to this move, Fine Gael is committed to producing a 'blueprint' for reunification by November. Perhaps Scotland should be making similar moves now?
Deliberative democracy - transformative rather than simply procedural - should be a major channel for progress in Scotland, and developing information-literate citizens is integral to that progress. In effect, a civic progression through informed critical consciousness into the co-construction of preparations for independence. Stepping back from these immediate possibilities, Tom Nairn’s writings offer a valuable perspective and framework for our understanding of the UK as a historical entity and should be part of the dynamic.
This opportunity is important not just for Scotland and the UK but everywhere else, given the rise of libertarian ideology and undemocratic politics allied to the power of information moguls like Elon Musk and political amplifiers like Reform UK.