The UK political system has broken down: a governing party in civil war, strikes, sewage washing up on our shores. At the same time in Germany, a progressive-majority government is busy enacting serious plans to tackle the climate emergency and social inequality. In We’ll Have What They’re Having: How Decentralisation and PR in Germany Created the Conditions for “The Great Transformation”, Compass Deputy Director Frances Foley examines the conditions that make this possible.

Reflecting on her part in a recent delegation of Labour MPs and civil society organised by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Frances digs deep into how the German government approaches ‘levelling up’ and the material differences reflected by their more ambitious term of ‘the Great Transformation’.

How does this ‘transformation’ seek to simultaneously address social and regional inequality and the climate crisis? How is the SPD-Green-FDP government tackling the overlapping challenges of demographic change, digitalisation and decarbonisation? Crucially, how does democracy underpin – and form part of the solution to – these challenges? How must we redesign our politics to ensure popular buy-in, consent and legitimacy while benefiting from greater engagement, experience and energy? 

The UK and Germany start from similar points –social and regional inequality, deindustrialised regions in decline, cultural divides – Germany’s decentralised government structures and proportional voting system are observably more effective in responding to challenges and enabling progress. This constitutional setup enables financial rebalancing and allows for political innovation. There are no silver bullets; but the German case shows us an actually existing alternative. It begs the question ‘what could Britain do if we were to introduce PR and radically decentralise’? 

Unlock Democracy and Compass are working together on a Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust funded project to build consensus around a new democratic settlement. With a focus on the Labour Party, other progressive parties and civil society campaigners, we are looking to create the conditions for a new 21st century democratic settlement for our nations, communities and citizens.