I’ve been umming and erring about how to respond to this article. I certainly can’t fault your stats maths Jack and I wouldn’t dare contradict the almighty Alertbox. However, I disagree with your conclusion.

Firstly, I don’t think online consultation is the same as a discussion forum. Even one as tightly topic focussed as the excellent accessifyforum.com is not really trying to engage with users in the same way a consultation is. The forum will often show up in search results for developers looking for technical solutions, tips or advice. They will visit the site get what they need and go – they even may register as a reminder so they can return and pose other questions in the future (and then probably forget as there is no ongoing reminders/emails). So the transaction is very informational and not requiring any commitment or response.

A good online consultation will be not only providing background material, and possibly pros and cons to an issue, it should also provide a variety of ways for the user to get involved. This doesn’t necessary mean leaving a comment, which not everyone will be comfortable doing, but could be voting on an issue or a means of staying informed or updated on the ‘debate’ or outcomes. I would count this last method as a form of participation and while on the passive end I think some weight should be given to how the users in quantity do this.

Secondly, I think any form of consultation, even when carried out under conditions of universal suffrage, is not democratic. It’s self-selecting, unless compelled, so still may not be representative. So, I’m not sure the online variation should be singled out as being particularly undemocratic. When the issues are not black and white (and when are they these days) there will be a continuum of views and some will be put more forcefully than others. It could even be argued that online consultation is therefore more democratic as the quiet still have a chance to have their say and make their contribution without getting drowned out, argued/shouted down by others.

Lastly, I’m not sure consultations should be democratic. While it is very tempting to go with the majority view, there may be very good reasons why that is not a good idea. The general public, bless ‘em, are not experts in all the technicalities on every issue and a good consultation, while not excluding or disenfranchising them completely, should be targeted at the right audience of experts and stakeholders.

So, in conclusion, I guess I half agree with you. They may not be democratic, but a well designed and analysed consultation should provide the right range of ways to participate to the right users. Doing it online provides another channel for people to be involved and while it may not be suitable to always rely on it totally I think it’s a valuable contribution to the overall decision making process.