We tend to assume that “democracy” is a Good Thing, like love, learning or lucre. In that case, the question might seem bizarre: of course we should have as much democracy as possible, and no amount could be too much. Certainly any attempt to hold back greater public involvement in government is likely to seem illiberal.

Technological developments have made “more democracy” ever more feasible, to the point that online referenda, for example, could revolutionise the ways in which the people can hold their government to account. Even more than that, they offer the potential for people to become their own government, at least in some areas.

Hansard reporter and Westminster village resident Alasdair Mackenzie will introduce the discussion. We’ll consider the recent Irish referendum on Lisbon and the desirability of constant universal involvement by everybody in every corner of government.

Do we really want to micromanage ourselves, or is there life yet in the old idea of representative democracy? Will we end up in a utopian, technological Athens in which the people truly do govern themselves? Or will we find ourselves living under the tyranny of the majority?

It’s the day after the August bank holiday, so grab a jug of Pimms (or cider, as you prefer) and prepare for a summer evening’s thought-provoking discussion. Whether it’s your first time or you’re a dyed-in-the-wool regular you’ll be most welcome.

You can find out more about our events on our front page or by contacting us.

On 29 July, as you may already know, Big Ideas co-organiser Nathan Charlton will be asking "What Makes Us Modern?" and inviting us to consider the question in the light of culture, politics, history, philosophy, technology and all points in between. We’ll be posting up more details on that one shortly.

On 26 August, Hansard reporter and Westminster Village resident Alasdair Mackenzie will be asking "How Much Democracy Is Too Much?" in light of the Irish referendum on Lisbon and the possibilities offered by the internet for almost constant universal involvement by everybody in every corner of government. Do we really want to micromanage ourselves, or is there life yet in the old idea of representative democracy?

On 30 September Wilfrid Hodges, will ask us "Is Being Rational The Same As Being Logical?". Prof Hodges is Professorial Fellow in the maths department of Queen Mary College. He’s made a huge number of contributions to both algebra and logic and is the author of one of the most popular introductions to Model Theory. He has a keen interest in the historical and cultural aspects of his discipline as well as the technicalities and will be starting off, we’re told, from an argument due to C S Peirce that logic and reason are the same thing. No mathematical knowledge required, although those with some will enjoy filling in the details.

On 28 October Simon Glendinning will address the question "Is Europe A Place Or An Idea?". Dr Glendinning is Director of the Forum for European Philosophy at the European Institute, part of the London School of Economics, and is the author of numerous books and papers about the European philosophical tradition. Expect to spend the following week worrying about nationality, identity, sovereignty, power and the whole idea of modern statecraft in ways you never thought possible.

On 25 November, Dave Boyle will invite us to think about "Football, Loyalty And Identity". As well as appearing on national television, radio and at academic conferences, he is Chief Executive of Supporters Direct, a group that aims "to deliver responsible, democratic representation at football clubs". As well as being a fascinating topic in its own right, it might give us an opportunity to pull together some of the themes from the year in a completely different context.

So put all these dates in your diary and prepare to be stimulated — above all we need you clever people there to make these events as rewarding and challening as ever. We’ll post out more details before each event. In December we’ll organise something social — more details to follow.

Does it make sense to talk about a city expressing a “nationalism” over and above its supposed “identity”? Are nationalisms always exclusive and xenophobic? What would London look like as a more devolved city state, and what does the recent change in executive mayor say about how we might choose to be governed? How might it reinvent its identity as a national one? And is any of this a good idea?

In an eventful discussion, we touch on all these subjects and more. Watch out for the bit where Danny gets onto Scottish independence and starts channelling Edward I. If you haven’t been to one of our live events, our podcasts give a bit of a feel for what they’re like, although of course there are fewer of us and they’re slightly more organised.

You can subscribe to our podcasts via our RSS feed or just download this one as an MP3 file. Enjoy!

The image of the inside of the London assembly building is courtesy of leithcote.