A tiny Scottish island, a digital participation platform: the spirit of Comhairle

If you sail out onto Loch Leven, in Western Scotland, tucked beneath the shadow of the Pap of Glencoe, you’ll come across a tiny island with an epic story.

It’s known as Eilean a' Chomhraidh, the Isle of Discussion, or sometimes Eilean na Comhairle, the Isle of Council. According to local legend, members of the MacDonald clan who found themselves in conflict were sent there by their chief, not to be judged, but to work things out themselves.

They were rowed out and left with only cheese, bread, a knife, and a bottle of whisky. And they weren’t brought back until they’d reached agreement.

Only then would they be taken to a second island, Eilean na Bainne, the Isle of Covenant, where the agreement was formally sealed and peace restored.

The tale has a comedic note, but it also carries something very meaningful. The clan members weren’t expected to avoid conflict, they were trusted to work through it, even with sharp tools and strong drink in hand! It’s a reminder that real dialogue is about creating space for differences with enough trust, structure, and (hopefully) humanity to find a way through...

A new Comhairle

At CrownShy, we’ve been building something that shares more than just a name with this island: Comhairle, our open-source digital platform for large-scale, structured public participation.

The word comhairle in Scottish Gaelic means council, consultation, or advice. It’s rooted in the principle of collective reflection.

And just like its island namesake, our platform is designed to hold a range of views, proposals, perspectives, even disagreements - productively. The goal isn’t to eliminate difference, but to make room for dialogue, deliberation, understanding, and where possible, shared direction.

Unlike the island, we don’t leave people with whisky and oatcakes (tempting though it may be). Instead, we’re creating a platform that brings together digital, open-source tools like Pol.is, Talk to the City, Star Voting, and in-person deliberation processes to support inclusive and thoughtful decision-making at scale.

From difference to deliberation

The island tradition reminds us of something that’s still true today, in the age of algorithms and online outrage: difference isn’t the problem, it’s how we navigate it that matters.

And while stranding people on remote Scottish islands to achieve dialogue may no longer be practical we do need to design democratic processes with powerful social architectures and a similar spirit of generosity and creativity. This is what we’re working on building into Comhairle:

• Contained process
  Comhairle guides participants through custom workflows that clarify each step and purpose, reducing confusion and disengagement.

• The human element
  Whether or not cheese and whisky are present, the human touch is key. Comhairle supports hybrid models that blend digital tools with in-person facilitation. We design for access, empathy, and, where necessary, privacy and anonymity, whether someone is logging in via phone, taking part in a town hall, or contributing to a rural community workshop.

• Trusted space
  Comhairle and its associated offline contexts offer structured, psychologically safe spaces where people can explore their authentic voice and different views without fear.

• Closure and continuity
  Like the Isle of Discussion, Comhairle helps turn deliberation into formal decisions and action. Its reports don’t gather dust, they’re living, traceable, and open, ready to inform both policy and public understanding.

A digital island of discussion

We’re developing Comhairle in partnership with the Scottish Government, having recently been selected as winners of CivTech Challenge 10.7. We’re beginning in Scotland, but the platform is built for broad use, designed to support democratic participation wherever it’s needed, from local communities to international dialogues.

So the next time someone tells you that online discussion is bound to be toxic, or that consensus-building is naïve, tell them about a little island on Loch Leven. About cheese, whisky, and the quiet power of letting people work things through.

Then tell them about Comhairle!

Learn more about Comhairle

If you’re a local authority, civic group, or policymaker interested in scaling participation, whether local or national, we'd love to hear from you.
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