Elections are so last century!

Last winter I was doing surveys around the ward to meet residents and find out what problems affected them. People were friendly and responsive. Then, the campaign started and everything changed. I had a first-hand experience of ‘anti-politics’. I picked up a significant dislike of the Lib Dems, which had nothing to do with specific policies, but a sense of betrayal. People wanted to protest.

I share the frustration although not the sense of 'betrayal' (see post Coalitions Are Not Marriages). I oppose a lot of what the current UK government is doing, especially its economic policies and its non-relationship with Europe. I also feel powerless, especially before the spectacular incompetence and small-minded mediocrity shown by Merkel, Cameron & Sarkozy. No wonder people across Europe are going for ‘less political’ politicians, such as the Piratenpartei in Germany, Grillo in Italy, Le Pen in France etc. The issue, however, is not distrust, but participation.

For far too long the political establishment (=central government) has accepted that referenda, local, regional, European elections are an opinion ‘poll’ about national government. This has made a mockery of local, regional and European democracy. The national government should indeed be held into account, but mostly for failing to make democracy work. A cross on a ballot paper every 4-5 years is not enough. Representative democracy should be about the strategic and long term vision for the city, region, country, European Union. But it needs to be supplemented by deliberative democracy, or  'direct democracy'.

Deliberative democracy should be about the every day issues, problems and opportunities. People appreciate the work done to improve their local area (alley-gating, street-lighting, refuse collection, street maintenance), but these are not seen as political. Indeed, they are not, so why on earth do we need elected councillors to deal with them? I asked for area committees back in 2004. There was some sort of plan but these things cost so it came to nothing. I don't think the stumbling block is money, but people who are willing to make work on local issues and work out solutions. It's about being proactive and form relationships to get things done.

Democracy is not about having 'a voice', but being empowered. All those street-watches, residents’ associations, churches and voluntary organisations are the places where people form relationships, take responsibility and act. Responsibility is the backbone of democracy. The ‘res publica’, the public sphere, is not just a responsibility of politicians, but of all of us. As I said in a speech in Council, we are all ‘political animals’, in the sense that we are all in relationships and responsible for collective life. We are all in communities, through family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances. We all have something we feel strongly about, no matter whether it's a 'local' or 'international' issue. Delegating it to others is very last century. Now that we've done with the voting, we need to start with the real action.

So, keep fighting because there's always something worth fighting for!