Stephen Booth

It is an important fact of our political life that the public is excluded from politics. People feel powerless, and participation in democratic institutions, councils, elections, and other things over time declines. A common experience is that people distrust politicians, and are completely cynical about 'consultation' exercises. Often these are felt to be fake, as are opinion polls and focus groups. Rarely, this feeling crystalises into a protest vote, usually it just leads to apathy and hopelessness.

The protest group 'Fathers For Justice' represented one kind of response to this situation, where protesters drew attention to their issue by putting on Batman and Robin costumes and climbing to the top of tall public buildings, the Severn Bridge and so on.

I don't think the political stunts route is any answer to this problem, and neither is the politics of celebrity, eg the 'Live 8' concert at the time of the Gleneagles G8 conference in July 2005.

So does anybody on here have an idea about how to address this problem? How do we increase public involvement and activity in politics?

__________________
Britain Out of Europe Now !

Aardvark

Stop our local party branches being controlled by fruitcakes and loonies.

The public wants to identify with people like themselves. You can get dozens to a public meeting if you're lucky, but it only takes one idiot talking about Jewish money (my branch treasurer) or Bilderbergers or treason or Illuminati or green lizards or defunct mediaeval laws and they will walk away.

I'll bet there isn't a UKIP Man Utd supporters club, but more people watch Man Utd on TV than vote UKIP. Fact.

More people in the average constituency know the names of their favourite football team than the name of the local political candidate.

__________________
When in Woking do as the Wokes do.

"I do not wish to form my opinions by thoughtlessly quoting others; I wish others to support their opinions by sensibly quoting me." Paul Wesson (Aardvark) 13th April 2008