The best way to save public services is to involve the public at every level. One of the most important ways of doing this is involving communities in the process of saving the NHS and other services under threat. Politics as a pursuit of professionals can only do so much but cooperation between the political classes and the people between elections is a combination which can succeed. Whether Labour is in or out of power sustained campaigns are needed to achieve results. And Labour ultimately cannot do it alone – it needs the backing of the public to succeed. However, the public is subject to the influence of the media and does not always have the grasp of the issues which it needs to make informed choices. This leads to passivity. One way to change this is to get people involved in campaigning.
To remedy the problem of passivity it is not enough for politicians to campaign but for people outside the Labour party to get involved as well. Involvement can lead to greater awareness; people learn better when they are involved and focused on a particular goal. Passivity means the closing down of interest and curiosity and leads to resignation and acceptance of the status quo. Campaigning can also be the starting point for community involvement in the running of services as an alternative to closing them down. It can be the beginning in embryo of a team of dedicated people who can save services by cutting down on bureaucracy and providing a cheaper and more efficient service. If a team of campaigners already exists it is a much better selling point for community involvement than a pitch which has not already got passionate people behind it.
There is sometimes a reluctance to get involved in community groups and struggles because of the bad reputation of some residents and community organisations which pander to prejudice and represent only one section of a community eg pushy parents or those whose only interest in a local park is to further the interests of dogs. However, this reluctance is the result of a short-sighted view which is self-fulfilling, for if we do not get involved the void will be filled by others with a different set of interests whether this is the media or others within a community.
The problems with existing community groups is often that they have a wide remit to begin with which makes it possible for interested parties to shape the agenda to the exclusion of other interests within the community. The way to avoid this is to campaign with a specific goal in mind eg saving the NHS rather than casting the net so wide in the hope of attracting members that it can attract even those who, for example, would rather see a privatised health service. Friends of the NHS is non-specific, but Committee to save the NHS (and avoid privatisation ) will attract only those who support these goals.
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Bob Glaberson is a candidate for the Progress strategy board
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