Whether it be declining party membership or record low voter turnouts, ‘pigs in the trough’ or constant whispers of a ‘U-Turn’ hard core anti politics does no one any good.
Politics is not the market, a world of atomised choices without clear social implication. Politics is negotiated, complicated and difficult precisely because people’s values and interests are conflicted, fragmented and important.
Yet in mounting a defence of politics one risks vindicating its enemies. Complacent members of the establishment too readily reel off platitudes about the public’s ‘failure to understand’. Though I agree that there may be truth in this a progressive must believe in the public’s capacity to understand, and recognise that a democracy in which over one in three chooses not to exercise a right won by centuries of struggle so that each can vote on the shape of public life suffers.
This ‘apathy’, that fuels anti politics, is in the main bred of impotence – not ignorance. Citizens do not have enough power, and the newly cardinal virtue – choice – is a meagre substitute, the status quo should be criticised.
Power 2010 seeks to reconcile this dilemma, facilitating discussion and shared learning through creating the largest and most diverse debate on British democracy while at the same time addressing imbalances of power by helping citizens determine the shape of democracy.
Any individual can submit their idea for democratic reform before November 30th and we were pleased to welcome Progess into the project as an Ideas Champion with Jessica Asato’s contribution advocating increased power for parliamentary select committees as we pushed over the 3000 ideas mark. These ideas will then be sent to a Citizens’ Convention of 200 randomly selected citizens tasked with weeding out the weakly supported and less publicly resonant ideas to leave a shortlist which will itself be put to five weeks of public debate followed by a vote. The top five reforms will then become the Power 2010 pledge to be taken to every MP and PPC in the country in the run up to the general election by diverse delegations of their constituents.
We are not born with a knowledge of politics, neither are we born with the skills to participate in it. Power 2010 will develop both while tackling a legitimate concern, that citizens must determine the rules of the game in which representatives are to compete and govern. The days of self regulation are over for more than just the banks.
But Power 2010 needs the participation of all of you, citizens with both a commitment to and knowledge of politics. Send us your ideas for reform, enter the debate and help us build a better democracy and curb anti politics. The deadline is the end of the month and there is no time to lose.