Democracy and empowerment

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Democracy and empowerment

• Some perspectives
• Empowerment participation in the Network
  Society 21 March 2006

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In a nutshell Beyond the Soundbite (BBC, 2002)
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Deconstructing the problem electoral issues-
registration Electoral Commission figures, based
on 2000 ONS dataNon - registration and social
exclusion Total population 8 - 9 - Around
3.5 million
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Deconstructing the problem electoral issues -
turnout trends General elections, 1945-2005
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Deconstructing the problem electoral issues -
turnout (millions)2001 General Election 59.4
(2nd lowest since 1847, lowest since 1918)2005
General Election 61.4 (3rd lowest since 1847,
2nd lowest since 1918)More than 1 in 10 voted
for parties other than Labour, Conservative or
Lib/Demabout half the increase in turnout in
2005 was due to the trebling of the postal vote
to 12Whilst 12 encouraged others to vote for a
party, 37 encouraged others not to vote for a
party (compared with 15/19 spilt in 1997)
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Deconstructing the problem political party
membershipMembership of the 3 main parties 1964
- 2001
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Deconstructing the problem political party
loyalties - age very strongly identifying with a
political party 1964 2001, British Election
Survey
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Deconstructing the problem trades union
membership (millions)
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Deconstructing the problem trust ICM poll for
BBC News 24, March 2005

• 92 said politicians never gave "a straight
  answer".
• 87 said politicians did not keep the promises
  they made before elections
• 73 said politicians had shown themselves to be
  dishonest too often.

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Political engagement activity An Audit of
political engagement 2 Electoral
Commission/Hansard Society, March 2005
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Political engagement contentment An Audit of
political engagement 2 Electoral
Commission/Hansard Society, March 2005
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Political engagement contentment - young people
and having influence on local issues
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Isolated from politics? Beyond the Soundbite
(BBC, 2002)
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Main Research findings summary

• Current political climate
• Lack of competition, centralisation, similarity
  of parties, decline in political efficacy
• Political culture and public attitudes
• Weakened sense of personal impact, consumerist
  approach, disconnection
• Individual resources
• Lack of knowledge/skills, time and money

• State structures
• Lack of influence, reduced accountability,
  complexity, out of date, out of touch, too
  infrequent
• Mobilising agencies
• Decline of traditional networks, growth of single
  issue advocacy and leisure networks
• Social and economic change
• Shifts in post-industrial society, social
  exclusion, disconnected youth culture
  increasing future impact
• Role of media in British politics
• Weakened political knowledge
• Long distance lens

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Red Herrings and key explanations Power to the
People, 2006

• RED HERRINGS
• Apathetic, uninterested public with a weak sense
  of public duty
• Culture of contentment
• Low calibre of politicians nowadays
• Lack of competitive elections
• Media causes disengagement
• Lack of time

• KEY EXPLANATIONS
• Citizens and party members do not have influence
• Political parties seen to be too similar
• Electoral system seen as unequal and leading to
  wasted votes
• Political parties require too broad a commitment
• Lack of knowledge
• Inconvenient voting procedures

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What is the Government is doing and criticisms
by the Power Inquiry

• What has been particularly strikinghas been the
  extent to which none of the above responseshave
  been fundamentally democratic in their
  inspiration. They are primarily technocratic or
  self-interested electoral responses. At
  bestuseful addendums to a democratic system, but
  nobody in government seems to have looked
  seriously at the principles, practices, or
  history of democracy, as a possible source of
  answers to the worrying problem of disengagement.

• Alternative voting systems
• More consultation
• Citizenship education
• Greater regulation and scrutiny

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A few other things the Government is doing
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Key proposals by others for reform

• Electoral reform
• Party Funding
• Devolving power
• Greater public participation in decision making
• Action on social exclusion from democracy
• Youth focus
• Compulsory Voting
• Access to Parliament and MPs
• Improved scrutiny
• Building citizenship

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POWER INQUIRY Proposals

• SELECTED RECOMMEDATIONS
• Limits on the powers of whips
• 70 elected House of Lords
• Decentralisation
• Responsive electoral system
• State funding for local political activity
• MPs required to engage with their constituents

• MAJOR SHIFTS
• Rebalancing of power away from the Executive and
  unaccountable bodies towards Parliament and local
  government
• Introduction of greater responsiveness and
  choice into the electoral and party systems
• Allowing citizens a much more direct and focused
  say over political decisions and policies

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Cherry picking?

• These three imperatives stand or fall alongside
  each other. The implementation of only one or two
  of the three will not create the reengagement
  with formal democracy which many people now
  want.Cherry-picking a folly repeated time and
  time again by our political masters will not
  work.

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Democracy and empowerment

• Some perspectives
• Empowerment participation in the Network
  Society 21 March 2006