When I was at school we had a grade 12 course called Civilisation based the BBC documentary series of western European art history presented by Kenneth Clarke. The whole series was infected with Kenneth Clarke's enthusiasm for his work and each episode had an artistic hero. That was until the last episode where he saw the horrors of the fall out from the first and second world wars. He then quoted a couple of lines from the WB Yeates poem The Second Coming.
TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
It would be easy to fall into Yeates' pessimism, and looking back to the seventy or so years ago that he wrote this it is easy to see where his ideas were coming from with an inevitable confrontation between the Nazi fascists and the Stalinist state socialists. Both absolutist utopians and both seeking to create the worst dystopia imaginable..
At the moment, there is a bit of a feeling that matters are not dissimilar to the 1930s. We are in an economic crisis and the governments of the day do not seem able to find a pragmatic solution. There is more and more unfocussed extremist violence around. In one part of the world a nihilistic interpretation of the Koran makes it legitimate to fly packed passenger air planes into buildings while in other parts of the world it is OK to blow up innocent civilians with unmanned drone air planes in the name of seeking out and neutralizing terrorists.
Closer to home, politicians make the argument that the inhabitants of Greece must embrace massive cuts to their living standards so that errors committed by their government can be prevented from causing banks in other parts of Europe from going bankrupt. People are then horrified when these Greeks complain about having their wages cut to a third of what they originally were. And still, no leader is able to suggest a solution.
Modern politicians do not possess sufficient historical perspective and so are doomed to perpetuate the mistakes of their predecessors. This is in part because they are tied into too rigid a party structure and admitting that something they have previously backed is a mistake is not something they are prepared to do. Mainstream media (and new media) exacerbate this by criticising any politician who admits that they were in error as being weak and indecisive.
Independent politician cannot of course change the way they are portrayed by the media but they can seek to help redress the balance when it comes to assessing policies in a historical light. By not being tied to a party dogma, they can bring a more measured assessment to ideas and policies that can benefit society as a whole.
Sunday, 27 May 2012
Thursday, 17 May 2012
Is the Time Coming?
I have been getting increasingly disenchanted with politics despite having always having been a big P policially engaged person. I even joined the Green Party as a student. Tempramentally I have always supported the Liberal Democrats. However, ever since they pushed Menzies Campbell out over a triviality such as his age, I have found myself drifting away from them. The other two major parties have never really attracted me. I am too left wing for the tories and Labour have always been too inward looking for my comfort. I would also struggle to join the party that took this country into the Afghan and Iraqui wars.
The independent idea though now looks increasingly interesting.
So. The question is. Should I be thinking about a change of direction as an idependent polititian?
We have plans that I am not prepared to forego in the near future. Details of that saga are here.
There is no way that anything will inturrup those plans which rules out standing for elections in Lambeth in 2014. However, we do hope to be back from our ocean wandering by 2015 so the next set of GLA elections might be a goer.
Time to think but this blog itself is a bit of a committment really.
The independent idea though now looks increasingly interesting.
So. The question is. Should I be thinking about a change of direction as an idependent polititian?
We have plans that I am not prepared to forego in the near future. Details of that saga are here.
There is no way that anything will inturrup those plans which rules out standing for elections in Lambeth in 2014. However, we do hope to be back from our ocean wandering by 2015 so the next set of GLA elections might be a goer.
Time to think but this blog itself is a bit of a committment really.
Monday, 14 May 2012
Getting Publicity and Coverage?
Elections are all about getting yourself noticed by the voters such that they will chose your name in the ballot box. In this respect parties are enormously useful and this is one of their primary purposes. A political party is always much more than the sum of its members. Not least is the fact that party members all pay for their membership and the party can receive donations from organisations (businesses, unions etc.). An independent candidate cannot use this resource.
In the past, this was a major impediment to the independent and restricted their ability to make an impact on an election. In recent years however, the so called new media has provided an alternative way of getting your name “out there”. Facebook allows you to very quickly accumulate a group of supporters, who then with their “Friends” can distribute your message much more widely, quickly and cheaply than would be possible with, for example, a series of newspaper advertisements.
Twitter, is an even newer way of getting messages out to an audience. Even the now traditional blog can give you an essentially free platform for proposing ideas. A blog has the additional advantage that you can put together a much more coherent argument or statement of policy than would be possible in the very limited format of Twitter or Facebook.
The trouble with these new media routes to publicity is that they are self selecting. Therefore they do not carry the same weight as an interview in a newspaper – even a local paper. Thus, an independent candidate is caught between getting their message out very effectively via Facebook and their blog but then not being taken seriously while getting exposure in traditional media is an expensive and difficult process. Television is especially bad at this. They ignore all but the best known candidates. It is possible that one reason for large mainstream media outlets such as the BBC is that they would then have to give coverage to candidates whose views are offensive or otherwise unwanted. In the UK such parties as the BNP fall into this category.
Practically speaking, the BBC should not be worried about this as extremists are generally very bad at presenting themselves and their offensive views usually mean that they quickly marginalise themselves amongst the electorate as soon as they are given any publicity. Violent thugs usually manage to show themselves as violent thugs given enough time to talk about their beliefs. Of course, the BBC need to be persuaded of the validity of this idea.
All this makes it much more difficult for independent candidates to get their voice heard and makes the job of winning the election more difficult. Thus, political parties will always dominate electoral democracy. That is not to say that it is impossible for independents to make headway.
There are other means by which independents can communicate well other than via new media. It is a cliché to say that society is much more fragmented and the old consensus' of the past are not holding together today. There is however a lot of truth in it and this is to the advantage of the independent. They can bring a distinctive local perspective without the shackles of a party line to restrict them. This takes us to the next strand of how to get taken seriously by the electorate and it is a very old fashioned one. Basically, you have to get out there and meet people. There are always lots of residents associations and community groups and such like. By getting to meet these people, you will be able to connect with local people who are much more likely to remember you than just a talking head on the TV. Chances are, they will all be on Facebook so they can then follow you on there.
In the past, this was a major impediment to the independent and restricted their ability to make an impact on an election. In recent years however, the so called new media has provided an alternative way of getting your name “out there”. Facebook allows you to very quickly accumulate a group of supporters, who then with their “Friends” can distribute your message much more widely, quickly and cheaply than would be possible with, for example, a series of newspaper advertisements.
Twitter, is an even newer way of getting messages out to an audience. Even the now traditional blog can give you an essentially free platform for proposing ideas. A blog has the additional advantage that you can put together a much more coherent argument or statement of policy than would be possible in the very limited format of Twitter or Facebook.
The trouble with these new media routes to publicity is that they are self selecting. Therefore they do not carry the same weight as an interview in a newspaper – even a local paper. Thus, an independent candidate is caught between getting their message out very effectively via Facebook and their blog but then not being taken seriously while getting exposure in traditional media is an expensive and difficult process. Television is especially bad at this. They ignore all but the best known candidates. It is possible that one reason for large mainstream media outlets such as the BBC is that they would then have to give coverage to candidates whose views are offensive or otherwise unwanted. In the UK such parties as the BNP fall into this category.
Practically speaking, the BBC should not be worried about this as extremists are generally very bad at presenting themselves and their offensive views usually mean that they quickly marginalise themselves amongst the electorate as soon as they are given any publicity. Violent thugs usually manage to show themselves as violent thugs given enough time to talk about their beliefs. Of course, the BBC need to be persuaded of the validity of this idea.
All this makes it much more difficult for independent candidates to get their voice heard and makes the job of winning the election more difficult. Thus, political parties will always dominate electoral democracy. That is not to say that it is impossible for independents to make headway.
There are other means by which independents can communicate well other than via new media. It is a cliché to say that society is much more fragmented and the old consensus' of the past are not holding together today. There is however a lot of truth in it and this is to the advantage of the independent. They can bring a distinctive local perspective without the shackles of a party line to restrict them. This takes us to the next strand of how to get taken seriously by the electorate and it is a very old fashioned one. Basically, you have to get out there and meet people. There are always lots of residents associations and community groups and such like. By getting to meet these people, you will be able to connect with local people who are much more likely to remember you than just a talking head on the TV. Chances are, they will all be on Facebook so they can then follow you on there.
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Everything is just a thought so far
A quick note to my legions of readers!
This blog is not in any way a definitive statement or how to. From now on all postings giving thoughts will be posed as a question.
Thursday, 10 May 2012
The Beginnings of an Independent Manifesto?
UK democracy has evolved over centuries and continues to do so. However, at present there is a more urgent need for some new ideas in the political sphere. There have been a lot of changes in the last twenty to thirty years and the political system is struggling to keep pace with both public expectations and the needs of government.
For the most part, the institutional framework still serves the purpose for which it is designed. Rather, the problem lies with the closed nature of the apparatus that supports democratically elected representatives. These parties have become isolated from the electorate and there is a growing professional class of politicians who set out to become politicians and have little or no experience outside of the narrow political sphere.
Gaining electoral success requires a lot of resources and contacts with groups such as the media. This has further “professionalised” the business of politics and made it more difficult for people form all walks of life to enter into this field. This has impoverished politics as the decision makers are now drawn from a narrow pool. Many are lawyers but the dreaded PPE (Politics, Psychology and Economics) has become the de facto degree to gain entrance to this profession.
Such groups are self reinforcing as they do not meet people from other walks of life and tend to form a group that works to exclude others from taking part. At an immediate practical level, this means that politicians do not bring areas of expertise from other professions or trades. Many of the frequent government IT procurement problems have stemmed from the fact that ultimate decision makers have an incomplete understanding of how large IT systems work. Had the cabinet of past governments had an IT professional amongst them it would have been less likely that flawed plans would have been given approval.
In the past the major political parties had a mechanism to allow for their members to come from different walks of life. The Labour party for example used to use it's links with the Trades Union movement to recruit MPs and such like. The Tories would use local businesses to get members. Andrew Neill did a documentary highlighting just how professionalised Westminster had become. It is also less common for senior politicians to have worked their way up through Local government either.
What is needed now is for a concerted effort for ordinary people to stand for election as independents. This will be particularly well suited to local politics where local issues are at the forefront of people's concerns. However, it can also be made to work for parliamentary elections and even the European parliament.
Independents would also be less influenced by big money as their campaigns typically require a fraction of the money needed by mainstream party political candidates which will mean they will not be so strongly influenced by vested interests.
It is now much easier for independents to mount a campaign as the so called “Social Media” provides a very efficient and cost effective way of getting a message out to a wider audience. It takes a substantial PR team to get wide coverage in newspapers and television but anyone can set up a blog and then promote it via Facebook.
The time is ripe for a new style of politician and independents have an opportunity to affect the way a borough, county, constituency and even a country is run out of all proportion to their numbers. It would only take a few independent councillors to break down the stale deadlock in so many councils where local interests are ignored for party political ones. An independent Mayor could bring together all the differing threads of the representatives to really benefit the city over which they preside. Even a few independent MPs could bring a different perspective to decision making in parliament.
For the most part, the institutional framework still serves the purpose for which it is designed. Rather, the problem lies with the closed nature of the apparatus that supports democratically elected representatives. These parties have become isolated from the electorate and there is a growing professional class of politicians who set out to become politicians and have little or no experience outside of the narrow political sphere.
Gaining electoral success requires a lot of resources and contacts with groups such as the media. This has further “professionalised” the business of politics and made it more difficult for people form all walks of life to enter into this field. This has impoverished politics as the decision makers are now drawn from a narrow pool. Many are lawyers but the dreaded PPE (Politics, Psychology and Economics) has become the de facto degree to gain entrance to this profession.
Such groups are self reinforcing as they do not meet people from other walks of life and tend to form a group that works to exclude others from taking part. At an immediate practical level, this means that politicians do not bring areas of expertise from other professions or trades. Many of the frequent government IT procurement problems have stemmed from the fact that ultimate decision makers have an incomplete understanding of how large IT systems work. Had the cabinet of past governments had an IT professional amongst them it would have been less likely that flawed plans would have been given approval.
In the past the major political parties had a mechanism to allow for their members to come from different walks of life. The Labour party for example used to use it's links with the Trades Union movement to recruit MPs and such like. The Tories would use local businesses to get members. Andrew Neill did a documentary highlighting just how professionalised Westminster had become. It is also less common for senior politicians to have worked their way up through Local government either.
What is needed now is for a concerted effort for ordinary people to stand for election as independents. This will be particularly well suited to local politics where local issues are at the forefront of people's concerns. However, it can also be made to work for parliamentary elections and even the European parliament.
Independents would also be less influenced by big money as their campaigns typically require a fraction of the money needed by mainstream party political candidates which will mean they will not be so strongly influenced by vested interests.
It is now much easier for independents to mount a campaign as the so called “Social Media” provides a very efficient and cost effective way of getting a message out to a wider audience. It takes a substantial PR team to get wide coverage in newspapers and television but anyone can set up a blog and then promote it via Facebook.
The time is ripe for a new style of politician and independents have an opportunity to affect the way a borough, county, constituency and even a country is run out of all proportion to their numbers. It would only take a few independent councillors to break down the stale deadlock in so many councils where local interests are ignored for party political ones. An independent Mayor could bring together all the differing threads of the representatives to really benefit the city over which they preside. Even a few independent MPs could bring a different perspective to decision making in parliament.
A New Blog About a New Politics for London
In the 2012 Mayoral elections for London Siobhan Benita stood as an independent candidate and from a very simple beginning managed an amazing level of success and nearly pushed the Liberal Democrats and Greens into fourth or fifth place. Her message was a simple one, that there needs to be a new type of politics to replace the tired and overly inflexible party politics we have in the UK.
This blog is my attempt to further that aim. Hopefully, for the next round of elections we will not only be able to see a strong independent candidate for the Mayor but also independent candidates for the London Assembly
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