Who's politics serving anyway?

 

There is a growing consensus, both amongst those within politics and outside of it, that our processes and systems aren't working for the people they're meant to serve. Having been both on the outside and the inside, I can attest that neither position is more frustrating than the other. 

I believed, and just about still do, that the way to make change is to do it from within, but I hadn't appreciated, in my naivety, quite how much turkeys would not want to vote for Christmas. 

And it's not just the voting system we use, or the selection processes, or the party political structures, that's broken. It's all of it. 

Everything we do in politics should be about serving people, both current and future generations, and serving the planet. Often these things are pegged as opposing ideals, but they very much aren't, if you employ a long term view of things. Sadly, so much of politics is short term strategy and decision making, bouncing from one election to the next. 

Lots of us come to politics with big ideas about what we want to achieve, only to find out that the expectation is that you spend years, maybe even decades, proving yourself and toeing the line, before you're given any opportunity to make a substantial difference. And who has the energy or time for that? Overwhelmingly it's one particular demographic, that also coincidentally continues to dominate politics. 

The party political structure places a stranglehold on individuals who are torn between doing what they think is right, and what they need to do to maintain their position in order to make a difference. This conflict is easier for some to resolve than others, because it's been part of the 'game' for so long, but just because something has always been a certain way, doesn't mean it's the best or right way of doing things. It just means that that's how the people who made the rules in the first place thought it should be done. And we can all imagine that those rule makers were again, one particular demographic. 

This 'game' turns people who you might normally respect, into barely recognisable versions of themselves. They contort and twist into shapes to justify actions and positions. They tell themselves that they are the good guys, they are the ones who are in the right, and the others, whoever they may be, are wrong. There's very little room for nuance, or consensus, or compromise. The primary purpose, oftentimes, is to look a certain way, regardless of there being any substance behind a position, or indeed any merit. This rigmarole is exhausting to those who don't enjoy it, and ludicrous to those who can't understand it. No wonder people chuck the towel in. 

This kind of politics is pushed to its limits during times of crisis. It shows clearly who's in it for the right reasons, and who's in it for themselves. And if we're rethinking the way we live our lives during a pandemic, then surely this is also the time we should be rethinking everything else, including whether our political systems are fit for purpose? 

There are a great many voices that don't get heard in politics, and it is always those that interest me most. Until we involve everyone in politics, in a meaningful way, then we shouldn't idolise it. We should be looking at it and ourselves with a critical eye, and always ask why we're doing something, or not as might be the case. For me, that has always been, and will always be, my guiding principle. I only wish that there were more who felt and acted in the same way.