What do the public want from politics? - Sept 21, 2009
What do the public want from
politics?
Influence rather than involvement
October issue of Parliamentary Affairs
Discounted
rate for Hansard Society members
Immediate release
Monday September 21, 2009
In
the forthcoming October 2009 issue of Parliamentary
Affairs, Dr Ruth Fox, Director of the Hansard Society Parliament and
Government programme, demonstrates that, in the wake of the MPs' expenses
scandal, proposals for more direct and participatory decision-making mechanisms
fail to take account of what the public really wants in terms of engagement and
participation.
The
article, Engagement and
Participation: What the Public Want and How Our Politicians Need to Respond, utilises the Hansard Society's
annual Audit of Political Engagement
to show that the public view of political engagement and participation is far
more complex than many of those advocating for more direct, participatory forms
of decision-making are willing to acknowledge. The Audit shows that 55% of the
public simply do not want to be involved in national decision-making. However,
43% of the public, who feel that they do not have any influence over
decision-making, would like to get
involved.
The
research also shows a significant gap between people's theory of being a good,
socially responsible citizen and the extent to which they are willing to put
that theory into practice, for example:
- 87% of the public
say that voting is at least ‘fairly important' in terms of being a good
citizen and it is regarded as the most effective means of participation
- But only 53% of
the public say they are certain to vote in the event of an immediate
general election
The
Audit shows that the public are more likely to sign a petition (36%) than they
are to engage in any other form of democratic activity. This provides a strong
indication that the introduction of a petitions system as an integral and core
part of the parliamentary system would be a step forward in linking Parliament
and the public.
Dr
Ruth Fox, author of the Parliamentary Affairs article commented: ‘The
public's views about political engagement and participation are complex,
sometimes contradictory, and rarely uniform. There is a danger that if the
scope and scale of what the public wants is misread, new direct democracy mechanisms,
rather than empowering the widest cross-section of the public, will come to be
dominated by those who shout loudest or have the most money at their disposal.
A more careful analysis involving the promotion of knowledge and interest in
the political system and a transparent petitions system could lead to wider and
fairer participation. '
For
further information, contact Virginia Gibbons, Head of Communications at the
Hansard Society on mediaprog@hansard.lse.ac.uk
or 020 7438 1225
Editors
Notes
- Parliamentary Affairs is a long-established journal published by Oxford University
Press in association with the Hansard Society. Individual subscriptions
cost £57 a year; special reduced subscriptions for Hansard Society
subscription members cost £26 a year (UK),
€39 (Europe), US$52 (rest of the world).