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Young Europeans do not want political parties in their lives. Only 4 percent of young people (15-29 year olds) participate in a political party or trade union (on Euronews from Eurostat statistics). This is a clear figure of what young people want or do no want. Political party politicians and their acolytes would quickly blame the education system, capitalism, the television or even the Playstation for the lack of interest in politics of young people. They are blinded by their group thinking and narrow perspective of what politics is. Politics is not only, and not even mainly, about what political parties and their representatives (the so-called "politicians") do. This fact, many people, including young people, know very well. I recommend the party people to go one night around bars in any city or town in Europe, to listen to what people are talking about. They talk about politics beyond political parties and their captive public institutions. They will be surprised to hear that there is political life outside the party. For politics is mainly about people and what they do, and not about organisations of any kind. That is why we need to reform the system to give chances to those who want to talk and participate in politics, but do not want to be captive of an organisation that has its own interests, often different than the interests of the rest of us.
Given the oft-cited statistic that the number of self-described political independents in the U.S. is surging rapidly I would say that what is said in the quote above holds true for us here in the U.S. as well. Politics should be about people, their needs and solving problems. Not narrow partisan interests. Most people are wising up to that insight and would prefer a political system that is responsive to those needs.
Yes to people-centered participatory democracy and no to narrow partisanship!
4 comments:
If the political party system worked the way it is supposed to, parties ARE participatory democracy. A "party" originally is just a group of like-minded people who have banded together to work for common political and social goals.
To me, the narrow and myopic view of politics among professional politicians and media commentators in the US is revealed most clearly in statements like "that's just politics" in the sense of "playing politics," usually with the speaker pretending that his/her own, or some opposed position is somehow non-political. Indeed, an issue is basically considered non-political if a Democrat and Republican do not disagree on it. Maybe bi-partisan consensus is the limit of the political in the duopolist mentality.
Hi Anonymous: parties are only one aspect of participatory democracy. It is considered THE primary aspect of democracy in the US and most likely in many countries because it is through parties that the political process -- primarily elections -- is conducted. Personally I oppose (1) The idea that political parties are the only feasible vehicles that democratic participation can be expressed and citizens' energies channeled; (2) That political parties today are primarily about expressing citizen and people-centered perspectives.
On #1, there are existing efforts to get citizens involved in community decision-making that doesn't involve political parties. Examples are here and here. These efforts in my mind reflect a truer adherance to the ideals of democracy and participation than party politics.
On #2, most people criticize the major US political parties as being overly influenced by corporate interests and that money has a corrupting influence in our political culture. This has resulted in a political system that is inaccessible and in many ways incomprehensible to ordinary people.
Anon -- that's a very big "if"! But that's the pragmatic real-politic world we are dealing with. Have to get your hands dirty!
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