blogging

Yes, totally crazy.

I've blogged on this today: http://blogs.amnesty.org.uk...

"Brits turned off by politics" has been a familiar headline for at least twenty years, well before the blogs and even the internet.

Most thoughtful observers though soon come to the conclusion that it is politicians and not politics that are the turn off as single-issue politics and activism are more alive than ever.

Well, if people are political (caring about the environment, the war in Iraq, human rights etc) but not party political, what should we do? Organisations like the BBC have tried and failed to reinvent the political show and done much soul searching in this area. Their efforts led to community actions sites like Ican that failed. Others like theyworkforyou (MySociety) have done better but are still a niche interest.

We are talking about this again right now because of the extraordinary scenes in the US election. What is interesting about the US is the number of people who had never voted before because they felt they did not have a politician they could believe in. Many of us, if we are honest, have never cast a vote for a politician we wholly believe in. We dispatch our democratic right and duty for the least bad option.

Instead of blaming the media, politicians should look at themselves. If they are cynical, tired, compromised and out of touch, then the lack of enthusiasm they muster in the public will reflect that.

The election of Obama has nailed the lie that somehow it is the public's or even the media's fault that people are fed up with politics. In the most corrosive blogosphere of all, with the most right wing press, a left-leaning leader captured the heart of the American people because of the nature of his character not the competence of his spin doctors.

If we are to believe in politics and politicians again, we need better politicians with courage and decency: who put human rights before political expediency, the state of the planet before the plans of the state and the needs of the poor and the vulnerable over the privileges of the few.

Well, my tuppenceworth....And it may sound personal! I've never been a favourite of Blears because she is never independantly minded, but always "on message". Any criticism of Blair and the government was met with her usual "we are great, we have been great, we will continue to be great" response and she often managed to successfully avoid the actual question. It is no suprise she dislikes critical bloggers therefore - they are simply wrong, she and her masters are clearly right.

She's criticising the fall in UK electoral turnout - and studiously is ignoring the tiredness the pubic feels over 80's & 90's Tory sleaze, 90's & Naughties New Labour spinning and other general political shenanigans. It does not appear to be politicians fault does it! And of course there is no cynicism from herself is there....like leaking the whole text of her forthcoming seech to ensure getting some early headlines. That behaviour appears to be in her "acceptable behaviour" range.

Tsk tsk. Tiresome hypocrisy I'm afraid.