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Introduction

A common view of politics, from those outside it, is that it is a dirty game, and it has very little to do with the real world.  In response, we can note that it is only as dirty as we allow it to be; and, while the power of politicians is limited, they can still make decisions which change our futures - for good or bad - so completely ignoring politics is probably an unwise decision.

When we look at politics, it is hard to separate the challenges from the solutions.  Many people distrust politicians and look down on the activity of politics, but - whatever our feelings about it - politics is the only tool we have for reshaping society.  Even a successful armed rebellion (and there are very few of these) does not reshape society: it merely replaces someone at the top with someone else.  Creating a better world - even just creating a different world - is always a political activity.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” [1]

“The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men” [2]

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Democracy is under attack, both from above and from below.

From below, the people are increasingly disengaging with politics and disbelieving in democracy.  This is an inherent danger, baked into the nature of democracy through the way people are built, but it is also a consequence of some deliberate attacks on democracy as a system by people who want to exercise control which, in theory at least, they are currently denied.

So, from above, some people with power and influence are spreading misinformation, preventing the system from delivering services the people need, and undermining the structures which democracy depends upon.  Ece Temelkuran, in her book 'Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century,' describes it well: "What once felt unthinkable or despicable gradually becomes normal. As the institutions that hold democracy together are quietly hollowed out and the very definition of democracy is rewritten as being simply majority rule, universal values — human dignity and the rule of law — are replaced with a fierce nationalism, a proud victimhood, and a rewriting of history."

One way to attack democracy is to demand that it delivers on promises it never made - which is quite easy, because most people do not understand what democracy was designed to deliver.  Another is to ensure that the elected government does not represent the people.  These first few articles directly address these concerns.

Democracy: An Introduction.  We tend to understand democracy as a system in which ‘the people’ are allowed to vote to elect their government, but voting is only useful in a certain kind of society. So what else is needed?  If you want a democracy in which the votes of the people are translated into a real choice of government, then you need several robust structures within your society, and these structures need to operate within a few basic principles. It’s not a trivial challenge.

Electoral Reform.  Since 1985, voter turnout has been reducing, not just in the UK but across most democratic countries. And, increasingly, the poor are more disengaged than the rich: in 1987, the difference was 4%; by 2010 the difference had risen to 23%, and is likely to have grown since then; similarly, young people are increasingly less likely to vote than older people.  Many people feel there is no point in voting, because 'nothing changes' - nothing important. Which is not surprising, because the system we have is designed to resist change. By definition, the current system works for the groups which get power through using it, and they intend to keep that power.  Almost all those with power support the status quo - after all, those who have power gained their power within the current system, and they are unlikely to want to change the system which gave them success.

Voting Systems.  There is no perfect voting system.  Whatever system you use, there can be situations where the system delivers the wrong result, according to some fairly obvious criteria for a fair system – and this has been mathematically demonstrated.  But this does not mean that all voting systems are equally bad: some wrong results are much more likely than others, and the fact that no system is perfect should not stop us from using the best system available.

Petition to Parliament.  This is one simple and almost cost-free way to improve voter engagement.

The next few articles are about politics in general - understanding it, and engaging with it.

Politics: Some underlying Issues.  Engagement in party politics is difficult for many people, in part because each party has some policies you like and some you dislike: sometimes there is one major issue which outweighs all the others, but at other times it may be a question of choosing the party which you most agree with.  There are many issues which underly our political debates and decisions, which are rarely acknowledged in the debates. 

Politics: Can You Retain Your Integrity?  Another reason why party politics is difficult for many people, is that it is deeply tribal: party members are supposed to support their party and oppose the other parties, partly because (it is assumed) they agree with their party's position, and partly out of basic loyalty.  Until you are within such a tribe, it can be very difficult to imagine yourself behaving in such a way. From the outside it can often look very petty, while on the inside it can feel deeply important (we are under attack!), and the tribal behaviour of all the parties can look very unattractive from the outside.  Our political parties are deeply flawed institutions, but they are still the only legal tools we have if we want to change society; and while we can criticize them from the outside, the most effective way to make them less flawed is from the inside.

The Plan and Starting to Unpack the Plan.  Party politics is difficult, but perhaps the best way forward is to start a new party?  It might be easier than choosing an existing one and trying to reform it.

What Controls the World?  You can stop worrying about the danger of Artificial Intelligence taking over the world: it has already happened. The world is run by organizations - businesses, multinational corporations - which operate according to their own systems and logic. Many of them are legally people but, despite the many people working within them, they are - quite literally - not human. They are inhuman creatures, entities which we have created but cannot control, and they run the world.

Brexit: Understanding What Happened.  Brexit is possibly the most divisive political event in the history of the UK. The fallout from Brexit has left almost everybody hurt and feeling cheated. This is an attempt to understand how we achieved such an unhappy outcome. If we can agree about what happened, perhaps this will help us find a way forward.

Universal Basic Income.  A central part of politics is economics.  Among the solutions to our problems here is Universal Basic Income, or 'UBI', which is an important part of the Post Scarcity movement seeking to change our mindset and behaviour (also see the Vox article, A utopian strand of economic thought is making a surprising comeback).

Power over People.  Where does power lie in the modern world? We need to know. Quite often, we need to know in order to survive, to navigate the ever-changing challenges life throws at us. And we need to know if we want to change the world, to make it a better place.

Lastly, Tony Benn gave us some pithy advice: when you meet a powerful person... ask them five questions: "What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests do you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? And how can we get rid of you?"

Notes

(Note 1) This quote is usually attributed to Edmund Burke, but is more probably derived from John Stuart Mill's 1867 address at the University of St. Andrews.

(Note 2) This is the usual form of the quote from Plato, The Republic, Book I. Another translation says, "Now the worst part of the punishment is that he who refuses to rule is liable to be ruled by one who is worse than himself."