articul8
Dishonest sociopath
I posted this on the announcements forum, but since I thought (hoped!) it might generate some debate thought I'd post it here too.
Making Votes Count Against the Far Right
Sponsored by Make Votes Count and Compass
Speakers: Billy Bragg, Jon Cruddas MP (tbc), Nick Lowles (Editor, Searchlight), Mick Rix (GMB), Cllr. Patrick Vernon (Labour group, Hackney), Emily Georghiou (Chair).
Wednesday 28th March, 2007, 7.30pm
Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, Westminster.
see http://www.makemyvotecount.org.uk
[email protected]
Voters are increasingly feeling cheated by the political system. All the major parties know that the outcome of a general election turns on a small number of swing voters in the key “middle England” marginals. Policy-making and political campaigning is almost entirely geared around to the unrepresentative few, whilst the majority of voters who live in ‘safe’ seats find they are practically ignored by the decision makers. Disillusionment with our political leaders means that local parties have become hollowed-out shells. What little contact they have with voters now comes through national call-centres or central mail-outs.
As parties rush to the over-crowded ‘centre-ground’, their core supporters are left feeling angry and disenfranchised. This sense of powerlessness and alienation creates a vacuum into which extreme and racist parties such as the BNP are able to move and pose as the voice of forgotten local communities.
To defeat the forces of the far right and combat racist hatred, we need to build a positive alternative which gives communities a real voice. Whilst they might not figure in the agendas of spin doctors and opinion pollsters, issues like social housing, job security and local services are critical to the quality of life in towns and cites across the country. We need to build a better, more democratic political culture which takes seriously the genuine anxieties of local communities without pandering to racism.
This meeting aims to open up a debate about how we might rebuild confidence in our politics by restoring and extending democracy, and in doing so, marginalize racist parties of the far right.
• How might we rebuild our political structures so that they begin to deliver for voters who now feel completely neglected?
• Can we make sure that a flawed voting system does not see racist extremists elected on a minority of the votes, because the democratic opposition is split between rival candidates?
• Is it possible to re-balance the system so that parties are rewarded for seeking the votes of every voter in every area of the country, and ensure that voters feel that their concerns are being listened to?
Making Votes Count Against the Far Right
Sponsored by Make Votes Count and Compass
Speakers: Billy Bragg, Jon Cruddas MP (tbc), Nick Lowles (Editor, Searchlight), Mick Rix (GMB), Cllr. Patrick Vernon (Labour group, Hackney), Emily Georghiou (Chair).
Wednesday 28th March, 2007, 7.30pm
Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, Westminster.
see http://www.makemyvotecount.org.uk
[email protected]
Voters are increasingly feeling cheated by the political system. All the major parties know that the outcome of a general election turns on a small number of swing voters in the key “middle England” marginals. Policy-making and political campaigning is almost entirely geared around to the unrepresentative few, whilst the majority of voters who live in ‘safe’ seats find they are practically ignored by the decision makers. Disillusionment with our political leaders means that local parties have become hollowed-out shells. What little contact they have with voters now comes through national call-centres or central mail-outs.
As parties rush to the over-crowded ‘centre-ground’, their core supporters are left feeling angry and disenfranchised. This sense of powerlessness and alienation creates a vacuum into which extreme and racist parties such as the BNP are able to move and pose as the voice of forgotten local communities.
To defeat the forces of the far right and combat racist hatred, we need to build a positive alternative which gives communities a real voice. Whilst they might not figure in the agendas of spin doctors and opinion pollsters, issues like social housing, job security and local services are critical to the quality of life in towns and cites across the country. We need to build a better, more democratic political culture which takes seriously the genuine anxieties of local communities without pandering to racism.
This meeting aims to open up a debate about how we might rebuild confidence in our politics by restoring and extending democracy, and in doing so, marginalize racist parties of the far right.
• How might we rebuild our political structures so that they begin to deliver for voters who now feel completely neglected?
• Can we make sure that a flawed voting system does not see racist extremists elected on a minority of the votes, because the democratic opposition is split between rival candidates?
• Is it possible to re-balance the system so that parties are rewarded for seeking the votes of every voter in every area of the country, and ensure that voters feel that their concerns are being listened to?
