Green Action August Comment: Whose Democracy?

In a democratic society any government should be judged by both how it has deepened and enhanced democracy, and by the quality of life it leaves for future generations. On these two criteria our recent politicians do not have much to be proud of. In my view, they have been short-sighted, especially (though not exclusively) by the way they have failed to recognise and act urgently to address climate change, and by the way our (albeit immature) democratic processes have been eroded.

More and more powers have been removed from the English regions and from local authorities, at a time when budgets have been slashed by the national parliament. The ability of local people to determine their own affairs has been eroded by a relaxation of the Town and Country Planning Act and by decreasing resources for local councils. In spite of all the rhetoric about Localism, while centralised economic forces dominate, local communities will have little say.

This has been exacerbated by two other factors. The first is the decline in public confidence in decision making. The so-called ‘democratic deficit’ is furthered by a cynical media and by politicians at all levels securing vested interests rather than furthering the common good. In the Devon County Council elections in May 2013, the Tories won 6% of the population’s support (12% of the electorate). Hardly a strong public endorsement for an authority with an annual budget of over £507 million. These kinds of figures really beg the question of whether we live in a democracy at all.

Which leads to the second feature of modern politics – the de-regulation of control in order to open up (public) services to private agencies. The financial argument, which is part of a neo-liberal ideological agenda, is that private companies will bring new investment and interest and provide a better deal than their public counterparts. In reality this has yet to become real particularly for many vulnerable people and places as the consequences can also be budget-reductions, cutting corners, poor quality contracts, corruption and unreliable delivery. They may not even reduce public spending – witness a privatised rail industry with more public subsidy now than when it was nationalised, and the need to bail out the commercial Banks in 2008.

But what is sure is that there is much less direct governance and the longer-term decisions more likely to be taken in remote board rooms rather than Westminster or County/City Hall.

All these push us to ask what kind of country do we want to live in and who do we want to run it? The answer at the moment points to less accountability and less control by the general population than 10-30 yeas ago, and that cannot be helpful in promoting the Democracy that some of us still think is important.

August Comment 2013