August 20, 2017
Democracy in Practice
Posted in Civil Society, Politics of volunteering, Volunteering and Democracy tagged Advocacy, Civic engagement, Civil Society, social capital at 11:25 pm by Sue Hine
Election fever is gripping many New Zealanders at present. It’s our triennial opportunity to have a say on the sort of government we want, to chew over the range of policies on offer, to consider the calibre of potential parliamentary representatives.
This time round there is a deal of uncertainty about the outcome: a restlessness with current government, changes in leadership all round, and a new party working its way into the competition. The resurgence of interest in a General Election and voting this year is something I have not seen for more than three decades. No party is touting ‘Time for a Change’ as its slogan, but there is a significant shift in the wind.
The restlessness is not articulated. It’s a feeling like we, the community and our organisations, are sick of picking up the pieces the government is ignoring – impoverished kids going to school without food or adequate clothing, a housing crisis and homelessness, mental health services in disarray, domestic violence, pay equity for women. We are sick of doing protest marches, presenting petitions and making submissions to Select Committees that are never heeded. The people’s voice, that cornerstone of democracy, is being ignored. When we feel excluded from management of our collective affairs we do not bother to speak up about them: no wonder there is a decline in voter turnout – we are getting turned off democracy.
But this time round there are a number of writers and researchers spelling out what needs to change and how:
- The 21st century demands a different kind of government: more transparent, more fluid, more open to the direct participation of citizens, more strongly protected against vested interests. (http://www.goodsociety.nz/events/)
- Arguments for a basic income “could help build community in an age of individualism”.
- Victoria University (Wellington) held a week-long series of meetings on key issues facing democracy, attracting a significant representation from other generations, as well as students.
- Or this from a newspaper columnist: Kiwis deserve better than the rubbish policy ideas from our MPs. For too long now we’ve lived with incrementalism: small policy changes designed to avoid rocking the boat too much. … We could use some bold plans. Let’s hope the so-called ideas get better before election day.
It looks like there is an awakening, and not something spurred along by a bunch of political journalists who think they can steer voter opinion.
Of course election campaigns are also a big draw-card for volunteers, attracted by the opportunity to support a cause they believe in – just as they are motivated to join community organisations. Volunteers are the door-knockers and the leaflet-droppers, the people who stand at community market stalls, who put up the hoardings, who put out the chairs in the church halls and prepare the cups of tea. It’s great to see the enthusiasm and the dedication to the cause, whatever the political stripe. It’s another part of civil society, the linchpin of a democracy.
Civil society is the sum of all those associations, organisations and community collectives that foster our social well-being, our sense of belonging. Through their involvement in elections people are declaring in their own way what they want for themselves and their country. And using your right to vote could be the most important volunteer action you can ever make.
The truly distinctive feature of modern life – the one with which we lose touch at our peril – is neither the unattached individual nor the unconstrained state. It is what comes between them: society. More precisely, civil society. Tony Judt, When the Facts Change, p301
I shall be out of the country when the votes are counted, trusting an online submission (sent from an Asian outpost) will be included. Whatever the result, it’s the participation that matters, more important than who to vote for. That’s what democracy is all about.