Wednesday 21st February 2007, 15:54Local Democracy (Poland Vs UK)Local Democracy
Well you would think we had a lot to teach people in ex communist countries about how democracy works wouldn’t you?
Last week I had the chance to meet Barbara Imiolczyk who is the President of the Executive Committee for the “Foundation in Support of Local Democracy”. This organisation was set up in 1992 and has been implementing assistance for countries undergoing systematic transformation i.e. ex communist European countries.
They work at a local level to ensure the benefits of democracy, something that they fought very hard to get, are not lost. Their work is an inspiration to me, as I was lucky enough to be born into a democracy.
However, it made me think about our lives in the UK, where unfortunately it is easy to take democracy for granted. In fact when I worked in Liverpool it was shocking to see local councillors elected with only a 3% turnout at local elections. So if the winning candidate secures victory with 40% of the vote it means that perhaps only 1.2% of the vote actually voted for the winner. On that basis an elected councillor can hardly protest they have a “mandate” to govern nor can the eligible electorate complain or protest that they get poor representation.
So many young people in the UK struggle to see the significance of the election process and choose not to use their vote. Is it complacency or is it a lack of motivation based on the candidates. Do we need a crisis to feel the urge to get involved? With so much at stake, the environment, child poverty, the health service, nuclear power and trident, surely we must engage in the agenda of our nation. A4e plays its part in reengaging lost souls in lost communities and helping them regain a sense of choice having been lost in a world of dependence. We can perhaps also seek to better play our part in ensuring they are aware of their rights and responsibilities to engage and demand more from our democracy.
So with our democracy in the UK drifting into an abyss, unloved by an electorate that fails to see how their vote can count or perhaps they fail to see value in the politicians who come up for election. We too perhaps could take a few lessons from the wonderful team in Poland who everyday seek to ensure that democracy is alive and effective at a local level.
Perhaps it is us complacent voters in the UK who have more to learn about democracy from a generation who had to fight for the right to vote and choose those who govern.
I am looking forward to working with Barbara and her team in the future on many projects throughout Poland. Who knows one day maybe we can tempt them to help us work in some of our lost communities and estates and bring back the power to our people.
Thanks
Roy Newey
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