Mario Creatura: Can politics EVER be cool?

There is a buzz of energy running through Conservative activists in the run up to the party conference, something that I can’t put our finger on, but it’s there. Has politics finally started to be ‘cool’?

It isn’t as simple as labeling it as ‘engagement strategy’. Hansard’s Dr Ruth Fox recently summarised that ‘we are in a period of great media criticism of politicians and of parliaments, with declining participation, lower levels of party political membership and low levels of trust and confidence in those that govern us.’ What can we do to make the process more interesting to the Average Joe?

Media criticism being at an all time high, she says? Bring it on, say I. The spending review is on the horizon, and with it we will see a flourish of unavoidable commentary. To be actively apathetic; to defend your right not to vote cannot be a default position. It is a choice. If this is the case then people can change their mind. Being ‘cool’ or charismatic may help – but only if the public at large care about the issues being touted by their representatives.

So it must be a matter of communication skills. US journo Sheila Liaugminas sums up perfectly: ‘the best politicians are like magnets below a piece of paper, invisibly aligning iron filings into a new pattern of their making.’ Anyone can get experts to produce policy papers. The trick is to forge consensus among the people to get those policies accepted nationally. It seems that to be cool, politicians require gravitas or even celebrity.

Boris Johnson has an amazing approval rating of 55%, largely attributed to his general cuddly appeal. But his brand is everywhere – Boris’ Bikes are clearly visible around central London and cannot be ignored even by the most blinkered passer by. Constant affirmation that, like it or not, he is the Mayor and he is having a very real and visible impact on London.

Brand and celebrity is actively encourage in the Indian Lok Sabha elections, where money is invested in general political advertising and assumes blockbuster proportions. American’s also roundly expect their celebrity role models to pick a side. This must be encouraged in the UK. Not to dumb down, but to improve access.

Parliament is starting to evolve its behaviour. During his first year in office, Speaker Bercow granted 25 urgent questions, in stark contrast to Michael Martin who only granted two in his last year. The ethos of debate and inquisition is being newly cultivated amongst MPs; with one anonymous source saying that “it is now possible to talk publicly about policy differences within one’s own party.”

Reversing the dangerous trend of ignoring the people outside of elections must also start now. MP’s and activists should all be out not to win elections (yet), but to talk to their people and help them. The people need personalised evidence before we lose them forever.

Politics may not be able to be ‘cool’, but it can use such a wide variety of tools to lower the drawbridge to the ivory tower and convince the populace that politics isn’t just for the Oxbridge elites – but for everyone.

Posted by Administrator on behalf of Mario Creatura, who you can find on Twitter or his personal website

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1. Should we do politics?
2. Can we be the Apple of politics?
3. Applying the “politics of and” within as well as between policy areas