Originally posted by MrPresident
Currently all the major political parties are the same faceless politicans separate from their electorate in an undemocratic land with nothing original to say. We British are not apathetic, we just want something worth voting for.
This was my point. The catch 22 is that when we don't vote the politicians just shrug and say "They don't care, lets carry on as we are." Let's face it, they're doing their jobs for themselves and their interests, not ours. Somehow the message needs to get across that we are not just satisfied with the politicians, but with the system that allows politicians to be these faceless, distanced entities.
However the first thing beuracracy does is block as many avenues of comlaint as it can.
I was recently selected at random to fill in a government questionairre about the NHS. The questions were crafted so carefully that if you expressed dissatisfaction, then this would be directed not at the system but, personally, onto the GP, nurse, or doctor. However, if you expressed satisfaction, this would not only be attributed to the medical practitioner, but also to the system. This made objective criticism of the NHS system very difficult.
Hence, when the results are published later this year, Blair will announce that the NHS is succeeding.
The only way to protest is through demonstration - which is rarely taken to be an 'official' statement of opinion, but rather is denounced as the actions of an extremist minority. Both the teachers and police suffered this, this week. Yet all official means for teachers to complain about the system are either blocked, or practically ignored (3 members of my family are, or were teachers).
Okay, this may not be totaly on line with the thread's topic, but I just wanted to reply to Mr President's post.
Thanks for bearing with me!
On the subject of fighting for a cause, let's face it, times have changed since the days of revolutionism and protest.
I read in the paper today about the EU summit in Barcelona. Anti globalisation protesters are to be met by police armed with live ammunition as well as conventional riot guns. This is due not only to the hardcore (minority) of protestors, but to suggested fears of an Al-Qaeda attack. Okay, the fear is real, I don't deny this, but how long before all large scale demonstrations are seen to be potential gatherings of terrorists? Soon people protesting their causes like this may regard potential death as normal. And will there ever be such a thing as a truely peaceful protest, one that actually means something?
