Peter Bennett-Jones talks Open Primaries
Over the weekend, the Guardian’s Comment is Free published a piece by Peter Bennett-Jones on why he backs the Open Up campaign, and how comedy (of the sort employed in the Open Up videos) can lead to public engagement and real change.
Peter is chair of Comic Relief. He writes:
“When Comic Relief was started in the 1980s, it faced similar challenges about engaging people. People knew and were moved by the heart-breaking effect desperate poverty and environmental challenges were having on their fellow men and women at home and abroad. They saw it, in some form or another, every day on the news. But they felt powerless as individuals to change the situation. Back then, people questioned the juxtaposition of comedy with serious issues, the seamless televisual segue from stand-up to starvation. But experience has shown that, done right, the power of entertainment to engage people to think deeper about issues that are of common concern and to act in concert to address them can work and work well. Comic Relief has played a vital part in changing the attitude of a generation towards their own ability to change their world.
The Open Up campaign hopes to harness this power once again.”
1Edward Devoy
wrote on 19 November 2009 at 16:43
Edward and Tony Devoy
It’s Democracy Jim but not as we know it.
Changing politics for the better for we the people:
How about having true Democracy at the next election, and have our politicians act on behalf of we the people.
Our elected representatives MP’s and Local Authorities actually working for the benefit and at the behest of we the people. As Democracy intended, For the people by the people.
Through a web presence individual citizens could put forward ideas to improve life for all citizens at local and national level.
For instance, on a local level, if someone was to suggest that Council tax should be halved to bring it to a reasonable level, we the people would vote and if the vote was unanimous, As representatives of we the people Our elected MP’s would canvass the local authority to act on the will of the people and would name and shame any elected councillor or civil servant acting against the will of we the people. The people working in opposition to we the people would by consensus of the people be removed from their positions.
After all he who pays the piper should call the tune.
Unlike at present where the Council dictate often in an oppressive manner to we the people.
We will put the power where it should be, in the hands of we the people.
We would now have an actual civil service instead of the uncivil dictators we now have.
On a National level, if someone was to put forward abolition of the TV licence fee. If the vote was unanimous. Our elected MP’s would canvas Parliament to carry out the wishes of we the people, if Parliament was to refuse, our elected MP’s would then start a nationwide campaign if enough votes were cast and Parliament made the decision not to act, Our MP’s would then call for civil disobedience on the basis that the Government of the day was acting against the will of we the people.
In a true Democracy Government is by the people for the people.
At all times people would be able to vote for or against changes of these sorts and would be able to put forward their own ideas, we the people would have what we have never had in this Country, Democracy.
This would I am sure cause many problems in the political arena in the short term, but nothing that could not be sorted.
It would empower we the people.
Those who now feel disaffected and those who suffer from political apathy would now have a voice, they would not feel their vote was a wasted vote.
It would breathe new life into the political strata of life and politics would no longer be the preserve of the elite for their own benefit to the detriment of we the people.
It is time to take away the power of politics from the politicians and give it to the people to whom it belongs.
Re Council Tax: Our personal thought is that the council tax should be much lower than half.
Re The Licence Fee, we believe it should be abolished but are not averse to providing money from general taxation, while working towards self sufficiency.