Reclaiming Politics

Politicians. They're all the same.

I suspect a lot of us have been guilty of saying that at one time or another. But, of course, they're really not all the same at all.

Admittedly, the political system we've created in the UK can be creaky and individual politicians of all parties can, from time to time, reveal themselves to be less than admirable characters - in some cases downright despicable - but, in this, they don't, alas, differ greatly from the people they're supposed to be representing/serving.

It's a great source of frustration to me, too, that there's often a tendency by the bigger political parties to head for the 'safety' of the bland, indistinguishable, middle ground and for politicians to stay resolutely 'on message' when what the, frequently disillusioned, electorate wants are politicians who clearly have a passion for what they're doing, who seem to actually believe in something and who aren't afraid to speak their minds. Yes, this means that we have to suffer the abomination that is Nigel Farage but his unfortunate popularity (and, indeed, the popularity of people like Boris Johnson) also demonstrates the need to counteract their views with more plain speaking, conviction politics and passion on what we might still broadly call 'the left' - regardless of party affiliations.

I despair of the democratic deficit created by low voter turnout - Liverpool has a particularly woeful recent record in this respect - and I long for more people to engage with the political process both locally and nationally. I could weep when I recall what 'ordinary' people - and women in particular - went through to get the vote and the casual way in which that right has been squandered by so many because they don't feel that politics speaks to them or that politicians understand their lives.

But there is hope! Rachael O'Byrne is one of a group of Liverpool City Councillors who give me cause for optimism. She's a feminist, activist, woman of the people, Assistant Cabinet Member for Employment and Skills and, 3 years into her role as an elected member, she's still recovering from being told by members of the Youth Parliament that, at 26, she's no longer a 'young person'!

I chatted with her at the Town Hall today where we were both attending a 'civic welcome for inspirational women', many of whom I've met or worked with over the years but equally many of whom were new to me. I left the event feeling more strongly than ever that, as we gear up for the general election, we, in England at least, could do with more politicians like Rachael (both locally and nationally) if we're ever going to get people as engaged with politics as the recent referendum managed to achieve in Scotland.