38 Degrees – Prime conditions for Zombies…
Transcript: It is marvellous how the right hon. Gentleman repeats his soundbite every time he discusses the NHS. I have to tell him that he is wrong. He knows that the NHS has to evolve. He knows that we have to improve and enhance patient care. I think he does himself a disservice by simply joining the ranks of organisations such as 38 Degrees, which is frightening people and getting them, almost zombie-like, to send in e-mails.
I was very shocked to find that Mr Simon Burns MP for Chelmsford, whom I have met and who is the MP for the constituency in which my secondary school is situated has called those members of the public who support the work of the organisation 38 Degrees, zombies. This is an organisation which has facilitated and encourage members of the public to take an active and direct role in the democracy of our country.
What is most surprising is that the Health Secretary is eager to make changes ”to put the entire NHS truly on the side of patients and the doctors and nurses who care for them” (article) .
Indeed Mr Burns stated that it was necessary to ”put patients at the centre of patient care, empowering them with greater transparency and information so that they can choose the very best care” (speech to Conservative Party Conference 6th October ’11). This indicates that Mr Burns thinks citizens are able to make their own informed choices, and this is a key motivation behind these reforms, yet when he mentioned those citizens who made a decision to support a 38 Degrees campaign and appeal to their political representatives he referred to people as acting ‘zombie-like’ . Well, Mr Burns, make your mind up please, which is it? Citizens can either make their minds up or they can’t.
Whilst, I am discussing this issue, regarding the reforms themselves, I think that whilst reform is necessary, it is very clear that there are major concerns with these plans, in particular from the professionals. Therefore, I am sceptical and feel that the added circumstance that the Bill has been rushed through Parliament and doesn’t seem to have solved the or adequately addressed issues raised in professional’s and patient’s concerns. (article, article) Therefore, I feel that the NHS is under threat and this recent outburst from Mr Burns which was unnecessary suggests that the government is on the back foot on this issue.
This outburst is made all the more perplexing as it is clearly shows disregard for a principle of a participatory democracy and the ability of individuals to participate in their democracy directly. Also, during our Q&A session with Mr Burns during his visit for a Politics enrichment session in AS Politics he was asked a question about the doctrine of Fukuyama and principles of democracy, and I remember that Mr Burns in his response was very quick to express his strong belief in the principle of democracy, yet he shows so little regard for it and seems to forget that the role of MPs is to represent the concerns of constituents, if he doesn’t want to do that maybe he should switch with one of the millions of unemployed?Furthermore, whilst MPs are keen to pander to the whims of international business, large donors and other influential figures, when citizens unite as one they are ‘zombie-like’ and they should be disregarded? Sounds like one rule for them and another for the rest of us…
And as for responses to Occupy and Protest movements across the world which clearly show disregard for liberal democratic principles… you’ll have to wait for another post to see my rant on that!!
This article was featured on a list on the 38 Degrees Website of Media Coverage on this event (http://www.38degrees.org.uk/pages/media-coverage/)
If 38 Degrees were qualified to stand on a policy platform, it could actually stand for parliament and participate in a representative democracy. As it is, it prefers the role of opposition so it doesn’t have to account for itself or invent genuine policies: it is the voice of “no, no, no”. I think it would be dangerous to lend too much weight to such a reactionary organisation, and it’s really dangerous to confuse the ideas of protest and democracy.
Don’t get caught up in this whole “democracy is a good thing” business. The reason it was only revived three hundred years ago after an absence of around two thousand years is because of drawbacks like popularism. People have a right to protest, and parliament has a right to ignore them by citing qualification, sovergienty, and a democratic mandate, which is as it should be.
As John Stuart Mill discribed, principles are not the same as justifications, which must stand on a foundation of utility (the main mistake he made was mistaking happiness for the sole virtue, which he later rectified). John Locke comes much closer the mark when he writes about checks and balances, of which voting and the franchise constitute an incentive to good government. If the minister alienates the populus, he and his party will pay for it next election: but for now, they represent their constituent’s interests the best they can.
I think your point about 38 Degrees being qualified to stand on a policy platform is all very well, but my point is that why should politicians pander to the whims of large international corporations and elite groups in society, yet when there is a large group of the population who are becoming active to get a point across to their representatives in Parliament then they are dismissed as ‘zombie-like’.
Furthermore, I am not confusing the ideas of protest and democracy – 38 Degrees is an example of people becoming actively involved in our democracy through directly contacting their representatives in parliament.
I strongly disagree, democracy is a good thing as long as it is done properly, at the moment it isn’t because the average person on the street has no influence whatsoever on policy or who is running the country. People have a right to protest as you say, and parliament does indeed have a right to ignore them, however, is it really appropriate for a government minister to dismiss them as ‘zombies’ clearly showing disregard for a principle of democracy that they have the right to lobby their MP – after all no-one shouts louder about the strengths and values of democracy (particularly when they go off fighting some form of war in another country). Also, though parliament may choose to ignore those who protest or lobby against government policy, I would refute your point that they have a democratic mandate – only 38% of the eligible voting population in the UK actually voted for one of the parties in the coalition government. And as for ‘qualification’, I presume you insinuate that they are best qualified to take on that role and make those decisions? I would entirely disagree, whilst some of them have pasts which have seen them gain experience in specialist areas, the majority are career politicians and many of them are isolated from the concerns, worries and experiences of average, everyday citizens.
Yes, I agree voting is a check on government and an incentive to good government, you forget that petitions, lobbying and protest are all aspects of holding government to account and getting your voice heard.
Thanks for your comment anyway, perhaps we will have to agree to disagree!
Elites are elites for a reason: that reason is that they are elite. They also have a great deal of power, which means they have a great deal of responsibility. Government can only protect the needs of the many by coorperating with the needs of the few to safeguard the long-term interests of the nation as a whole. That is to say, employers won’t employ people if they feel neglected, and as citizen’s votes usually depend on their economic stability, it is in the interests of everyone to work with business rather than against it, which results in a huge loss of wealth for masses of workers, not just CEOs.
Active citizens are within their rights, but shouldn’t assume that because they are observable that they are majoritive, or that “majoritive” even constitutes qualified. As I have said before, 38 Degrees is a reactionary force whose interests are not based on envisioning any kind of change or future, but on keeping things the same. Government cannot keep things the same: change is constant and that means difficult but fair decisions have to be made about what needs to stay, what needs to go, and what needs to be reformed. Government and protest are not the same.
It is appropriate for the minister to behave however he believes it is appropriate for him to behave. It is also appropriate for voters to vote whichever way they believe it is appropriate to vote. In the long term, I think his remarks are insignificant, whether he is right or wrong.
As it is, recieving tens of thousands of indentikit emails does give one the impression of zombie lobbyists. The critique he is making is not that they have decided to lobby, but they have decided to lobby in spite of a complete lack of research and over-reliance on a single source of information: the 38 Degrees website. He is not opposed to lobbying in principle, he is opposed to the 38 Degrees website reducing very intricate and nuanced legislation into “our NHS is being detroyed”. That’s why he lays the emphasis on the organisation frightening people into sending in emails, not on that people choose to send emails at all.
That 38% of the eligable population voted for the present adminstraition is irrelevent: that’s still more than the proportion which voted for any other option. Those who abstained from the vote knew that their lack of vote was a statement of apathy: their opinion matters neither one way nor the other. While I believe the current arrangement of elections is insufficient, by being a voter I consent to its supremacy: I also voted for a reformist party, to demonstrate my malcontent.
Career politicians are still better qualified than a man on the street. Career politicians have a working understanding of political economy, whereas the man on the street holds less than 5 A*-C GCSEs including maths and english and, when confronted with a question on UK membership in the EU, bangs the table rhythmically before yelling “England.” The concerns of everyday citizens extend to whether or not there will be bread and jam tomorrow: politicians, or more specifically, cabinet ministers are better placed to make these decisions because of their being elites endowed with education, experience, and expertise.
At no point do I say that it is outside of anyone’s rights to protest, lobby, or petition government. I do say the government is much more nuanced than people realise, and organisations like Occupy and 38 Degrees do tend to oversimplify things. The minister is not wrong to dismiss them.