We're listening . . .

More on what our next government aims to offer (aside from a new president). The Labour event last week, according to party sources was a ‘retail offer’ of pledges. I hope this doesn’t mean that Labour’s next manifesto title is going to be ‘When it’s gone, it’s gone’ (the sort of thing Liam Byrne might say)! The philosophy behind a party which describes its proposals as a ‘retail offer’ is of course that we are now to be recognised more as consumers than citizens, and whilst there’s nothing new in that concept (political marketing even in the late 1950s was decried for equating the appeal of political parties with washing powder adverts) we are now, through data collection and analysis turned into mere individual constructs allegedly susceptible to specific political approaches. We are, in other words a million miles away from an overarching appeal to our collective civic consciousness (that’s something which the current government has in particular sought to stamp on if it leads to any expression of protest). Labour's leadership faction is fearful of empowered citizenry, which it equates with Corbynism and some Marxist version of the working class. It prefers a version of an empowered consumer, who with the help of Ofcom, Ofwat, Ofgen and the like will guide us through the maze of terms and conditions which we never read to some kind of measly recompense when we discover that we have been treated like shite. I don’t want to over-egg this train of thought (yes I do) but consider the new democracy of feedback. Every time you buy something, and foolishly leave your email address you receive a survey asking for your reaction to your purchase. Did it go well? What did you like? What didn’t you like? Why didn’t you like XXX (within 200 characters please)? Your opinion matters to us! Interspersed in all this techno-so-called-we’re-listening-crap, every four years or so comes along a ballot where all you have to do is put a single cross on a piece of paper and be told ‘hey presto!’

Not anymore—Labour’s doorstep approach is now designed to ape the corporate ‘we’re interested in your concerns’ appeal. The danger in this is exactly what generally strikes me as being a big flaw in e.g. Trip Advisor reviews. You—the potential customer- would love to know whether what’s on offer is any good. You read the reviews and find that (with some exceptions) the reviews are contradictory. What some like others hate. The same is true in politics, so what is the result of a ‘we’re listening’ exercise? We’ll do what we want anyway, because we listened. I remember x-number of ‘Big Conversations’ all parties have launched in the last 40 years and I don’t believe any of them changed anything on offer. But since nobody knows your data, you can blithely tell us ‘it’s what the people want.’ The Tories use this phrase all the time to justify their Rwanda refugees policy. But what was the question? Was it do you want to send 2% of refugees to Rwanda at £1million per head?

Another question regards leadership. Apparently, some people loved Thatcher because she was a singularly driven politician who knew what she believed in and was prepared to thrash all opposition to get it. People like strong leaders. On the other hand, no we don’t! We want listening leaders, leaders who draw us into the conversation, who trim and compromise after digesting all our divergent views. So what we actually end up with is something of the former dressed up in the façade of the latter. This is a real conundrum of course, and I don’t see any resolution of these conflicting demands so long as we have a fascination with presidential style personality politics. At the moment, therefore, ‘my guy’ is somebody who boasts of ‘My’ Labour Party,’ which ‘I changed.’ A hero who took ‘tough’ decisions but who in office will do no more than dress his establishment credentials in the livery of a slightly more pastel pink shade of status quo. I hope what I have blogged today makes sense, but to be sure I think I need to employ Survey Monkey (other brands available) to ensure YOU are empowered. Here at the Normal Service is Resumed blog this process is known as Corporate Mulch. It feeds the bonuses (ha!).