good for politics?

Since the General Election, I have been asked on many occasions, "Do you think the coalition has been good for British Politics"?

The answer, I have to confess is yes, its good for British Politics, but I have to ask the question, Is it good for democracy?

The answer to that I am afraid is No...

I don't think it is a good move for democracy, in the same vein that I thought the hung parliament, although being good for British politics, was a bad thing for british democracy.

I woke up, early on May 7th 2010, I had an assignment to get into University, but before I left, my brother, a first time voter and coincidentally a newly reformed Conservative voter after making a bad choice in the 09 Euro's, got up and said; "well, who won?"

That could not have been a more open ended question, if he had tried...

My answer was; "that depends on whether you're asking: A) Who got the most votes, and therefore won the election; OR B) Who won the right to govern.

He said, "is that not the same thing"?

After I had explained, he said, that it proved that politics was and is a waste of time, as the party you vote for, wins the election but still doesn't win power.

Therefore, the hung parliament and the current system, is disengaging towards first time voters and anybody on the outside of the political game.

The coalition, in this case, provides the answer but not the solution to this disengagement. It allows the Party who clearly had a large majority in the election, in fact only 13 seats away from holding a mandate to govern, to do exactly that, whilst also giving the Liberal Democrats a shot at influencing policy and government. But it is my personal belief that the coalition is bad for democracy.

Another question that I am asked is: "Were the televised debates good for politics"?

Again the answer is Yes, they were good for politics, but not for democracy.

They may work in a presidential election, where the president may differ in ideology from the senate, etc. but essentially, we vote in this country for a political party, with set values and little room for movement in ideology and Any differing ideology will be detailed in the manifesto. Therefore, the televised debate becomes nothing but a charisma test.

So for the little addition of a few younger voters, they are a superfluous addition to the media circus.