Political change is hard work

One word that keeps cropping up in the political narrative, especially when elections are held, is “change”. Many want change in the way their country is run so they can feel better. However, change rarely happens because those who want change want others to change but resent being told they also must change if things are to improve.

The recent elections in the UK and France have shown how ordinary people express dissatisfaction with how their country is run. Opposition parties aspiring to be the next government promise change but are often vague on defining the changes they want and who will be the winners and losers in the process. Governing parties claim they have the solution to ordinary people’s problems and promise to make small tweaks to please the electorate.

Political analysts’ interpretation of why the French and the British voted in the way they did followed the outdated logic of left-versus-right ideology. Nothing could be further from the reality that only those with a genuine understanding of why so many ordinary people are angry and frustrated.

The recent elections in Europe, including that of the European Parliament, confirm that the political landscape is changing fast. The left-versus-right debate is just an old-fashioned interpretation of what political labels represent. The reality is that more people are becoming anti-politicians.

In the UK, only 20 per cent of the electorate voted for the new Labour government. Many wanted change but could not identify with any of the contenders for power. They were fed up with the status quo eroding their quality of life, and a relative majority saw Labour as the best option for change.

Why are politics so hard? Put simply, politics are hard because people are hard. People are hard because unconscious forces unknowingly drive them. Unconscious forces are at play in all human interactions. The opportunity for change in leadership sheds light on people’s anxieties. In election periods, we get a chance to look at ordinary people’s struggles regarding finances, health, education, race and cultural relations, human rights and quality of life, among other things.

Many are angry at the way politics is managed today. They perceive politics as divisive, explosive, and often unproductive. We have more anger about inequality and resent the self-serving model that defines many politicians’ behaviour.

The recent elections in Europe, including that of the European Parliament, confirm that the political landscape is changing fast

There is a big problem with the fact that people are often elected for four or five years. They have their own agenda. They want to be remembered for something that frequently does not match up with what needs to be done in the long term to improve people’s lives. 

Some idealists aspire to change the party they support by working within the system. Very few succeed because change rarely comes from the top. Change usually happens when grassroot movements come together, pushing action and putting pressure on the government.

Too often, the people in government are not necessarily connected to social movements. They are more connected to vested interests or business. This is why it is crucial to have a healthy civil society.

People sometimes talk about “change-makers” or inspirational individuals. But the reality is that grassroots change comes from many people through collective effort.

The neo-liberal economic thinking of the last 40 years is in crisis. Too many people in power are still wedded to an ideology that justifies inequality and corporate greed. Most traditional political parties want to project themselves as “business-friendly”. They have no qualms about treating labour as a commodity that can be hired and fired quickly. They only react to blatant abuse of people’s rights when civil society rebels. Others try to bribe the electorate with what a UK Conservative Party former chairman describes as “retail pre-election political goodies” that are no more than dishonest patronage.

The left and right political labels and their derivatives do not tell us much about our political leaders’ vision for our well-being. Europe’s political class has a severe image problem that can only be corrected in the eyes of an increasingly sceptical electorate when those aspiring for power define what they mean by change.

Many are shocked by the entitlement and the privilege and the money that many politicians have or aspire for. Some politicians still believe they were born to rule.

In a change programme, there will be winners and losers. Hiding this reality from the electorate will only lead to inertia, leading to more popular frustration.

Political change is always hard to define and even harder to implement.