Anti Politics in Britain

Gerry STROKER
Citizen are alienated in mainstream practices
Strong negative outlook and disengagement from institutions and practices politics, negative
attitude no involvement. Politics is viewed as the pursuit of an exclusive and disputable elite of
hypocrites and liars Ram 2006
1/5 fail vote in 1950 and in 2010, over a 1/3 crisis of politics and political culture
So the question of anti politics attitudes is placed on the political agenda of parties to convinced
people to have faith in politics
But what is the problem ? People have lost their faith in politics ? Or did they have never faith
in politics ?
1st part : identifying the symptoms of the problem, do we have an anti politics culture ?
Witch citizen is disengaging or participating ?
2nd part ; the core explanation :
anti politics emerges because citizens see themselves as powerless
other factors : Willingness to be involved, what is unpleasant in politics for citizens ? Real
Opportunity to understand politics for them ?
3rd part : consequence and solution of this problem. Political parties need to transform

Exploring the rise of anti politics

Evidence about attitude towards politics and practice in Britain. Sociological and economical
groups who are disadvantages have problems in engaging in politics
Long run evidence of negativity
Survey in 1959 = statistic show
a little part is disinteresting in politics (dont know the name of leaders or minister, never
discuss of politics,
and a big part do not trust in political promises
Almond and Verba suggests a disengagement from formal politics and cynicism about
politicians = not recent phenomenon
Disengagement : 1950-2010, knowledge and interest in politics not increased a lot. Ex: 1/ 10 in
the 2010 audit says he knows nothing in politics.
Cynism : deeply ingrained(enracin) in 2010 , level of scepticism about political promises (no
scepticism in 1950), lack of trust Ex: 60% think that politicians says the truth just sometimes.
Table 9.1 show the opinions about members of Parliament. Most of citizens viewed them as self
seeking money-grabber ( makes money by using public office improperly) and as lacking high
moral code ( sans code moraux). Bad vision of political members. Not everyone hates politics but
general feeling of anti politics in Britain. Ex1/10 apathetic and bored or alienated and hostile and a
quarter disengaged and distrustful = Negative view embedded (intgr) in Britain
Feeling of disempowerment in compare to 1950. Citizen think they have no more influence on
politics, drop of political efficacy, disengagement from active involvement in formal politics ( Ex:
membership of political party from : 3M to 1M in the first decade of the XX th century)= now lots
of inactive members

BUT majority of people wants a reform, an improvement of the political system so they are not
ignorant or indifferent AND more positive attitude toward local MP's and MP's from Scotland and
Wales (in compare to Britan). Citizen need a more connected political practices
In Britain, anti politics appears to be a core and a long running part of the political culture but not
total antitrust or disengagement

A social divide in British politics .?

Education and employment type influence levels of political involvement.(ex: vote, donate to a
party or for a campaign) Teachers, media, business man participate more than unskilled and
unemployed. The less engaged people have more negative attitude towards politics. They are the
age the social class that are important factors to indicate the political participation

Anti-politics in comparative perspective

Deeper in some countries :The Nordic group ((Danmark) is the most active politically.
The central Europe group (Poland) low activism.
For England : not good in political joiners ( of parties as the Nordics) But for individual politics
with the exception of voting they sign petitions, wear campaign badges, boycott etc. non
traditional way of participation

Britain's anti political culture

Strongly rooted with 2/3 of population in anti-politics camp, British are non joiners when it comes
to formal political organisation.
Socially and economically disadvantaged are engaged in collective forms of participation,
alienated to politics and political activism.
The elite prefers the individualistic and the non traditional form of engagement Everybody want
an extent of the political system

Explaining disengagement
Why and how citizens come to this judgement ?
They feel powerless, alienated by practitioners and dark arts of politics, the activity of politicians
appears to satisfy only a minority
How to explain alienation ? 5 items

Power
People feel Powerless .So any implication are thwarted (contrecarrer). The empowerment argument
has 3 versions/
liberal
more collectivist, individual empowerment,
collective engagement
other forms of engagement : - more direct and popular : petitions, referenda
more discussion forums,
With internet, more and largest access to information so is it the citizen who have changed ?
They are more educated, more informed and demanding, less deferential to authority, more capable
to challenging the politicians than in 1950. Critical Citizens are more active
Antipolitics give people more power

Process
Citizens want power or they want politicians to do their job properly ?
One view: greater engagement of citizens leads to improve frustration and anger because people
are exposed to the conflict. No empowering citizens but sustaining their faith in the process or
representation
The process of alienation
fairness of political decision
negative reaction to the rhetoric of conflict
Anti politics results of expectations about fairness, ethical veracity,
Solution : Maximize transparency and accountability

Partisanship
In decline. Party are structured around the capacity to mobilize voters in big blocks. To define their
involvement they are membership social groups. But liberated voters= partisan dealignment and
failing electoral participation. Social cleavages are less stark
Participation on a single issue campaigns but lost of loyalty to the parties.
Solution = new form of mobilisation , internet

Performance
Failure of politics to reach the goals. = caused dissatisfaction
Role of the impact of globalisation (take power away from national democracies). Politics are
focused to the performance of government (during campaign) importance of leader's image as
guide to electoral choice. Citizens are invited to be spectators in a game.
Short term hope and long term disappointment = political culture in Britain
Politics is not about individual, but collective decisions to a particular problem . Results are messy
and contingent creation of a mixwinners and losers

Proficiency
Understand how politics works, citizens lack the proficiency and hold negative views of politics.
Lack of comprehension, no competence to be good citizen
need a broader civic orientation and practice.
good citizens need to learn that democracy is messy, inefficient and conflict-ridden
need a realistic understanding of what politics can deliver. (difficult with the media coverage, they
emphaze negative aspects )

Some proposed solutions

the political system will adapt to deal with anti-politics
need to actively restore citizens' faith in the formal political institutions

Do nothing : we are adapting

- limit to the real engagement that citizen want
- signs that the political system is adapting
no clear level of engagement/ participation that makes a healthy democracy. So voter decline or limited
participation is not a bad thing for a democratic state. More important role of a strong commitment to powersharing
Evident decline in trust in UK but not a rejection of politics but rejection of a particular form of politics
developed in Westminster village.
solution: develop power to more local and regional institutions, -> citizen much legitimate
the political system will adapt and change : -campaigning in a new way
even if the voting level stay low and the active engagement will remain a minority, the nature of British
democracy is the same.

Do something : a radical reform of formal political

real movement : the measures proposed by Brown premiership
reform of agenda, creation of openness and accountability in the political system, electoral reform with an
alternative vote , establishing five years fixed-term parliaments, reforming house of commons procedures
Difficult to put in place. B
cause of the reasons of anti politics attitudes. "Are the power and process explanations of anti politics
implied by the chosen situation the crucial factors in explaining the rise of anti politics ?
What to do ? Are reforms possible?
evidence : citizens do no want to take on the responsibility and effort of running public services or making
public decisions. difficult to tackling anti politics attitudes.
the reform will no restore our faith in politics as the government hopes
reform could exacerbate rather than rectify the problem.
citizens are not looking for more participation but a better politics (more representative, act to the common
interest). But have perfect politicians (ethical, moral) is unrealistic
partial solution to anti politics : a fully proportional election system (Stoker) -> it stimulate competitive
elections, encourage parties to mobilise all voters.
reform political system and reform in civil society
Formal politics (hierarchy, strong leadership) reinforced elitism in politics but more open and fluid
democratic approach.
New politics of the internet. New politics of blogs, social networking and video sharing sites = lower costs
of campaigning and pluralise the political system by providing multiple options for the expression of interest
and ideas.
Decline in formal politics, and the sense of disempowerment = failing of the old politics

New age of internet-based politics is solution for anti politics attitude.

But :

technology without better political content make no difference

internet and new form of campaigning younger people but digital divide
too personal approach to information and politics (preselection and choice not good for democracy).
haphazard is vital to avoid extremism and fragmentation
construction of online deliberation = difficult
risk of creating series of specializing ghettos where citizens live in separate worlds divorced from
each others

Politics is an act of collective decision making

Internet = no magic solution. Good to reduce the barriers of entry for citizens into politics
Need citizens more realistic about the performance of politics. need them to find solutions, to developed
theirs skills

Conclusion
complexity to realise anti politics as an issue. need to understand the sources of the problems
if the problem come from citizens. they need to be more realistic about what politics can do
improve the processes of politics. what is fair politics for citizens ?
Anti politics and negative implication is the results of democracy.
Political scientist have to design a solution. A challenge for them see as " facilitators of democratic debate"
Vocabulary

attainment : ralisation
ingrained = enracin
clusters = groupes
distrustful = mfiant
embed =intgrer
plainly = clairement
disempowerment = dresponsabilisation
span =espace
notwithstanding= malgr, nonobstant
stark = rigide
thwarted = contrecarrer
stack up =empiler
deferential = respectueux
query = demander
swathe= envelopper
cue =repre
shallow = peu profond
fathom = sonder, pntrer
quandry = dilemne
humdrum = monotone
gradient =pente
dawn = aube
haphazard = hasard
address = aborder un problme