Citizen politics after the UK election

I wonder how our General Election and resultant hung Parliament has been seen by our partners overseas? Scenes of voters turned away from polling stations in Sheffield, London and Manchester may undermine our legitimacy the next time Progressio joins a delegation of election observers in Somaliland. The UK proclaims good governance to all, but to what extent are our own institutions rising to the challenge asks Christine Allen.

After an election campaign marked more by the triumph of personality than policy, it is no wonder that, as Lord Ashdown put it, “the people of Britain have spoken, we just aren’t sure what they have said yet”. This week the ‘Mother of Parliaments’ is showing the strain.

But the current uncertainty of a hung Parliament offers the chance to move beyond egos, territory and horse-trading towards a new style of collaborative, coalition-based politics in which considered policies take centre stage once more. In this context, so-called minority parties and independents count for more, and passionate backbenchers could speak out for policy based on cherished principles, rather than see those principles sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.

Call me an idealist, but I’d like to see this as an opportunity to reinvigorate our Parliamentary process, enable people and policy to come to the fore, and put into practice some of the ideals of democracy that Progressio sees every day.

Progressio knows participation is paramount. Our partners overseas engage with everyday people developing skills for raising awareness among voters in Malawi and helping local NGOs with their grassroots lobbying throughout Central America. In the Dominican Republic we’re building skills locally to fully grasp the opportunities and responsibilities of participatory budgeting in local communities. In Somaliland we’re working to get more women in Parliament and in Zimbabwe we’re helping to expand practitioner and academic policy development.

So we know it’s possible to turn uncertain moments like these into genuine processes of change where policies and principles really matter. But all of us have a job to do. I am reminded of a comment by a farmer in Honduras – we may have won the law, but we haven’t got the change yet. The election is over, but our work as everyday citizens has only just begun.

Each of us must make the most of the opportunities a hung parliament offers. We must recommit to engage fully with our local MPs to ensure our parliamentary democracy works for the Common Good. Building a world where people who are poor and marginalised can live life to the full requires dedication from our politicians that goes beyond party colours. And we all have a part to play.

Christine Allen is Progressio's Executive Director