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| Apathy Wins by a Landslide |
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Secondly, does the obsession of the tabloids and of television with popular culture, parochialism, and ‘celebrityism’ suck oxygen out of the atmosphere that is required for vibrant and serious political debate? Are people’s priorities in the short term really congruent with the long-term goals of producing politically mature and informed societies? Are people now more interested in the Big Brother on their television sets than the possible development of Big Brother in society?
Thirdly, is the lack of moral and political leadership demonstrated by leading politicians symptomatic of a greater machiavellian streak that runs through the heart of western politics? Is this machiavellian streak a significant cause behind the gulf in trust between politicians and their electorates? Do people even recognise themselves or issues that they are concerned about in the feeble political debate led by politicians?
Fourthly, does the role and influence of finance and vested interests within capitalist political systems irreversibly erode the Lockean relationship, as Mark Clack (deputy director of the US electoral reform group, Public Campaign) alludes to when he states: “Money, not votes, is the primary currency in our democracy.”
Fifthly, is the situation in America sustainable where 90% of households whose income is $75,000 or more do tend to cast their ballots, yet only half of those on incomes of less than $15,000 do likewise? Is the danger of a two tier electoral system, one for the well off and one for the poor now becoming a real possibility?
Lastly, is the media’s focus on sound bites, finding fault, and avoiding complexity, really conducive to fostering an informative political conversation in society. Is there sufficient amount of column inches and television airtime to ferment a serious news and political debate, or do competing commercial tensions now pose too much of a constraint? Do politicians actually want to debate the substantive issues any more? What do we make of Bob Herbert’s statement in a New York Times Op Ed recently when he said: “Unfortunately, we've become a society addicted to the fantasy of a quick fix. We want our solutions encompassed in a sound bite. We want our leaders to manipulate reality to our liking… It may well be that candidates can't tell voters the truth and still win. If that's so, then democracy American-style may be a lot more dysfunctional than even the last four years has indicated.”
Not cauterising the problem of apathy, could lead to a crisis of credibility and legitimacy within western politics over time—If such a situation has not arrived already. Consent, the very foundation of western politics has, through apathy and the adoption of alternative societal ideas, become diluted and increasingly opaque. The refusal to give consent within a representative democratic system in essence undermines the very foundation of the fundamental contract between the governed and the government. Tony Blair echoed the Lockean principle when he said in 1997: “We are not the masters. The people are the masters. We are the servants of the people… What the electorate gives, the electorate can take away.”
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