People do need to vote, there is nothing to lose

by Lucette Davies

Britain has a representative democracy but over recent years has moved steadily away from this, and not just because of how our politicians behave; but in part because of the way the public are now behaving.  This could easily change, with county council elections approaching the  public could act to show the politicians that we do value our democracy.

At the core of a representative democracy is, the people voting for who they want to represent them in parliament.  It relies on the public  finding out what the different candidates are offering if they are elected.  It relies on the public then making a decision based on this, about who will best represent them during the next term of office.

In the 201o general election only six out of ten voters turned out on the day and in local elections it is usually around one in three voters actually voting.  Only 42% turned out for the referendum on changing Britain’s voting system for General Election.

The public have become disillusioned with politics but however disillusioned you are, politicians will be making decisions that will impact on your life in many ways.

Party membership has fallen dramatically over the last ten years, but the public can influence a party if they join and have a say in how that party behaves.

At what point will it be said that as Britain has such a low turnout at elections we can no longer say we have a representative democracy?  A democracy demands more from the public than simply turning out to vote.  If people want change there is a lot they can do now to influence change.  The growth of online campaign groups such as 38 degrees and Avaaz are ways of having some input.  Anyone can start up an e-petition and there are so many campaign groups running now.  There has never been more reason for the public to do all they can to challenge the political system.

Mass protest blasts London

Hundreds of trains and coaches from all over the country headed for the capital yesterday to vent their disgust at towards the government cuts and tax evading companies.

The people have been abandoned while politicians and corporate interest benefit fraudsters rape and pillage across the world.

While our politicians harp on about cutting us off they have given financial institutions and corporates more money than has ever been invested in research for the whole of human history, as in the amount that it took to put man on the moon four and half times over.

This is a humanitarian crisis of biblical proportions and the bankers, hedge funders and speculations are pocketing your future and the future of the planet.

A lot of docile consumers are still blissfully unaware anything economic, political or ecological that is going on in the world around them.

If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem.

Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi – ‘a global symbol of moral courage’

By Poppy Bragg

The 2011 Brighton Festival will celebrate the remarkable achievements of a woman who, since 1988, has dedicated her life to fighting for the freedom of the Burmese people and for the democratisation of her country.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi has been widely lauded by the global community and has received many human rights awards including the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, the Rafto Human Rights Prize in 1990  and the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

She has been described by U.S. President Barack Obama as “a hero”, British Prime Minister David Cameron called her “an inspiration” and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa said she was “a global symbol of moral courage”.

Her fight for democracy has also resulted in her spending a total of 15 years in detention – the majority under house arrest.