The Canary in a coal mine

This one is for political anoraks only.

Stuart Wilks-Heeg has written an academic study, with support from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and published in "Parliamentary Affairs" into the progress of the British National Party in local elections in England.

His argument is that votes for the BNP in council elections tend to be a danger sign, as when a canary in a coalmine succumbs to poisonous gas, of a dangerous lack of health in local democracy.

I don't agree with everything he says but I do think he is right that the number of people involved in local politics is dangerously low in many parts of the country, that this is bad for the health of local democracy, and that one side effect of this is the potential for extremists of many kinds to have an impact out of all proportion to public support for the things they actually stand for. (Which is not necessarily the same as the things they claim to stand for.)

This point could be applied to a number of extremist organisations on far right and far left alike, and not just the BNP.

Hence it is extremely important to get more normal people with a wide range of views involved in mainstream politics at every level. Not just to defeat the BNP - to make democracy more effective as a means of protecting the interests of ordinary people.

You can read the article "The Canary in a Coalmine? Explaining the Emergence of the British National Party in English Local Politics" by Stuart Wilks-Heeg here. It is a 22-page article, and as I inferred at the begining, will probably be a cure for insomnia for any reader other than those people who are very interested in politics.

Comments

Anonymous said…
People only vote for these more extreme parties because democracy isn't working, because both Labour and Tories aren't listening, you are all too busy looking after their own self interests. It doesn't matter whether it's local, regional or national you are all the same - you say one thing and do another.
You won't stand up against injustice/maladministration/corrupt practices at a alocal level let alone at a national level. Why is this? for fear of upsetting some of the electorate. Then you try and tell us democracy works.
6:56 pm
Chris Whiteside said…
I am putting up a new thread on this subject called "Democracy in Cumbria" which will be published at two minutes past six tomorrow morning.

Insofar as democracy isn't working it is not so much because politicians don't want to listen as because there are not enough people involved in local politics and we don't have the resources to give local residents as much attention and concern as they deserve.

Doubtless being human we all make mistakes and should listen more, but "a plague on both your houses" is not the answer.
11:28 pm
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