It’s exciting. It’s nothing less than a revolution in the way this country is run. But what exactly is this New Politics we hear so much about?
To guide us through the tumultuous political future of Britain, when a wind of change – smelling faintly of Vince Cable’s shirt at the end of a busy day – will waft through the corridors of power, we turn to Nick Fresh, our New Politics correspondent.
So, Nick, can you summarise what New Politics will mean to us all?
In a nutshell, it means good. It means young. It means it’s time for a change. It means cutting through the jargon and providing value-added engagement in the community at the point of delivery, particularly when it comes front-line services. Once there was New Media. Things could only get better. But they got worse. They became old. Then there’s the New Media. That’s us – we’re very exciting. New Media plus New Politics – well, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Doesn’t that mean that “New Politics” is a little more than marketing label?
No. That’s the old way of looking at things which got us into the mess we’re in today. The New Politics means cutting through to real action for real people in their real communities. It is part of the Big Society. It’s the benchmark of a balanced parliament. In other words, it’s nothing less than a game-changer.
I still don’t quite understand what it is.
Let’s be absolutely clear about this. It’s an escape from the bad old way of doing things. New politicians in all their wonderful variety – Dave, Nick, George, Chris, Ken, Vince – will be going round the country talking to people. Listening. Making a difference.
But where’s the ideology behind it?
There isn’t one. That’s one of the things that’s new about the New Politics. Ideals? Maybe. Ideas? Possibly. Ideology? Forget it! Our situation is frankly too serious for sticking blindly to what you believe. We need to govern in the interests of the countryy. In a way, we have one simple ideal – surviving in power for as long as possible.
What?
No, no, no, let’s be clear about this. Let me finish what I was about to say. New Politics is an important new term. Why is it important? Because it shows that the government is in favour of communities, against bonuses, in favour of new, ruthlessly sweeping aside things which went wrong in the past. Make no mistake about it, after this week, British society will never ever be the same again.
Thank you, Nick Fresh.
