Let's end the 'them and us' power debate
Neil McInroy- Newstart magazine, April 2010
Right now we have a number pressing issues which need tackling - environmental change, jobs, growing inequality, poverty, ill health, public service cuts, place decline, and a rise in racism.
However, I have noted an increase in debate which is focussing on a choice between power for local government or power for communities and the voluntary sector. The same old ’us and them’. I can't help thinking that in these times, when we have so many pressing problems which need action, that this debate is at best unhelpful, at worse it will lead to making the problems worse.
Now, I know many readers of this magazine, just love this power debate, I do too. However, we are misguided if we perceive debates about ‘power’ shifts and view ‘empowerment’ of local communities as a panacea for present ills. Please, let’s not create a debate over power and thus fuel a ‘them and us’ culture. More people are suffering through lack of work, poverty and racism, so we need community action and strong local government.
Trust in politicians at all levels, is at a low ebb, but we need local government now more than ever and communities need to support councillors and councils, we are in this together.
This debate over power is one I have had on and off familiarity with, since my days as a post-graduate researching community action and power in Glasgow in the early 1990’s. In theoretical terms this is the age old struggle between participative and representative democracy. In Glasgow then, like in many locations around the country now, the community whinges ‘aboot that bloody council doon in the square’ who ‘didnae have a clue!’. Representative democracy and the power it wields is viewed by some as unresponsive to local communities, the policies are clunky and inappropriate to local need. Council’s often see community views as partial, unrealistic and divisive. In this they try to placate and work round the community, trying to balance equity and fairness over a myriad of competing demands.
We need to do things differently. But we do not need a knee jerk return to drawn out debates about where power should reside. In the short term, its not about where power sits, there should be no divisive us and them, there just has to be delivery and action. Let’s build on the partnerships we have (no matter how imperfect), to create solutions which are focussed and if appropriate involves all players in society. We need less barriers between representative and participative democracy, not more debate, we need more collective activism and joint working.
We should reject entering debates which forces us to make choices between more power for local government or more power for local communities. We should not make a distinction between empowered local communities or empowered councillors...they should be the same thing. We should stop apportioning blame and mistake ‘power to the people’ as being just power for you or your community. I am arguing for pragmatic solutions, and a new wave of activism which just delivers stuff and addresses the pressing issues.
Everyone needs to start taking responsibility. The community and voluntary sector must think about working with local government, and delivering things where they can, but also get out of the way and recognise and support different parts of representative democracy to get on and do. Local government must be flexible in valuing what others bring to the table.
We need both an active civil society of community and voluntary organisations and a strong and robust local government. Power should move around depending on solutions- lets not get precious. It’s not us and them, its only us. We must banish esoteric debates about power. We need to get it together and just get on and do!
Neil Mclnroy is chief executive of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies.
