Armchair Activist

In many countries, such as the UK, there appears to be a growing disillusionment with politicians and the political process.  Much of the problem is as a result of a lack of trust in politicians and a perception that they are more interested in their own agendas rather than the issues affecting the people who they represent.  There are also two key factors that impact on the effectiveness of national democracies, namely the limits of geographic jurisdiction and the timescales of the tenure of elected government posts.

Here are two examples of issues affecting all inhabitants of this planet where, in my opinion, national governments are almost powerless.  Distribution of wealth is a major issue.  The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.  If, for example, a national government decides to introduce a wealth tax to try to address this problem, those affected could simply transfer their wealth to more 'wealth friendly' countries - hence the existence of tax havens.  So the geographic jurisdiction of national governments affects their ability to tackle a major inequality in society.  The second example is climate change.  Clearly individual countries can reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide.  But as we all know, effective remedial action for climate change will take many years and a lot longer than the duration of any democratically elected government.  So what incentive is there for any government to spend money trying to tackle climate change when there are no immediate benefits?  From a politician's point of view, time, effort and money would be better spent on activities that would help his or her re-election.

So the disillusionment in politics coupled with the growth in social media, has led to more and more people communicating their concerns on the Internet - Armchair Activists.  As well as obvious platforms like Twitter and Facebook there are sites dedicated to fighting popular causes, like Avaaz, 38 degrees and Change.org.  So starting a petition or signing an existing petition with millions of others has never been easier.  Does this mean that direct action, like street rallies, is going to become a thing of the past?  I don't think so and indeed, I see exciting new ways of democratically and peacefully bringing about change.

People might be becoming more disillusioned with politics but that doesn't mean there is apathy towards important issues affecting society at international, national and local levels.  Yesterday, I joined a rally at our local beach, which has recently and controversially had its management transferred from the local council to a private company.  You might wonder what's wrong with that particularly when outsourcing of many services is employed by national governments to improve efficiency.  I accept outsourcing can be beneficial in some cases, particularly where there are 'economies of scale'.  However, in this particular case, the idyllic beach in South West Turkey, is renowned for being one of the most important breeding areas for loggerhead turtles.  It is unspoilt and the fear is that privatisation could eventually lead to environmental damage to one of the few remaining untouched coastal areas in the region.  Private companies are, after all, concerned with maximising the returns on their shareholders' investments, which means looking for ways to increase revenues whilst reducing operating costs.  I don't think I need to describe any nightmare scenarios that might come about.  Just take a look at what's happened to many idyllic spots in Turkey and the Mediterranean countries where uncontrolled development for tourism has been allowed.  The rally that I attended was held at the end of a 24/7 occupation of the beach by activists, which has been called off following a court order suspending the private company's take over of the site.

Clearly this issue has not yet been finally resolved to the satisfaction of the activists but it is a good example of how Armchair Activism has worked hand-in-hand with the front-line protesters.  Apart from the use of Twitter and Facebook for communication, a petition has been launched on Avaaz, which has drawn in local, national and international support.  I would suggest that none of the progress made thus far would have been possible if it had been left to the local political machine.  So maybe we are seeing the evolution of a new form of democracy.

Power to the People!