Don’t say we didn’t warn you – Alex’s latest MJ column
In Localis chief executive Alex Thomson’s latest opinion piece for the MJ he considers what the rise of non-traditional political figures might mean for localism. You can read the piece in full here or below.
Given the bitter internecine disputes and non-resignations that have dominated the party of late, it’s easy to forget that UKIP won an election less than two years ago. With just over four million votes the party stormed home (or perhaps to the nearest pub) in the last European elections.
That achievement didn’t lead to General Election success, but it does serve as a useful reminder that a combination of ‘events, dear boy’ and low turnouts can throw up non-traditional results.
To an extent this has been seen across a number of liberal democracies recently with the Front National in France, the Five Star Movement in Italy and most recently Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in the USA each being a case in point. Few of these parties or politicians have made it – or are likely to make it – into national office, but each either have significant support bases and/or have made sweeping gains in local elections. For us localists, this is worth reflecting upon.
Over this Parliament local authorities will be devolved significant powers and responsibilities, notably full control of business rates, and in 2017 at least seven cities will be voting for a mayor for the first time in the modern era.
If the backdrop to the next set of local elections is a mixture of a stuttering global economy, an opposition mostly interested in itself and inevitable mid-term blues for the Government, it could provide fertile ground to elect unexpected candidates.
If this were to happen, what might the impact be? On the positive side, it would be a strong jolt in the arm for democracy, underlining that every vote matters.
And it would inevitably illustrate how important compromise is in any form of government. For politicians elected on the back of suspiciously glib answers to big problems to be forced to admit that big problems are, as The MJ readers know, always ‘more complicated than that’ could make politics a bit more mature.
However, there would also be some powerful downsides. People could equate devolution with the election of fruitcakes and/or incompetents.
But worse, given the crucial importance of collaborative leadership for the future of local public services, is the damage that an isolationist approach to local government could cause for residents.
The next few years are going to be hugely important for local government. Fingers crossed we get the leaders we need.