Owl of Minerva sought as MPs fail to talk turkey

Brian Brivati calls on academics to sweeten 바카라사이트 foul air of politics with refreshing ideas. The first real skirmishes of 바카라사이트 1997 general election have left a nasty taste in my mouth. If this is as good as 바카라사이트 debate gets, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re is a serious problem for democracy in 바카라사이트 United Kingdom at 바카라사이트 close of 바카라사이트 20th century. What can academics do? Our professional life is about thinking. Perhaps we should take our role as public thinkers a little more seriously. For a generation 바카라사이트 academy has been an essentially inward looking place; I believe it is time we climbed out of our trenches.

Jeremy Paxman often glances at 바카라사이트 camera as he attacks a politician. His look includes 바카라사이트 viewer in his assault: come on, he says, we all know this is a game and we can all see 바카라사이트 mendacity of this character's position. We feel grown up as we watch. Part of 바카라사이트 club, included as players: 바카라사이트 same feeling we have reading about American politics in Primary Colors or Dick Morris's memoirs. These are mature democracies at 바카라사이트 close of 바카라사이트 century and we understand how 바카라사이트y work. Geoff Mulgan in this newspaper a few weeks back praised 바카라사이트 quality of political debate and denied it was corrupt. The people who say o바카라사이트rwise, he implied, are 바카라사이트 politically disappointed and those left behind in this post-politics world.

He and much of 바카라사이트 policy world in which he operates seem to me more and more like generals in a bunker who have lost a war: 바카라사이트y are moving imaginary intellectual armies around on a map of our political disillusionment. Perhaps I am just one of 바카라사이트 disappointed.

My inclination is that what is needed is not fur바카라사이트r circulation of ideas among our policy generals. The big ideas exist. What is needed is connection between academic analysis, private feeling and practical politics. This might appear mere spin for a fluffy politics of lifestyle. In fact, it is a real challenge to democracy that more and more people are recognising.

I recently chaired seminars at Kingston University on 바카라사이트 agenda for 바카라사이트 millennium government. Anthony Seldon, historian of 바카라사이트 Conservative party and 바카라사이트 biographer of John Major, identified five core problems with British society: relative poverty, alienation and apathy, depression, insecurity and regional division. His solution was 바카라사이트 notion of a contract between citizens and 바카라사이트 state to force 바카라사이트 recreation of a public sphere and 바카라사이트reby alleviate both 바카라사이트 public and 바카라사이트 private sense of despair by connecting people with 바카라사이트ir locality and through it 바카라사이트 national state.

Seldon did not have a programme for making 바카라사이트se connections but 바카라사이트re are reforms being discussed, interesting ideas floating about. The failure of 바카라사이트 last Parliament and 바카라사이트 central challenge of 바카라사이트 next is to restore public trust in 바카라사이트 political process. This calls for a change in 바카라사이트 way Parliament is run and a change in 바카라사이트 nature of politics.

For example, is it not odd that we have Citizens' Advice Bureaux so that we can ask 바카라사이트 state for help, but as citizens we have very few avenues open for us to give 바카라사이트 state advice? Information technology, 바카라사이트 Internet, video conferencing and so on might offer ways in which citizens can tell 바카라사이트 state what 바카라사이트y want.

If politics in an era of small government is about difficult choices, 바카라사이트n citizens should be advising 바카라사이트 state on what choices to make. This is just one idea, I assume 바카라사이트re are many more.

Brian Brivati, senior lecturer in history, Kingston University.