|
|
|
 |
Civic engagement impacted by
political gimmickry: author A political author and former political studies teacher says civic engagement is being negatively impacted by the shenanigans that now seem to be perpetually attached to the political process. Rae Murphy says the move toward an increasing level of gimmickry in politics has had an adverse affect with the electorate, who now tend to distrust those who are in positions of power. "Issues are not put directly to the people," says Murphy. "There's too much gimmickry and this turns people off." Murphy says the recent election in Toronto is indicative of a snapshot of the state of civic engagement from the political side. Voter turnout has long been considered one aspect of measuring civic engagement. But just 39 per cent of eligible Torontonians cast their ballots. Municipal elections traditionally garner anywhere from 30-42 per cent. Just over 55 per cent of people voted in the recent Ontario election, down six per cent from the previous election. When asked why greater information availability in the world is not contributing more to civic engagement, Murphy said it "depends on the quality of the information." "You can watch CNN 24 hours a day and not know a thing. For instance, they're more likely to focus on a single murder and cover it from every angle possible and call this national news. It's bizarre," he says. With talk show formats and debates that show politicians shouting at each other, and with parliament echoing this as the national symbol of the land, says Murphy, it's no wonder people are turned off by the process. When asked if this was just part of an adversarial parliamentary tradition, Murphy was adamant. "This (debating in short bursts for sound bites) is not parliamentary tradition. It used to be a scene of great speeches, speeches you could actually read and understand where people stood on the issues." Murphy says what Canadian prime minister in waiting Paul Martin calls a "democratic deficit" is reflective of the current state of affairs. "What he was addressing is a declining authority and prestige of parliament and parliamentarians." "Other politicians say the system must be restructured to a form of proportional representation so minorities can be expressed," adds Murphy, which is one way to address issues of declining civic engagement. Another partial reason for civic disengagement, says Murphy, is "there is a broad consensus that the country is well run." "Civic participation (electorally) usually comes in the form of protest. It's just like our tradition is to defeat governments, not elect them, the recent Ontario and Toronto elections seeming to indicate this," he says. As a political studies teachers, Murphy also saw a steady decline in students interested in politics. Many resented even having to take the mandatory courses, he notes. Unfortunately, says Murphy, that can only contribute to the likelihood they will stay relatively uninvolved as they grow older. |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Send
this page to a friend |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||