Here at CARE we long to see civility, decency and good debate in our politics. We believe that rigorous debate is a key part of a healthy politics and can help politics to be a great force for good. Sadly, though we often see plenty of examples of bad debate, incivility, and downright poor behaviour.
Each week we will bring you some of our favourite examples of civility, decency, and good debate in our politics, as well as some sad examples of the darker side of politics.
The Good
Register to vote
We’ve been taking part in Citizens UK’s Voter Registration campaign, and it has been encouraging to see many participate in the drive to ensure ‘300,000 at-risk voters can exercise their right to vote’ this election day. Amidst lots of negative stories we are grateful for campaigns like this one seeking to help people engage with democratic politics in a positive way…
The Bad
Nah, I’m going to talk about something else
Tory Chair, Richard Holden, got into a bit of a bother this week when being interviewed about the selection process for his seat he simply refused to even acknowledge the question and instead pivoted to an unrelated, pre-prepared attack line on Labour.
While pivoting is a ‘standard’ part of political interviews the audacity of this one has to be seen to be believed. It’s safe to say this doesn’t qualify as an example of politics done well…
TV debate or shouting match?
This week saw party leaders engage in a host of TV debates, though to call them debates might be generous. In both the ITV and BBC seven-way debates Angela Rayner and Penny Mordaunt went at one another all guns blazing in a rather shameful example of the quality of contemporary political debate…
The Ugly
Another week, another attack
Sadly, this week featured yet another attack against Nigel Farage whilst touring the South Yorkshire town of Barnsley. A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of public order offences after appearing to throw several objects at Mr Farage.
There has been much talk in recent months about the threats MPs face and the dangers of such hostility to our democracy. When people decide to oppose ideas and arguments they disagree with through violence and intimidation our politics truly is in a bad spot.
Let us be people who unequivocally condemn such behaviour…
The Funny
Politics has its good moments and its bad moments, but sometimes it’s just quite funny. Each week we will bring you some of our favourite highlights from the week.
The ups and downs of being on the campaign trail
If we are honest, this slot could be given over to the Lib Dem’s campaign every week with Ed Davey and his team adopting an unusual approach to the General Election.
There are almost too many examples to choose from this week, whether that’s doing interviews in a water park, or being interviewed on a spinning teacup at a theme park. My personal favourite is the mixed reactions of his team to the rides and rollercoasters…
