'Mouthpieces'

"I went to this meeting. I don't know why. I've been to so many meetings that were a complete waste of time. You know, someone from the Council stands up and says how wonderful everything is going to be, then someone I've never seen before but calls himself a 'community representative' stands up and says how wonderful everything is going to be, then they ask for questions and someone complains about the blocked drains, then they say that's alright then, everyone's agreed and there's tea and biscuits at the back. So everyone clears off without any idea of what's been going on. Only thing is, the drains still haven't been fixed.

"So what's new after ten years? Nothing at all. Different lot of council people saying the same thing. Different lot of 'community representatives' saying the same thing. 'Mouthpieces' is what I call them. They just say what they're supposed to say and feel rather good about it. When they find out that no-one's taking much notice of them, then they hop off and there's another 'mouthpiece' takes over. So it goes on and the politicians are laughing because they say they're 'consulting with the community' but nobody actually gives a damn about the community because if there ever was one, it's long since vanished. So really, what's the point? Better to stay in and see what's on the telly".

So much for "community consultation", one of New Labour's more insidious confidence tricks and a primary cause of alienation from the political process. But is it really possible to consult genuinely with a whole community, even if that community is just a street or a block of flats? After all, even surveys and questionnaires need to have questions set. Who then decides on the questions? Another set of surveys and questionnaires just for that purpose? No, the only possible way is talking to people on the doorstep about their concerns as they perceive them for themselves. Time-consuming and untidy and often a vehicle for a deal of pent-up anger and frustration but ultimately the only legitimate means of "community consultation". It's called democratic politics.