So what do we do?

Information

Focus on publicizing the information

Talk Together will also have a strong and steady push on education in schools and colleges and universities as a means to increase participation in the political process. Raising awareness, showing where to get information, explaining the ins and outs of the process and perhaps proving it’s possible for anyone to participate.

This will involve provision of information, materials, and support for teachers, as well as education at grass roots (and other) levels for the future.

Link to what politicians are saying: right on this point, not on that one, etc.

We need to put a stop to the endless and comprehensive rubbishing by one side of what the other side says. There is a massive overlap between what all political sides would actually do, particularly if they admitted how little they are actually able to change and tinker with. A politician who said that he or she agreed with the vast majority of what someone else said (or who acknowledged that there is no other option), but who disagreed with this or that particular point, would find that they met with so much more respect than the blanket of noise with which the electorate is met at present.

The idea is not to change who people vote for.

The idea is to change why people vote, and what people vote for.

Access to good information in a meaningful, accessible and engaging format could bring much greater clarity to political discussion and activity, across the whole electorate – thereby altering the way in elected politicians attempt to relate to and appeal to voters.

Information needs to be presented in a way which makes sense, in a way which is entertaining, in a way which relates that information to the lives of all people: a 14 year old; someone in a pub; someone in a supermarket; someone in a retirement home; someone driving a truck; someone working in an office; someone who might not describe themselves as prepared to make much of an effort to seek out information, but who is actually engaged when new information crosses their path; someone who is currently likely to dismiss politics as not being relevant or important; someone who is likely to mistrust information presented with an agenda.

People are interested in politics, but are turned off by the white noise of the way in which politics is conducted at present. People are not motivated by dense analysis, but are intrigued by information presented in relevant, intelligible chunks – and will trust the information if they know that it is:

• independent, checked and verified, and
• verifiable and checkable by them.

This will influence what is then on offer, because this will require politicians to raise their game: to appeal to how people really define a better future rather than merely to appeal to rehearsed rhetoric and habits. In the medium term, this will encourage a move away from party political posturing, sacred cows, unsubstantiated assumptions, prejudices, and hobby horses. Both politicians and the electorate will have a clear focus on real information, insight, and impact (bang for buck, the actual effects of policies and of decisions). This will also enable the tracking of responsibility – for successes, but also for failures, of public policy decisions.

Who will do the work?

We want to work as closely as possible with existing information providers and researchers, to avoid unnecessary duplication. However, this still leaves three very large areas of work:

The synthesis and editing of information will be achieved by an editorial team. This is likely to include interns, but will require an editorial oversight and quality control.
The provision of the information on line and through social media channels requires both programming time and a certain amount of resourcing.
The promotion of the service requires a media promotion strategy, to highlight the service and the provision of (engaging, highly informed) interview guests to chat shows, news programmes, and other media outlets.