No, that other person
Posted by Ingrid Koehler on July 8, 2008
Are you a Londoner? Look to the person on your right, then look to your left, no – not that one, the person just on the other side of the person on your left. That person wants to be a councillor. (Sorry for the throw-away post on this one, but Dave Briggs has a fascinating post with all the details).
Apparently, one in four people in London wants to be a councillor, despite the fact that apparently most Londoners have no idea who the leader of the council is, which party controls their council (if indeed there is overall control) and what the process is to become a councillor is.
The cynical part of me (that would be about 78% at a guess) thinks “Yeah, right – you might want to be a councillor, but do you want to go to the trouble of becoming one? The knocking up, the leafleting, the endless local meetings” Of course, and thank goodness, some people actually thrive on that kind of thing.
The optimist in me says “Fantastic, ok not everybody can be a councillor, but everybody who shows an interest has potential to become more active in their community.” I think the optimist in me has it right this time. But, of course, the trick is harnessing that and putting it to a useful purpose. Hopefully, that’s what community empowerment will seek to do.
