Part 1.1: Puppets, puppet-masters and erosion of trust

A Facebook commenter on my last blog post noted,

“U are a rare well intentioned politician but the longer u stay in the game the higher the risk that the corruption of politics will eventually win you over. Politicians are the pawns of puppet masters, they do their dirty work, the puppet masters never get their hands dirty. I am sure u know this I hope? If not, its just a matter of time.”

This comment highlights a general feeling about politics and politicians. 1) We are playing a “game.” 2) We are working for dark forces that are more powerful than us. 3) We have a higher than average chance to become corrupted by politics.

The people who elect us to represent them, don’t trust us.

Governance has been reduced to a “game” and there is a perception that the public are not eligible to play. Only the wealthy, well-connected people in the shadows can play. So we are persuaded that there is no reason to waste any resources (time, money, effort) on politics. A result is falling voter participation and a litany of articles on waning confidence in governing institutions.

It is a serious problem.

The government is the people. Those who participate, win. Those who choose to ignore their governing institutions create an opening, for someone else to fill the space.

There is no doubt that wealthy, powerful people, corporations and institutions command more than their share of the attention. And, they expend resources (time, money, effort) on politics and politicians.

Organized lobby…

This is precisely why we needed to upgrade our lobbying rules in British Columbia. A lobbyist only had to note everyone they intended to lobby. They never had to disclose who they had actually met, what topics they discussed, and how often they lobbied them.

No wonder the public has trust issues. Even after the watchdog warned that the rules were lax, politicians did nothing to change it, and the public interest, accountability and transparency suffered greatly.

So, we worked with the government to bring forward legislation to tighten rules for lobbying and lobbyists. One small step that will hopefully increase public confidence.

This work goes hand in hand with the legislation to ban “big money” in British Columbia. Previously, there was no limit to the amount, frequency or location of a contribution to a politician or political party.

Clearly, politicians stubborn refusal to limit financial contributions to them and their political parties, fuels public mistrust. At the same time, to ignore calls to increase transparency and accountability measures on lobbying, further erodes public certainty.

The difficult work ahead

It is also true that certain interests, or stakeholders, become very invested. Many have been encouraged to contribute cash money to political parties and politicians.

Some of the most difficult work is already complete, including stronger lobbying rules and a ban on “big money.”

Some of the most difficult work is still ahead.

People have to be convinced it is worth spending their resources (time, money, effort) on their governance. You, have to be convinced it will make a difference. Well, it does. There are examples all around.

Passion + Organization = Inspired Representation

Back to the comment at the top. There are many well intentioned politicians. We work together every day. We sit on all sides of the Chamber. Like me, they are motivated by their constituents, especially the engaged ones.

The people who influence us are our friends, family and neighbours. They are the people who we bump into at the grocery store, or the quick conversation while waiting for an Americano at the local emporium. The constituency meeting to discuss a legislative gap that needs to be filled, and the community dialogue influences the work that follows.

We have seen recently in Saanich what happens when a neighbourhood acts. Grange Road neighbours didn’t want their trees to fall victim to a sewage pipeline. Passion and organization “inspired” a more tree-sensitive approach. (It makes you wonder what factors were considered, and which were ignored, in the decision to pick the route that threatened the trees.)

Corruption.

A young man came up to me one day and asked, “are you concerned about the threat of corruption?”

“Do you say this to a lawyer when you run into one?” I asked. “How about an accountant or doctor? Do you wonder how they manage the ethical and moral challenges that they face in their profession?”

So, in response to the gentleman’s comment on my Facebook page, the ominous reminder that at some point politicians, or politics, will undermine me, weaken my resolve, and eventually take me over. I will accept it as advice to remain steadfast and courageous.

How many strings are too many?

Finally, my strategy to deal with the whole puppet, strings and puppet master scenario is to attach as many strings as possible.

There are 50,000 constituents in Saanich North and the Islands. Everyone gets a string.

There are thousands of special and unique interests and stakeholders, they also all get a string.

As a result, each and every string has the same impact. Pull any one of them and you get a similar response.

In the end, hopefully everyone wants to participate, pay attention and engage. Not paralyzed by the thought of dark, shadowy figures lurking in the corners, but activated by politicians who need your help to creatively solve social, economic and environmental challenges. We need your energy and processing power to do it!

Consequently, there is more light on governance. There are fewer dark, shadowy corners to lurk in, and more ways to evaluate the accountability and transparency of our politicians, political parties and governing institutions.