Sat down unexpectedly with somebody who is involved in the political games, and will be more over time as a career. Due to having just written an published about the total change we need from the top down to have a great effect, we sat off into discussing how the current political landscape around the world can put their weight into it.
And something stood out to me, an interesting point that was made during the discussion: “we should look into that and see”. Basically saying let’s get a workgroup together which will set up a distinct set of rules and requirements which will be send in a tender-like way to multiple organisations to research on. We need at least 3 different reports. These will be discussed and compared within the workgroup and presented to a wider commission to see whether it stands ground to such an extend that there is a large enough percentage within the wider political local, regional, national or international landscape to begin putting it on specific agendas. This will result in it being discussed, reshaped and prepped for a further push through the political bureaucracy. Having attaint a certain status of urgency it will be pushed back into the “people” to see whether it has enough playpower. In other words do our constituents want this and will this be giving us a advantage over our “competition” in the next election (whichever that might be). Having ticked both boxes it will become a part of the strategy lead by the leading electors, politicians and hopefully the party at large. But probably until as a tool to push ahead in the next elections, whenever these might happen. Once these pass it will have to become part of the items to be handled in some shape or from at same time (mostly within the first 6 to 12 months).
So here I spoke really only about the first step in the process. The getting a subject onto the political agenda of the parties such that it will become an item that needs to be handled. If you ask me rather a convoluted based on the old and large bureaucracy as well as the fact that nobody will want to put his or her neck out, as it might ruin your career. Let’s say that all in all this process of getting this far (relatively speaking…) will be probably 4 to 5 years. Well you know politicians are very busy people, saving………. their career.
Now that we have gotten so far already, it becomes a topic which needs to be handled within the realm or ministries, government and ultimately law. First of course we will need to look at the reports, say they are outdated and ask for a new report, with a more precise set of requirements which will help shape the discussion and saving face of whoever involved. Now also comes the catch of power play and connected interest. First we have the lobby of different interested groups which will want to have a say in this. Whether pro or con the needed changes there will be an investment into a lobby to see whether the changes might become bigger or smaller depending on which side of the table you stand. The more money potentially the better the outcome of your lobby will be. Secondly there will be other topics on the table which will might have an negative or positive effect on the outcome of this specific report/project/change/law as it will be used as a bargain. Kinda in the sense of if you don’t push for the change project on the political agenda, because me and my party and people who fund me don’t want it to happen (yet) I will give you full support on the other several things you want to put out for vote. And with that the real political game has begun.
The above is of course a very simplistic look on the full process but probably not that far away on what is happening. And many things get discussed and many things will be done, in due time. But the problem is we don’t have that luxury of time anymore. Looking at the above you can easily wait for 10 years before there is an infrastructure in place which will make change happen. With the knowledge that it is BAU and has always been done like this it is easy to sit back and just go about that business as it was usual, but it is not.
I know for a government it is very difficult to know and do what the “people” want. And in times as now we have situations in which they will need to do things that people don’t really want right now but it will prepare for the future. It is difficult to make change within the standing set up, there is a status quo that feels comfy and cozy, like sitting in front of that open fire with a hot choco on a cold winter night; you just don’t want to move as you stare into the flames and get lost. And so many different interests that need to be served at this moment and not enough real power to get it all done.
It all asks for a change from within. Getting rid of all the connected interests that steer the agenda as well as the outcome of it. It requests for a government which works not to maintain what we have today but prepares and changes the total structure and infrastructure so we have a future. And in a such a way that it moves away from day-to-day management, like a police corps, to an enabler of these tasks, not policing over what we can and cannot do today based on rules from the last 200 years. Yes some rather fundamental parts of the laws around the world are based on topics, items and thoughts from 200 years ago. Go figure. Maybe a solution is to have local government focus on day-to-day together with the community and the national and international governmental bodies shaping and pushing for the hard changes of tomorrow (already).
Give power to the people. Enable them to manage their today while you set the rules for tomorrow. Make changes that will be in effect in the next 12 months, begin with the simple and built towards the complex. Involve more local interest groups (businesses, People, NGO’s….)to adopt change in daily life. Have them invest in what they can see so as a government you can move. Push for rules of change towards industries which can not be sustainable, move away from rubbing the backs of this and that people. They might have some dirt on you, but if you are the politician who is voting against change now the shit is on you when it begins to hit the fan.
I would to just step into a government and lead it into such change if it would be possible. But it seems we are still too much stuck in the old ways there. Saving your own face and comfort right now instead of doing the really hard work of pissing off so few (but powerful) to be able to save so many.
Let’s push the politics aside and make way for change.
