Ruth Sheldon (ippr): Returning to my home town of Manchester this week, I've found little I recognise. The Labour Party Conference is once again dominating the city centre, complete with the associated security, the highly visible yellow plastic barriers which mark the ‘secure zone' behind which hurried-looking delegates and politicians rush between hotels and the GMEX conference centre. Interestingly enough, just down the road, freshers' week is in full swing too. Yet Mancunians are left to look on as students and politicians alike set about frantic and sometimes alcohol-fuelled networking, apparently oblivious to each other and the impact they're having on the city.
Manchester City Council and the Labour Party have been at pains to emphasise what they believe to be a mutual benefit of the conference coming to the city. But a poll in the Manchester Evening News suggests that Mancunians don't share the same view. Just over 75 per cent of respondents said they believed the conference would not benefit Manchester. This in itself demonstrates that there is a disconnect between politicians and the public.
Ippr north organised an event at conference that sought to redress the balance, by focusing solely on the public's views. With no ministers, no speakers and no pre-determined discussion topic it handed over the agenda to the participants. Terry Christian hosted the event which involved residents from across the North West, including those involved in community groups as well as some local labour party activists.
What we got was unique. It provided an opportunity for genuine debate, involving some people who would not usually attend a party conference fringe event. Even those who were conference delegates found it refreshing to find they were able to properly engage and discuss issues they felt were important. A poll of participants found that social inclusion and climate change were the top priorities for people and this determined our discussion topics for the evening. And the discussions were lively and informal in a pub atmosphere rather than a stuffy meeting room.
The event did not succeed in getting a broad representation of people from Manchester; the participants themselves noted that they were a white, middle class, and relatively politically engaged bunch. One participant noted ‘clearly you need many different forms of political inclusion that can involve everyone.' This is clearly true, and something that political parties themselves could do better if they are to successfully engage a broader audience more fully, not just in discussion and debate, but in experiencing politics as relevant to daily life. This event showed that there is an appetite for events that go beyond the usual tried and tested fringe meetings. People are very receptive to discussions where their views count, are listened to and where they can learn from others on an equal footing. The traditional panel discussion followed by question and answer session does not deliver this level of interaction and there is a need for providing forums which involve the public more fully in policy making.
So, why doesn't this happen already? Perhaps, despite the rhetoric of giving "real people, real power", this is too scary a prospect for the Whitehall village and other policymakers? Is the effort it would take to reach the public in a meaningful way simply too difficult? Or does the party political model by definition simply not lend itself to politics with a small ‘p'?
Whatever the reason, there is an opportunity for party conferences to go beyond setting up barriers which effectively exclude people from taking part - whether they be physical security barriers or an unengaging format. Once all 17,000 delegates return home and police are no longer visibly protecting Ministers, Mancunians will be left feeling as though a conference came and went without caring what the people of Manchester thought about issues and policies that will ultimately affect their lives.
Ruth Sheldon is Research Assistant, ippr. ippr north organises regular café politique events which generate debate and discussion in a forum that is free and open to all. For more details visit www.ippr.org/north
