Active Citizenship, empowerment, participation, democracy, voice and even campaigning are buzzwords across the political spectrum. The government is backing them with funding, structures and even monitoring to ensure local authorities are promoting them. Much of this is welcome, but this top down stimulus is also a symptom of political bancrupcy. The centralisation of power by the Thatcher and Blair governments hollowed out their parties and local government. The growth in funding for the voluntary sector, accompanied by compliance regimes of targets and reporting requirements, has eroded the independence of civil society. There is a profound disconnect between the actions of citizens and the structures supposed to serve them.

The Ministers and officials who promote empowerment are well intentioned, and genuinely want more participation – although they find it difficult when faced with challenges over issues such as the expansion of Heathrow, nuclear power and coal fired power stations, or the rights of Gurkas to retire to Britain or, more challengingly, who support the BNP to restrict immigration and withdraw from the EU.

But bankruptcy of the political system is the deeper issue, which goes beyond the views and behaviour of politicians or the state of the parties, to the nature of our state and society itself, which are profoundly undemocratic.

It is our responsibility as citizens to take power over the the institutions which run society on our behalf. We are not consumers of government, but its directors. If these institutions are not doing what we want, we have a responsibility to influence them to change course.

This takes effort, skill and knowledge. For many people the current system is comfortable: some because they enjoy their power in it, others because it absolves them of responsibility and they can blame those in power. But blaming others for doing what they want is an abdication of responsibility.

However, very few people really know to direct the system – even those at the centre of government. In Good and Bad Power, Geoff Muligan, Tony Blair’s head of strategy, founder of Demos and one time editor of Marxism Today, wrote, “One of the optical illusions of government is that those inside of it think of themselves as drivers of change  … Yet most far-reaching ideas and change comes from outside … New ideas need time to evolve, preferably away from the spotlight. Governments are more often vehicles than initiators.”

The financial crisis exposed how much the supposed Masters of the Universe do not understand the system. They knew enough to fuel their self-interest, and exercise power to drive the system in their own interests, but they did not know enough to prevent it from collapsing. The government bailouts are evidence of panic, not understanding. They really do not know what is going on or how to fix it at a more fundamental level. And their ignorance is our opportunity.

As citizens, we have just as much responsibility to understand what is going on and direct it as those in charge. They are only there because we put up with them and let them get on with it.

Taking responsibility as citizens means,

1st.     seeking to understand what’s happening and how to exercise power effectively, and enabling others to understand what’s happening and exercise power;

2nd.    it means engaging with power at some level, influencing and governing, in your workplace, community, profession, sector or in government at local, national, European or global level, and enabling others to do the same; and

3rd.     it must mean engaging systemic change – deepening democratic understanding, participation and accountability at all levels.

The way we live now systematically de-activates and dis-empowers citizens, whatever the rhetoric. If you have money, you are empowered as a consumer, but most of us give away our power as producers and as citizens.  

Taking power for yourself in ways that increase power for the disenfranchised, excluded, marginalised and exploited is the first task of active citizenship. The rhetoric of empowerment is there to be used, but do not confuse the sound for substance; use the structures as training grounds to build your networks, confidence, intelligence, skills and access, but do not get lost in the maze or let them drain your energy; and focus on transforming the system itself.

How we do that is another story: what do you think?