Presentation by Anthony Zacharzewski at Open Belgium 2018 - http://2018.openbelgium.be/session/open-government-and-networked-european-democracy

1. The Democratic Society
@demsoc
Networked Democracy
1.0

2. @demsoc
Everyone knows traditional politics is in
trouble

3. @demsoc
Falling turnouts ...
Years of highest and lowest election turnout since 1945
in selected mature democracies*
50
60
70
80
90
100
1945 1958 1971 1984 1997 2010
Highest Lowest
Highest turnouts all before 1980
All but 2 lowest turnouts after 1995

4. @demsoc
... low trust in politicians ...
0 %
25 %
50 %
75 %
100 %
Parliament Civil service
83 %86 %
17 %14 %
Would trust Would not trust
Journalists
Politicians generally
Ministers
Business leaders
Trade union officials
Civil servants
Pollsters
Man in the street
Police
TV News
Scientists
Priests
Judges
Academics
Teachers
Doctors
-75 -50 -25 0 25 50 75 100
Net %ge saying a member of that profession/
group “would tell the truth”
DON’T TRUST DO TRUST

5. @demsoc
... and general apathy.

6. @demsoc
Politics is becoming a hobby ...
Image: Trainspotter (Wikimedia Commons)

7. @demsoc
... and not a very popular one.
0
1
2
3
4
N
ationalTrust
RSPB
GM
B
unionTolkein
Society
Conservatives
Glastonbury*
Labour
CTC
(Cycling)Lib
Dem
s
Membership of selected UK organisations, 2009
Source: News reports 2007-9 and corporate websites. * Glastonbury = 2008 attendance
members(millions)

8. @demsoc
But elsewhere …

9. @demsoc
… adverts say we can take a stand ...
... by buying a bar of soap

10. @demsoc
We can change the world ...
... by using a computer operating system

11. @demsoc
Everywhere, you can have it your way ...

12. @demsoc
... tell people what you think.

13. @demsoc
This is the age of mass personalisation

14. @demsoc
It’s the triumph of democracy

15. @demsoc
So what’s wrong with politics?

16. @demsoc
People want to engage ...
German poll: Open Europe 2009. EU poll: Eurobarometer 1997 (EU = 1997 member states) Photos: World Naked
Bike Ride Brighton (Nick Sayers), Tea Party Day protest, Orlando (Instapundit), “Downtown for all” campaign
lobbying Seattle City Council, 2006 (Real Change)

17. @demsoc
…but when politicians want to be open ...

18. @demsoc
... the system hasn’t changed fast enough.

19. @demsoc
If you’re used to personalisation ...
Vote that guy off Big Brother Ten seconds
Tell that columnist that
he’s an idiot
One minute
Have my burger without
mayonnaise
Five minutes
Buy made-to-measure jeans One week

20. @demsoc
... politics is always going to disappoint
Vote that guy off Big Brother Ten seconds
Tell that columnist that
he’s an idiot
One minute
Have my burger without
mayonnaise
Five minutes
Buy made-to-measure jeans One week
Change a government
policy I don’t like
Four years,
if you’re lucky

21. @demsoc
The Internet has not built our new Athens…
Hold still ! I can’t
read Facebook if you
jiggle it
Photo: Marble at Getty Villa, Santa Monica (Simon Bisson/Flickr)

22. @demsoc
…but it has driven a huge social change.
Photo: Social graph (Amber Case/Flickr)

23. @demsoc
What started as broadcast …

24. @demsoc
… and shifted to consultation …

25. @demsoc
… needs to become networked.

26. @demsoc
Our project
!"#

27. @demsoc
Our questions
• How can we talk about the future?
• How can we translate human into policy and
back again?
• How can we find the local networks?
• How can we make this an everyday event?
• How can we make the conversations fair and
open?

28. @demsoc
Anthony Zacharzewski
ajz10@demsoc.org / @anthonyzach