Power to the People A users guide to democracy - Hardcover

Jellinek, Dan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 059307050X ISBN 13: 9780593070505

Publisher: Bantam Press, 2014

Synopsis

Politicians have a notoriously bad reputation: one recent survey found people trust them less than used-car salesmen. Voter turn-out in most elections is shockingly low; and episodes like the MPs' expenses scandal of 2009 simply serve to confirm the opinion of many that 'they're all as bad as each other'. But deep down, most of us also know we are incredibly lucky to live in a democracy, with freedoms that billions of people across the planet would give anything to enjoy. So we are lucky - but still, we don't like our system and we don't trust our politicians. In the face of growing global unrest, from the Occupy movement and the 2011 summer riots to the Arab Spring, what is the answer? Part of the cure must be to better understand the disease: to understand how our democracy works, with all its strengths and weaknesses, achievements and archaisms, complexities and flaws. In Power to the People Dan Jellinek provides a unique and accessible guide to democracy in the UK, investigating how our government and our communities function, and the role that we, the general public, need to play to keep the wheels turning. If you want to know what it really means to be British, how your small actions can bring about big changes, and how you can improve your life and the lives of others then this book is a must-read. Wake up, stand up and be counted; the power is in your hands.

About this title

About the Author

Dan Jellinek is co-founder of Headstar, a publishing house specialising in technology and social issues including the effect of the internet on democracy, and access to technology by disabled people. In his early career Dan covered both Westminster and Brussels for Local Government Chronicle, the UK's leading news publication for local councils. He then went freelance, writing for the Guardian and working for BBC Online as an early contributor to BBC WebWise, an online and TV resource for internet beginners. In 2001 he co-founded VoxPolitics, the UK's first think-tank tracking the use of new technologies in political campaigning. This work led to Dan being voted among the top 10 people worldwide having an impact on the way the internet is changing politics. In recent years Dan has worked for the Parliamentary IT Committee (PITCOM - now PICTFOR, the Parliamentary Internet, Communications and Technology Forum), briefing MPs and Peers on key policy issues such as the role of the Internet in pro-democracy struggles in the Middle East. Between 2006-09 he was on the international board of E-Democracy.Org, a pioneering charity which aims to improve participation in democracy using information networks. Dan is married with two children and lives in Brighton, East Sussex. www.danjellinek.com

Edition details

• Publisher: Bantam Press
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 059307050X
• ISBN 13: 9780593070505
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336