Why Demos?
by John Craig
Well today it's because I was in one of those private discussions with a front line politician. So is politics changing? Are new politics of work-life balance, emotions and identity or the environment on the horizon? "There's very little that politicians can do to bring that about, our job is to chase votes. Real change will have to come from thinkers and the public". It is experiences like this that drive my fascination with the question of where real political leadership might come from in the future. You go somewhere you think you are bound to find some and all you find is a vacuum. Relatedly, it's just this kind of vacuum that Will Davies identifies very acutely in this paper on New Labour's view of freedom. It is these questions of freedom and leadership that make everyday democracy so important and which are on my mind in developing the introduction to The Producers.