| Changing Politics / Political system |
Changing Democracy / Democratic system Electoral/Representative democracy/ democratic elections |
Democracy has strong positive connotations for these audiences, whereas politics does not. When talking about the problems we’re facing, point the finger at politics and the political system. |
| Who will do right by us |
Who will make the best / better decision |
When talking about who should make decisions on our behalf, if we ask who will make the best decision it cues a more utilitarian set of considerations around who has the expertise, qualifications and competence to make them. This connects with the belief that decisions should be left to highly educated politicians and elites. However, if we ask who will do right by us, we cue a more moral set of considerations around who is honest, sincere and holds our best interests at heart. On this turf, politicians can’t compete with the public as trust in politicians is so low. |
| Not representative / unrepresentative |
Not elected / unelected |
Emphasising the importance of being elected (e.g. in the House of Lords) can reduce support for (unelected) citizens being more involved in decision making. Furthermore it positively depicts politicians as “more democratic” in comparison, subtly reinforcing the legitimacy of the current electoral system that appointed them. |
| The system is... old fashioned / Victorian / needs updating / upgrading |
The system... is broken / democracy is broken / we need to fix democracy |
We found that these audiences had some pride in the democratic history of the UK, especially compared to other countries. They don’t agree that democracy is broken and as it’s not broken nor does it need to be fixed. However, they acknowledge that there is plenty of room for improvement to make it fit for purpose in the 21st century. Talking about updating or upgrading also makes it clear that the system is designed by human beings and can be changed. |
