Post by WEA Learn Online Admin on Feb 26, 2015 19:17:10 GMT
Welcome to this forum where we can discuss, share and hopefully learn more about politics and the vital role it plays within our society. We are keen for both those who attended one of our ‘Politics: what is it good for?’ day schools, and anyone else who may be interested in joining in. You can participate in discussion on here either as a member or a guest and you can also post links to articles, upload documents, photos etc...
The ‘Politics: what is it good for?’ day schools covered four main areas:
• Political history: how did we get here?
• The variety of political ideas: what options have we got?
• Options on action to be taken: why we can make a difference?
• A dystopian look at what lies ahead: which future awaits us?
You can find out more about each one by clicking on the corresponding link below:
Political history: how did we get here?
Politics is about the management of power. No society can prosper if everyone does whatever one wants regardless of the consequences for others. But to secure order requires power structures which, without effective safeguards, can be abused. The history of political struggles teaches us how oppression and chaos are the ever- present twin threats when societies seek to find the right balance of power between its members.
More information about the course text, ‘Against Power Inequalities: a history of the progressive struggle’, and how you can use it and the optional supplementary materials to promote wider discussion can be found here: hbtam.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/against-power-inequalities-historical.html
The variety of political ideas: what options have we got?
Political options are generally presented in polarised pairs (e.g., let the top command without dissent or defer always to bottom-up demands; leave the few to take control of whatever they can take over or let no one own anything; keep to the past traditions or change anything for the future), but the real issue lies beyond these abstract opposites. What we should explore is how best can people cultivate mutual trust and develop the ethos and mechanisms for inclusive decision-making that can underpin the most balanced power structure to enable society to be safe and successful.
More information about the course text, ‘Communitarianism: a new agenda for politics and citizenship’, and how you can use it and optional supplementary materials to promote wider discussion can be found here: hbtam.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/communitarianism-democracy-cooperation.html
Options on action to be taken: why we can make a difference?
Politics takes place not only at the level of national government, but also in the decision-making in business, voluntary and public sector organisations at the local, national and international levels. We can make a difference by systematically introducing cooperative problem-solving approaches to every decision-making process we can be involved with. By applying the key elements of cooperative problem-solving, we shift politics closer to how it should function in practice.
More information about the recommended resources for cooperative problem- solving, ‘Together We Can’, and how you can use it and related guide materials to promote wider discussion can be found here: hbtam.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/together-we-can-resources-for.html
A dystopian look at what lies ahead: which future awaits us?
One of the most popular genres in modern literature and contemporary films is that of dystopia, a fictional projection of how badly wrong the future could turn out if certain things were allowed to happen. Dystopian fiction has become one of the most accessible means to engage people who may not otherwise respond to discussions about politics. By visualising the dangers ahead vividly, the need to act politically becomes less easy to overlook.
More information about the highlighted dystopian novels ‘Kuan’s Wonderland’ & ‘Whitehall through the Looking Glass’, and how you can use them and other recommended books to promote wider discussion can be found here: hbtam.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/dystopia-of-powerful-novels.html