An American View on British Politics

How the findings of a leading American political pollster support the goals of 'Democracy 2015'

Andreas Whittam Smith
Wednesday 12 September 2012 12:22 EDT
Comments
Andreas Whittam Smith with members of the Democracy 2015 team. The movement aims to return political power to ordinary people
Andreas Whittam Smith with members of the Democracy 2015 team. The movement aims to return political power to ordinary people (Susannah Ireland)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

What a leading American political pollster, Stan Greenberg, who has been testing the political temperature in Britain has found, supports the notion that ‘Democracy 2015’ is an idea whose time has come.

Mr. Greenberg says that British voters want a fundamental change in the way the economy works, but are sceptical that the electorate can have much influence. He is right so far as the current structure of British politics is concerned, but Democracy 2015 aims to change that. He also correctly emphasises the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. Inequality has become a major concern again.

Furthermore Mr. Greenberg delivers a valuable insight into contemporary politics: ‘voters judge parties not just on what they deliver but also on who they deliver it for.’ I would add that voters also care what sort of politicians decide policy.

The most interesting polling result is that by a margin of 47 – 35, Britons believe that ‘we need to fundamentally change the way our country and economy works’. That is exactly the task that Democracy 2015 has set itself.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in