In many cases these interest groups have effectively taken ownership of the interaction between government and the community.

 

People might assume that by interest groups I am referring to ‘the big end of town’ but this is not necessarily the case.  Groups from all sides have taken on the mantle of representing community views.  Sure developers, bankers and industry do this but so do environmental groups and other community lobby groups.

 

Ask any community activist if they speak for the community and they will be quick to claim a mandate; which is often completely baseless, or grossly over-exaggerated.

 

Most of the time, the great silent majority is completely missing in action from public policy debates. If you are one of those people (and most of you are) then ask yourself, when was the last time an interest group asked your views? Or checked that their passion aligned with yours before campaigning on your behalf?    

 

Interest groups have become so adept at capturing the debate that, often, what passes for community engagement is entirely dominated by minority interests. In the face of this onslaught of interest groups governments struggle to find the community pulse and often take decisions that make compromises to placate noisy minorities at the expense of society at large.

 

I don't want to give the impression that I am criticising the minority groups, far from it. 

They either; believe passionately in what they are arguing for, are pursuing their commercial interests, or both. These are both perfectly honorable things to do in our society.  

 

But for government, the benefits of tapping into the views of the wider community are immense. 

 

Generally speaking, people are moderate, considered, practical and positive. The problem is that most people are not easy to hear. Most people are too busy leading their day to day lives, because most people are not activists.

 

That doesn’t mean that ordinary people don’t care, or that their views shouldn’t be considered in government decision making processes.

 

Traditional methods of government engagement, such as hosting events that require in-person attendance or calling for written submissions, feed the dominance of fringe groups. It is difficult to participate in a meeting if you are not confident and articulate, or when somebody who is more so is hogging the floor. Many people don't feel comfortable writing submissions, and let’s face it we are all busy people and these engagement methods are asking us to take time out of our lives and that is one thing we are all short of.

 

The great thing about online engagement, as a complement to the other techniques, is that it breaks down those barriers. People can get involved easily and at a time and place of their own choosing; and they do.

 

This means that Governments can begin to decipher what is a noisy minority and what is the authentic voice of the wider community.

 

I predict a future of better, bolder and more positive government as the great moderate majority finds its voice. Isn’t technology wonderful!