Parliament Street’s Clare Ambrosino presented her chapter “Any Man Politics” at the launch of the think tank’s debut book “Smart Politics”.
The term ‘Any Man Politics’ is a loose translation of the anti-systemic political party ‘Fronte dell’Uomo Qualunque’, which was set up in post war Italy, supposedly to protect the ordinary man “Any Man” against the ruling elite. In the concluding chapter of Smart Government, Clare Ambrosino explores the stresses that an increasing sense of voter disengagement and individualism is placing on Britain’s long established democratic system of government. The rise of anti-political “Any Man” parties, often with single policy or no policy agendas, risks fragmenting the vote and destroying a political system which has provided centuries of stability.
Clare Ambrosino said, “ I believe that Conservative values are at the heart of the British identity and if that identity is to be safeguarded, there is an urgent need for excellent conservative policies and politicians. Easy, populist rhetoric is simply not sufficient to govern and cannot deal with matters of extreme importance such as world peace, global economy, national security and multicultural integration”.
Conversely, in the information age, people are less exposed to in-depth political journalism and are prey to charismatic gurus offering facile solutions. Politicians must find ways to engage the disengaged and communicate the value of strong, conservative policies.
Clare believes that all hands are needed on deck to re-engage voters, “There is much at stake. Plato believed that too much fragmentation leads to slavery and his vision of the Ship of Fools, where everyone believes they have a right to steer but have not learnt the art of navigation, must not be allowed to become a reality.”
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