The climate crisis is not important. At least, that’s what came across during the Leaders’ Debate between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn on the 19 November. During the hour-long debate, just a single question was asked about the climate crisis, during a quick-fire segment with the two contenders for Prime Minister.

This is just the latest example of how the agenda being set by politicians and the mainstream media doesn’t reflect the issues that matter to so many people in the UK. Polling earlier this week found that voters now care more about the environment than the economy, education, and immigration. Right now more than one in five voters (21%) mention the environment and pollution unprompted – up from just 2 per cent in 2012.

Taking action on the climate crisis has become a priority for more and more of us. But our political system has totally failed to respond. Politicians talk about action but aren’t taking action - despite the UK Parliament declaring a climate emergency in May this year.

Climate crisis = political crisis

At the heart of the climate crisis is a political crisis. The climate crisis was not inevitable, it’s the result of political choices made by a small handful of people that hold power in our overcentralised political system. Politicians have used taxpayer money to subsidise the oil and gas industry, time and time again they’ve tried to give fracking the go-ahead, and they’ve actively stifled the uptake of renewable energy and green technology:

• Earlier this month, Boris Johnson was accused of u-turning on his government's commitment to 'ban' fracking after documents were published that said applications for fracking would still be considered.

• In January this year it was reported that the UK is the largest subsidiser of the fossil fuel industry in the EU. Despite pledges to tackle the climate crisis, £10.5bn of taxpayer money was used to subsidise the dirty energy industry.

• The government's ban on subsidies for wind farms in 2018 led to hundreds of wind farm projects being put on hold. This was despite two-thirds of the public opposing the ban AND despite the government's own research, which found that wind farms are the cheapest source of new electricity.

Why reform doesn’t work

Over the years, Unlock Democracy has campaigned to reform the UK’s archaic and overcentralised political system. We’ve worked on a wide range of really important issues, like replacing the House of Lords with a democratically elected second chamber, and replacing our unfair voting system with a fairer system of proportional representation. We’ve fought hard to get big money out of politics and for there to be more transparency around the UK’s highly secretive and influential lobbying industry.

But time and time again we’ve found that the UK’s political system itself is holding back change. Our political system has evolved over centuries to concentrate a huge amount of power in the hands of a small number of people in the UK Parliament. Politicians have a vested interest in the status quo - because they benefit from it. So attempts to reform this system always fall short. Keep in mind, for example, that

Campaigners have worked tirelessly to influence those in power, hoping that promises of reform would be honored. But it is clear that the only thing that can change our political system is pressure from the outside. 

Building a movement for change

You might have already noticed some changes to Unlock Democracy’s work. Going forward, we have our eyes on one prize: turning the UK into a real democracy. We want to unlock the potential of people, unlock democracy in the UK, and transform the UK’s political system into one that is more democratic than it has ever been.

• We want a democratic society that centres equality and justice for all, and a political system that reflects and upholds the values we collectively share.

• We want our democratic society protected by a new and codified constitution that is built and owned by the people.

• This should be created through an inclusive, deliberative, and above-all democratic process - of a citizens’ convention. The new constitution should permanently rebalance and decentralise political power in the UK.

So we’re putting all our energy into building a grassroots movement for a real democracy that is so large that politicians don't have any choice but to listen to us. You’ll be hearing a lot more about our plans to win a real democracy - and how you can get involved - over the coming weeks and in the New Year.