Although it is a term with which many of us are now familiar, The Public Interest, was, once upon a time, much contested.
But, at this point, a few hundreds later, some of the settlements that were arrived at during the English Civil War need to be reviewed.
In particular the notion of the Public Interest.
Many hundred years ago all politicians were personally wealthy and the system of government that existed was managed on the basis that wealthy interests and the the public interest were one.
And that no wealthy man would act against his own interest.
The question to be asked today is, what’s changed?
With corruption rife – examples abound – what steps can be taken to start a conversation about changing things?
The papers are owned by special interests groups so the real debate may be informed by national newspapers and television but the concentration of wealthy interests in such institutions prevents even the discussion of discussion let alone meaningful discussion of the issues themselves.
These problems are not insurmountable.
It’s time to listen to each other and also to voices from the past.
The technology is here but that is only part of the battle. Inspiring people to take the conversation everywhere is what it’s all about. For this we need confidence and we need tools. Information, critical thinking skills, hope and motivation.
There is a Media Democracy fair in March.
Maybe some of these issues will be discussed there.
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