What should the relation between politicians and citizens be? A few years ago, Cobi Brouwer wrote a book that will make you reflect on this question. Brouwer wrote the book ‘onorthodox interventions in coaching’ on the basis of ten years of experience as a coach. She developed her own coaching style.
An important lesson of Brouwer is that a coach and his customer should have a loving relationship. The coach acts as a certain guide for the customer when he suffers from problems, when he wants to learn something new or when he has conflicts with others. This customer is quite similar to a citizen who looks for a politician when he has problems, questions, ideas or the simple impression that something is wrong: the politician serves as the guide of its citizens. Which lessons can these guides learn from Brouwers book?
1. Politicians should accept citizens as they are: if they want to build a relation with them, they need to accept them with all their imperfections.
2. Politicians should be able to cope with the problems of citizens: they should have ideas about it, have certain knowledge, and have the idea that they can really help citizens with their problems.
3. Citizens should accept their politicians as well. The question is whether they think that a certain poltician could really help them. Did they choose the correct guide?
4. Politicians should make contact with citizens: a deep contact is needed for communication and change. When there is no trust, there is no contact and no change at all.
This book gives very simple reasons why traditional parties lack support of citizens so often, and why right-wing populists are so popular. Citizens are afraid about Europe, immigration or islam. Right-wing populists accept citizens as they are, they make contact with them and pretend that they can help citizens with these problems. As a result, many citizens accept these politicians as their guides.
This is fundamentally different for traditional parties. Citizens who doubt Europe, globalisation or immigration are not accepted, they are interpreted as racists who want to go back to the fifties. There is no connection or trust. These parties give citizens the impression that they cannot handle the problems citizens deeply care about. As a result, citizens do not accept these parties. If traditional parties want to become guides, they need to take the first step: accept citizens with all their imperfections. If they don’t, they are no guide for them at all.
When you read Brouwer’s book, it all seems so simple. But why is this then so difficult for all these higher educated politicians?
Chris Aalberts* Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Read more in: Coby Brouwer (2002): Onorthodoxe interventies bij coachen: de kunst van het ontregelen [Onorthodox interventions in coaching: the art of disrupting]. Soest: Nelissen.
* Chris Aalberts is lecturer and researcher in political communication. Visit his blog: http://www.chrisaalberts.nl/ - This paper is also accessible in Dutch
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
EditoRosenkranz, une impératrice à la Hofburg?Tuesday, 09 March 2010 | Wiilly BauerRosenkranz, littéralement la couronne de roses, pourrait être le prochain titulaire du siège à la Hofburg. - Non Pröll n'ira pas. Eva Glawischnig... + Full Story
mod_dbrss2 AJAX RSS Reader poweredbysimplepie
Deutsche Seite
Die 4. Gewalt im StaatThursday, 04 March 2010 | H-J. Fandrich
Hat jemand beherzte Journalisten im Mainstream gesehen ? In den alternativen Medien und Blogs ist der Mut zu Hause. Im Mainstream kann ich ihn kaum finden. Schade.. Die 4. Gewalt im... Weiter lesen
Die Türkei erwacht: Absatzbewegung aus dem westlichen LagerFriday, 26 February 2010 | Franck Biancheri - LEAP/E2020Während in der gegenwärtigen umfassenden Krise die Macht der USA und die militärische Stärke des Westens, auf der diese Macht beruhte, rapide zerfällt, beginnt die Türkei ihre außenpolitische Interessenlage zu überdenken und neu zu definieren. Die... Weiter lesen
Blog Italiano
Decreto "interpretativo" e stato d’eccezione: adesso basta!Monday, 08 March 2010 | Maurizio Carena "Caos liste" il Consiglio dei Ministri vara il decreto "interpretativo". Il Quirinale disponibile a esaminarlo. Per Bersani è "un trucco". Per Di Pietro " è "un golpe". I cittadini devono dire BASTA. Anche Mussolini e Hitler erano a capo di... Legga più
Università: Quella che si gioca, una grande partitaThursday, 04 March 2010 | Loreza Masè“L’Università è nostra- ha detto Elena Guercia, Rappresentante degli Studenti - ci sono tante cose sbagliate, dei cambiamenti vanno fatti e noi studenti dovremmo partecipare di più”. Quella che si gioca è una grande partita: si sente la necessità... Legga più
I giovani hanno bisogno di modelli positivi.Thursday, 04 March 2010 | Francesco RossoliniFiniamola di esaltare disadattati semianalfabeti - I modelli positivi dovrebbero essere rappresentai da letterati, matematici, fisici, medici, giuristi, pensatori e certamente anche dagli esponenti più rappresentativi delle avanguardie artistiche. Legga più
Nederlandse Blog
We zijn allemaal IJslanders, beu om te betalen voor de blunders van banken!Thursday, 04 March 2010 | NewropeansWij als Newropeans zouden graag een paar reacties willen geven op het gevecht dat jullie momenteel voeren tegen de ongepaste chantage van de Britse en Nederlandse overheden, aangaande de schulden van de failliete IJslandse... Lees meer
[Europese gedachten] Oh jee, daar gaat de reputatie van Nederland! Thursday, 04 March 2010 | Chris AalbertsAfgelopen week viel de regering over de Nederlandse aanwezigheid in de Afghaanse provincie Uruzgan. Buitenland- en defensie-experts zagen het met veel verbazing en irritatie aan. Zij benadrukten het grote belang van de Nederlandse aanwezigheid in... Lees meer
Página española
PIGS versus USAThursday, 04 March 2010 | Luis CasadoLos países en cuestión son los llamados PIGS, “cerdos” en su acrónimo inglés: Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain. Acojonados, los “cerdos” anuncian medidas para reducir sus déficits, disminuir el gasto público, retrasar la edad de la jubilación,... Lea el artículo
Si les candidats à l’élection étaient le syndic de votre co-propriété, les croiriez-vous? Imaginez l’Europe comme un immense bâtiment en co-propriété dont les habitants de votre pays habiteraient une aile et auraient la gestion du fonctionnement de cette partie du bâtiment. Le gouvernement, c’est le syndic ; il gère les affaires courantes de la partie de l’immeuble que vous partagez avec d’autres locataires ou propriétaires: nettoyage, sécurité, entretien des couloirs et des ascenseurs, rémunération du personnel, et bien sûr fixation des charges. Imaginez que chaque pays de l’Union européenne occupe et gère de façon semblable une partie de ce grand bâtiment... Un éditorial de Philippe Portalier écrit à l'occasion des élections présidentielles en France en 2007, d'actualité pour les prochaines régionales: Le bon sens européen absent de la campagne électorale en France
Join us
Le débat politique vous dérange,
vos convictions européennes
vous démangent
Sharp eye - Regards européensSilvio Berlusconi force la loi électoraleNouveau coup de force de Silvio Berlusconi: le décret «interprétatif» de la loi éléctorale italienne, ou comment selon le Figaro le Cavaliere «sauve» douze millions d'électeurs du risque de privation de voter pour un candidat du parti de Berlusconi aux prochaines élections régionales:
Le Figaro: Silvio Berlusconi force la loi électorale
+ Full Story
768,8 billionSunday, 21 February 2010
Japan 768,8 billion dollars
China 755,4 billion dollars
United Kingdom 302,5 billion dollars
Brazil 160 billion... + Full Story