A prominent locally elected official recently chastised me for writing him letters outlining a serious community safety concern. Now – I am no habitual champion of right fighting. I generally go about my business in life content that the ‘powers that be’ are doing their jobs, so you can bet that this particular issue really upset me. But when I was told off for bringing the issue to the attention of the authorities I had to ask myself – is it old school to expect politicians to listen to us?

I recently saw a television ‘flash back’ outlining political campaign methods spanning the 60’s through to the 90’s. Back in the day, politicians stood on a street corner listening to the needs and wants of the public. They suffered intense questioning as well as heckling. They knew exactly what their constituents wanted because they were open to being told.

In a present day where policies are made and implemented, and Prime Ministers are assigned, all without consulting the people, I say – Bring Back the Soapbox. I would love to see our politicians on street corners where questions from the public are not organized prior to the event, and audiences are not canvassed for supporters. I want the ordinary people to feel as though they have been heard, not pandered to, ignored, or manipulated by media spin doctors.