I stood as a candidate in the Pentland Hills ward for Edinburgh city council because I'm confused, and want to do what's right.

You see, I'm a penguin called Professor Pongoo. Pingu, my cousin, asked me to come down to Earth to run for election. On my planet, humans do things differently and us penguins, polar bears and all living things have the food we need. Humans leave us alone, respecting our rights to co-exist. When they want to sort out problems, they don't choose people from "parties" who pretend to debate and then make their decision according to what the party line says. They talk to each other and work out what makes everybody happy – or at least content with their lot – because that way fewer people feel excluded. They listen to what people say and try to accommodate their needs, rather than consult lobbyists. By listening, they find they can better represent local citizens rather than have arguments in spheres that are competitive and confrontational.

Professor Pongoo and Alistair Darling. Photograph: Mike Farrigan

Here, everyone seems to be infatuated with what you call "economic growth", which is proving to be unsustainable short-term thinking. By contrast, prosperity without economic growth is the system we have chosen on my planet. We have a quality of life that treasures family values, community participation and reconciles our aspirations for the good life with the constraints of our finite planet. We don't have a huge, ever-increasing human population that nobody on this planet even wants to talk about.

On my planet, need – and not greed – is the prevalent philosophy, with an economic system based on respect, which acknowledges the limited resources available. Funnily enough, by working from the ground up rather than from the top down, people get involved because they know their opinions will be heard.

On your planet, people and organisations are selfish and self-interested. In the current set-up, they tend to have the loudest voices. But making councillors talk to the people they are supposed to represent can ensure they get a better idea of what they need to prioritise. That would help disminish the cynicism voters feel towards politicians – a cynicism that resulted in a sad 38% turnout of voters here in Scotland.

When I talk to people about politics at a local or national level, people grumble and shrug their shoulders, saying, "it's never going to change". They always blame "them". That's understandable but not very helpful. The electorate should choose councillors who keep on listening – even between elections – and want to represent both the social needs of the electorate and the environmental needs of the planet, while seeking to empower the electorate to have more say in how their taxes are spent. Councillors should never forget that they need to be accountable by explaining the decisions made at council meetings to the people they claim to represent.

Although I'm a penguin, I'm not daft. I'm not suggesting that everyone would be completely happy, but greater participation in local politics tends to improve the way councillors work. It takes their interest away from party politics and grandstanding within the closed club of councillors, and makes them focus on the more important issue of local services and amenities, and the everyday lives of the people who choose them.

It was no surprise to me that I beat the Lib Dem candidate, Stuart Bridges, as I am well known both nationally and in my community for my voluntary work (working with schools and local organisations on the issue of long-term sustainability). If the Scottish Green party candidate, Phyl Stuart Meyer, who doesn't live in the ward and was simply a paper candidate, had withdrawn his nomination as requested, I may even have been elected.

It took me three weeks to leaflet the whole ward – four hours each day – and at my own expense, unlike the funded political parties. Mine was the only leaflet on 100% recycled paper. While waddling the streets, folks continually told me how they were fed up with our political system. I offered them hope, telling them that a new consensual party system and more devolution in politics is possible. The political parties may talk the talk, but I can help them with waddling the waddle.

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