We asked former home secretary David Blunkett and other experts how to involve #peopleinpolitics. Here's what they said

Why people are not engaged in politics and policymaking – and how to fix it

Why are so many people disengaged with politics?

Those who vote have their voices heard: The budget offered proof in spades that this is the case. The more disengaged, the less likely that political parties will believe that a vote will be cast and therefore will seek a response from those in marginal seats who they are almost certain will vote – the better off, better educated and the older cohort of voters.

– David Blunkett, former home secretary and Labour MP for Sheffield

'Politics' is a dirty word to the public: However, 'democracy' remains an incredibly positive notion. The contemporary problem seems to be that large sections of the public want 'democracy' but without the 'politics'.

– Matthew Flinders, director of the Bernard Crick Centre

Apathy doesn't exist, but disillusionment with the current political system absolutely does: We need to find new ways of connecting people's desire for change with the political system, and ensure that politics isn't just about a mass compromise once every four years.

– Anthony Zacharzewski, one of the founders of the Democratic Society

Politics has never been popular and never will be: It is about conflict and about power. It will always disappoint someone. It affects us all, we all have our view.

– Cristina Leston-Bandeira, a politics lecturer at the University of Hull

The language used by senior politicians in the media is absolutely dire: There seems very little effort by the media to explain political decisions, rather than just jumping on any perceived gaffe or conflict. The way many politicians cope with this – by being incredibly boring – creates further distance with voters.

– Richard Berry, a researcher for the Democratic Audit

Party politics poses issues as yes/no questions: This creates a particular type of political debate – accentuated by Prime Ministers questions – where you have to win, because if you don't you lose. However, many decisions government takes are not like this at all.

– Simon Burall, director of Involve

The structure of government is a huge hindrance: The public do not think about the world within the silos of government departments as they are strung out along Whitehall. When they think about school, for example, they think also about the challenges of getting their child there (transport policy), about the costs of after school childcare and so on. The lack of meaningful communication between departments gets in the way of effective public engagement.

– Simon Burall

Why is it important to get more people involved in politics and policymaking?

Participation in civil society is a prerequisite to understanding where power lies: It's important not to suppress what happens in terms of expression on the streets or in the squares of Cairo or Kiev, but it must then be connected to progressive and positive change, rather than hitting the buffers of more traditional sources of power.

– David Blunkett

Politics reflects bigger social changes: Younger people don't just copy their parents' tribal loyalties. Voting is more like shopping, with preferences changing. But our system has yet to catch up, it offers limited choice and many people in safe seats find voting worthless.

– Katie Ghose, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society

The public can engage even in complicated issues: I'd point to the work of the Finnish government in engaging people in reforming the law on snowmobiles: report from GovLab here.

– Anthony Zacharzewski

What can government and politicians do to involve more people in politics?

Politicians must to be more honest: firstly, about what their role is in what is after all a global political environment; secondly, speaking in a language that people understand; and thirdly, seeking to engage people in solutions rather than top-down 'vote for us and we'll provide the answers'. Disillusionment follows.

– David Blunkett

More discussion alongside voting is essential: Some MPs are engaging in coffee mornings and discussion with local residents about local priorities. This is more slow-burning and involves citizens outside election time which is essential.

– Katie Ghose

Voting at 16 and compulsory electoral participation for first-time voters: This would socialise young people into voting while they were mostly still in formal education and undergoing training in democracy.

– Sarah Birch, professor of politics at the University of Glasgow

Spontaneity should be the norm in politics: It would help if politicians had the courage to be frank and were less afraid of going 'off-message'. If the norm in politics was spontaneity, the media would not dwell to such extent on individual comments.

– Sarah Birch

Shift to weekend voting: The whole family goes together voting, or it becomes the main focal point of the day, rather than something you do after work or school runs.

– Cristina Leston-Bandeira

Engagement is not just about voting: It is also (and mainly these days) about what happens in between elections.

– Cristina Leston-Bandeira

Government has failed to take advantage of the internet: E-voting is the next step. It's great to see politicians with Twitter accounts but there's only so much you can do with that. Online participation in local decision-making is possible.

– Richard Berry

Stop behaving so badly in the House of Commons and listen to each other: Someone in a community asked me recently why political parties sat opposite each other and not just all mixed in together. They thought if politicians talked to each other with a shared view that they wanted to run the country better, then more people would be more interested in politics.

– Helen Milner, chief executive of the Tinder Foundation

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