Tick box politics is a form of gesture politics that betrays the lack of importance attached to an issue by a politician.
A ‘tick box politician’ will ensure that black people are included in his photo opportunities but do nothing to really understand the issues facing minority communities.
A ‘tick box politician’ will make a speech on third world poverty one year – and, perhaps, visit an African country twelve months later - but will fail to renew her trade, defence and other relevant policies in the light of the needs of the developing world.
The opposite of ‘tick box politics’ is ‘commitment politics’. When a politician is serious about an issue she will be prepared to invest extraordinary amounts of time and energy in it. She will seek to understand it, visit people and projects associated with it and find policies that will address it.
‘Total conservatives' and modernisers understand the importance of such levels of commitment. Matthew D’Ancona has written:
“It is a rule of modern politics that the moment you start to feel physically sick repeating a message is precisely the moment the voters start to take note.”
Voters need little reminding of the Tories’ ‘core vote’ positions – and these can, perhaps, be reinforced by a tick box (plus) level of attention. What really needs the time of Conservatives is a new agenda on social justice, global poverty, the arms trade, the environment and other ‘good for my neighbour’ issues.
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