THE BRIDGE (A Political Blog)
What is The Bridge?
The Bridge is an attempt to find a new way to communicate with you, the politically minded and engaged Gibraltarian. A space for debate that breaks away from the simplistic, boring and confrontational format of the Press Release, which dominates the political conversation of contemporary Gibraltar politics.
The Bridge is a term I have borrowed from one of the public figures I most admire, and on whom I try to model my politics - I’m not saying I succeed, just saying I try
This is what the prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, said about leadership:
“To me, leadership is not about necessarily being the loudest in the room, but instead being the bridge, or the thing that is missing in the discussion and trying to build a consensus from there.”
The Bridge will be my political blog, with which I will try to narrow down the space between us by bringing you my thoughts on the issues of the day in a way that (I hope) will be more in-depth, constructive and honest than the usual, strategic party output. It will also give me an opportunity to respond to the blogs of other pseudo-journalists who use their platforms to push agendas and air their resentments, but that is something we'll deal with in due course
Why The Bridge?
Every day is a scramble to read, digest and respond to the political issues of the daily media cycle. The GSD have a lifetime (in political years, that is) of experience at working the press release mill. They demand guarantees, they express discontent, they call on Government to ensure, to refrain, to backtrack… for every issue, for every bandwagon and for every crisis there is a reactive PR with an excessively simplistic take on the issue in question, with no space for real analysis, counterpoint or self-criticism.
Of course, to every reactive PR from opposition there is a matching response from Government (which sometimes elicits another reply, and so on and so forth). These can range from outraged to derisive, but tend to have a very specific flavour, that uniquely GSLP combo of scathing, arrogant and dismissive.
These days, Fabian Picardo and his Government live in a daze of hyperbole and hysteria. Every criticism levied against them is the most ridiculous, nonsensical and erroneous ever delivered. Every accusation unacceptable. Every reproval hypocritical. Sometimes, when they really feel cornered, they lash out with venomous ad hominem attacks. I have been on the receiving end of their venom on numerous occasions (they have taken to calling me stupid every time TG has something to say, for example), as well as notoriously principled and independent members of our community and their civil society platforms.
As a sole opposition MP (who represents a wider party), it is particularly hard for me to find space in between this noisy ding-dong between Government and the "official" opposition (When did we become "unofficial? What about the 20% plus of the electorate that voted for TG candidates, are they "unofficial" too?). You find yourself trying to jump into the mud, shouting as hard as you can to make your voice heard. You remind the media that you’re here, and that you also want to comment on the latest scandal. You try to find hot takes and audacious angles to bring some value to the debate. You forge ad hoc alliances. You launch campaigns. But it is all so exhausting…
Of course at TG we have had our fair share of PR "scuffles" with Government, with equally frustrating results. Most of you will remember, for example, the issue of the impropriety in the purchase of LFT's, in which the Government lied by saying that purchasing tests from a middleman did not increase the price to the taxpayer. The result of the public flagging of this outrageous impropriety? Yet another scathing press release and 0 accountability.
Unfortunately, these dynamics are cemented not only in our media ecosystem, but also in our collective subconscious. It is extremely hard to communicate differently, as well as to convince people that a different kind of opposition style is possible, probably even desirable. Still today, many people expect angry PR’s and gauge the relevance or success of parties on the number and level of aggression of their press releases. “Hay que dar mas caña!” Is how many people salute me these days in Main Street.
The outcome?
The outcome of the “PR Wars” is highly questionable. Whatever criticism we bring to Government is always spun beyond recognition, and there is little work done to look for truths beyond reporting the exchange of accusations - this is not intended as a criticism of the media, who I understand has limited resources and operates in a wholly inadequate ecosystem, but a reflection of the reality will live in.
Most importantly, due to the imbalances of our democracy, Government has the ability to steamroll their agenda through with little to no scrutiny, so you end up engaged in a never-ending scuffle that is noisy and tedious, but brings little to no change to the lives of the people in our community. There is another negative by-product of this dynamic, and this is that many people switch off and lose interest in politics, and most importantly, lose faith in politicians and the work that they do.
So, with an all-powerful government, an unproductive opposition, and a shouty, unappealing and inconsequential political debate, how does a politician communicate with the people they serve? How can one engage people to take an active role in politics if they don’t see the benefit of doing so? How does one bring honour and respect to a much reviled profession, if the only way to reach out is by jumping into the mud-pit?
I do not know the answer to these questions, but with this blog I will do my best to find some of them - If you come with me on this journey I promise to make it honest, and to do my best to make it relevant to you.
Speak soon,
Marlene
PS: If you have any suggestions for issues to dissect, or have interesting ideas as to how to escape the PR war and better communicate with the electorate, I'm dying to hear them. Please feel free to comment!