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The Public on the Public: The British Public as Trust, Reflexivity and Political Foreclosure pp 78–103Cite as

Public Reflexivity as Political Foreclosure

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Abstract

This chapter argues that rather than being fragile, uncertain and in need of protection from critical assault, the public thrives on feedback, specifically ‘negative’ feedback, and grows stronger through’ soft’ criticism and auto-critique. Such (self-)auditing activities are set to confirm a mandate through seemingly active participation, but actually create a reflexive spiral of political foreclosure. Consequently, the chapter looks to the self-referencing, or reflexive capture, working at the core of the public, and its channelling through everyday forums of ‘debate’, ‘reply’ and ‘reform’, including popular televisual outputs and the management of contemporary’ scandals’. Public reflexivity – or the way ‘the public’ speaks to and about itself as ‘the public’ – is shown to be the key to staving off first principle challenges, and so must be demystified.

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Notes

  1. There is a huge body of writing on 1 CCTV but useful examples supporting the points made here include: Keith D. Ewing (2010) Bonfire of the Liberties: New Labour, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law (Oxford: Oxford University Press)

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  2. Brandon C. Welsh and David P. Farrington (2002) ‘Crime prevention effects of closed circuit television: a systematic review’ Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate; Peter Fussey (2004) ‘New Labour and New Surveillance: Theoretical and Political Ramifications of CCTV Implementation in the UK’ Surveillance and Society 2/2–3 http://library. queensu.ca/ojs/index.php/surveillance-and-society/article/view/3377; Katherine S. Williams, Craig Johnstone and Mark Goodwin (2000) ‘CCTV Surveillance in Urban Britain: Beyond the Rhetoric of Crime Prevention’, in John R. Gold and George Revill (eds) Landscapes of Defence (Harlow: Pearson Education), pp. 168–87.

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  3. In 2009, the BBC reported that the UK has a great density that other many other countries http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8159141.stm.

  4. Oliver Duggan (2 May 2013) ‘Police seize possessions of rough sleepers in crackdown on homelessness’ The Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-seise-possessions-of-rough-sleepers-in-crackdownon-homelessness-8631665.html.

  5. See Joint Home Office ACPO team (October 2007) ‘National CCTV Strategy Report’ (London: The Home Office), p. 5.

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  6. Ali Smith (2006) The Accidental (London: Penguin), pp. 129–31.

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  7. Jodi Dean (2013) ‘Complexity as Capture–Neoliberalism and the Loop of Drive’ New Formations 80–81: 138–54 (p. 140).

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  8. Ibid.

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  9. Ipso-Mori and RIBA Survey Results (18 April 2013) ‘Housing Standards and Satisfaction: What the Public Wants’ http://site.westminster.ac.uk/ psc/2013/04/housing-standards-and-satisfaction-what-the-public-wants/.

  10. See Gardiner (2013), p. 9 and p. 119.

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  11. There is a mass of literature on government and transparency but for a useful discussion of the cultural claims for transparency, as well as the problems with transparency and its relation to secrecy see Clare Birchall (2011) ‘Introduction to “Secrecy and Transparency”’: The Politics of Opacity and Openness’ Theory, Culture and Society 28/7-8: 7–25.

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  12. David Barrett and Andy Bloxham (3 October 2010) ‘MPs’ Expenses: The Timeline’ The Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5335266/ MPs-expenses-the-timeline.html.

  13. MPs’ allowances and expenses are now searchable but the abundance is still notable and it would take a large amount of time for any person outside parliament or parliamentary standards to analyse the information. In short, the presentation of information is set to hold back earlier demands for information and it fails to help with more fundamental questions about political representation. http://mpsallowances.parliament.uk/. http://www.parliamentary-standards.org.uk/Default.aspx.

  14. See Birchall (2011).

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  15. The Telegraph (5 April 2014) ‘Maria Miller expenses report: rights and wrongs of minister’s claims’ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/conservativemps-expenses/10746022/Maria-Miller-expenses-report-rights-and-wrongsof-ministers-claims.html.

  16. Harriet Harman appeared on numerous news programmes in May 2009 and after in relation to the MPs expenses, explaining that claims had been accepted under an older parliamentary set of rules that had already been changed. As the scandal dragged on she began to concede that some claims were outlandish but mostly sought to insist that MPs had made claims under a legitimate system, and that this system had already been improved and so they could concentrate on rebuilding public confidence and trust. See, for an example of newspaper coverage, The Telegraph (8 May 2009) ‘Harriet Harman forced to defend MPs’ expenses’ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ newstopics/mps-expenses/5294600/Harriet-Harman-forced-to-defend-MPsexpenses. html. Also see Channel Four News 7pm, 8 May 2009. In addition, Question Time covered the MPs expenses debates from the outset, beginning

  17. Jack Grove (28 February 2014) ‘Teachers and Lecturers “do most unpaid overtime”’ Times Higher Education http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/ news/teachers-and-lecturers-do-most-unpaid-overtime/2011698.article.

  18. See, for example, Sam Burton (30 August 2014) ‘A Teacher Speaks Out: “I’m effectively being forced out of a career I wanted to love”’ The Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/a-teacher-speaksout-im-effectively-being-forced-out-of-a-career-that-i-wanted-to-love-9695706.html.

  19. Rosalind Gill (2009) ‘Breaking the silence: The hidden injuries of neo-liberal academia’, in Róisín Ryan-Flood and Rosalind Gill (eds.) Secrecy and Silence in the Research Process: Feminist Reflections (London: Routledge), pp. 228–44.

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  20. Robert Francis QC (2013) ‘Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry Executive Summary’ (London: Her Majesty’s Stationary Office), p. 13. For the full report and additional documents see http://www.midstaffspublicinquiry.com/report.

  21. The story was widely reported. See, for example, The Press Association (23 July 2013) ‘A & E sisters guilty of altering waiting times at Mid Staffs’ http://www.nursingtimes.net/ae-sisters-guilty-of-altering-waiting-times-at-midstaffs/ 5061516.article.

  22. Francis (2013), p. 5.

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  23. For a debates about NPM see: Crouch (2011); Gamble (2009); Christopher Pollitt and Geert Bouckart (2011) Public Management Reform: A Comparative Analysis 3rd edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press)

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  24. Christopher Pollitt (2014) ‘Forty Years of Public Management Reform in UK Central Government: Promises, promises …’, in Sarah Ayres (ed) Rethinking Policy and Politics: Reflections on Contemporary Debates in Policy Studies (Bristol: Policy Press), pp. 7–27.

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  25. ‘Policy Exchange’, ‘About Us’ http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/about-us.

  26. Teresa May (4 October 2012)’ speech at Conservative Party Conference’ http://www.politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2011/10/04/theresa-mayspeech-in-full.

  27. Ibid.

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  28. North-West Evening Mail (20 September 2013) ‘Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Defies Warning with 20 Targets for Force’ http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/cumbria-police-and-crime-commissioner-defieswarning-with-20-targets-for-force-1.1085979.

  29. Cambridge Police and Crime Commissioner (19 September 2013) ‘Commissioner responds on “target setting”’ http://www.cambridgeshire-pcc.gov.uk/commissioner-responds-on-target-setting/.

  30. Teresa May (7 November 2013) ‘Police and Crime Commissioners, one year on: warts and all’ Speech to Policy Exchangehttps://www.gov.uk/government/ speeches/police-and-crime-commissioners-one-year-on-warts-and-all (emphasis added).

  31. UK Crime Statistics are available from http://www.ukcrimestats.com/ but changes in the classifications of crimes and the different ways in which reporting functions have been a cause for debate in recent years and in January 2014 data on criminal activity from the police was not as reliable as was needed for the UK Statistics Agency. See, for example, Alan Travis (January 2014) ‘Police crime figures lose official status over claims of fiddling’ The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/15/policecrime-figures-status-claims-fiddling.

  32. This was widely reported. See, for example, BBC News (2012) ‘PCC elections: Watchdog to probe record low turnout’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ uk-20374139.

  33. Electoral Reform Society (19 November 2012) ‘PCC elections: What price democracy?’ http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/blog/pcc-elections-whatprice-democracy.

  34. BBC News (22 August 2014) ‘West Midlands PCC Election Won by David Jamieson Amid 10.4? Turnout’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englandbirmingham-28898347.

  35. Alan Travis (25 February 2013) ‘“Bungled” police and crime commissioner election failed voters’ The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/ feb/25/bungled-police-crime-commissioner-poll.

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  36. BBC News (28 August 2014) ‘Rotherham Child Abuse: Police Commissioner Quits Labour’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28962144.

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  37. Amnesty International (2 June 2005) ‘Press Release’ http://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/uk-amnesty-launches-appeal-calling-judges-boycottsham-inquiries.

  38. Ministry of Justice (2010) ‘Memorandum to the Justice Select Committee: Post-Legislative Assessment of the Inquiries Act 2005’ http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/moj/2010/Post-Legislative-Assessment-Inquiries-Act.pdf.

  39. Although a good period of time has passed since its publication Scraton’s history and analysis of the Hillsborough tragedy remains particularly useful. See Phil Scraton (2009 ]1999[) Hillsborough–The Truth (Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing), especially for Duckenfield’s ‘lie’, p. 69. Also see The Home Office (1990) ‘The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster: The Final Inquiry Report’ (London: Her Majesty’s Stationary Office); Hillsborough Independent Panel (2012) ‘The Report of the Hillsborough Independent Panel’ (London: Her Majesty’s Stationary Office).

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  40. For a recent story on the inquests and t 38 he ongoing admittance of past errors, see BBC News (30 September 2014) ‘Hillsborough Inquests: Roger Marshall’s “regret” over not delaying kick-off’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englandmerseyside-29424644.

  41. Des Freeman (29 November 2013) ‘A year after Leveson–is press power still in control?’ Media Reform Coalition http://www.mediareform.org.uk/ blog/year-leveson-press-power-still-control Also see Freeman (2014) ‘Truth over justice: the Leveson Inquiry and the implications for democracy’, in P. Dearman and C. Greenfield (eds) How We are Governed: Investigations of Communication, Media and Democracy (Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars), pp. 53–74.

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  42. For a full reading of the Savile affair and its place with contemporary appetite for moral panics and crusades see Frank Furedi (2013) Moral Crusades in the Age of Mistrust: The Jimmy Savile Scandal (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan–Pivot).

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  43. BBC Trust (19 December 2013) The Pollard Review pp. 39–40 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/2012/pollard_review.html.

  44. BBC Trust (19 December 2012) The Pollard Review BBC Response p. 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/2012/pollard_review.html.

  45. Ibid.

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  46. Lis Howell (28 December 2012) ‘Jimmy Savile and why the BBC must change’ openDemocracyhttp://www.opendemocracy.net/ourbeeb/lis-howell/jimmysavile-and-why-bbc-must-change.

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  47. Ibid.

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  48. Ibid.

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  49. Ibid.

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  50. Jean Seaton (16 December 2013) ‘Leave the BBC alone–it has a vision now’ The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/16/ leave-bbc-alone-payoffs-tony-hall.

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  51. Ibid.

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  52. Ibid.

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  53. Ibid.

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  54. BBC One (2013) Points of View, Episode Description http://www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/b03k5cfp.

  55. BBC One (2013) Points of View, Episode Guide http://www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/b01rwh0j/episodes/guide.esi.

  56. BBC One (24 November 2013) Points of View, Episode 20, Closing Sequence of Episode http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03k5cfp.

  57. See BBC News (14 September 2014)’ scottish independence: Crowd protests against “BBC bias”’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29196912. Also see BBC One (14 September 2014) Andrew Marr Show, Transcripts, ‘Andrew Marr Interview with Alex Salmond MSP, First Minister of Scotland and SNP’, and ‘Andrew Marr Interview with Alistair Darling MP, leader of the Better Together campaign http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3hshxFhHM 4dKd3px6Q3NzRF/transcripts.

  58. National Audit Office (2014) ‘About Us’ http://www.nao.org.uk/about-us/.

  59. National Audit Office (2014) ‘Governance of the National Audit Office’ http://www.nao.org.uk/about-us/role-2/what-we-do/governance-of-the-nao/.

  60. National Audit Office (2014) ‘Taxpayer support for UK banks: FAQs’ http://www.nao.org.uk/highlights/taxpayer-support-for-uk-banks-faqs/.

  61. National Audit Office (2011)’ stewardship of the wholly-owned banks: buy-back of subordinated debt’ http://www.nao.org.uk/report/stewardshipof-the-wholly-owned-banks-buy-back-of-subordinated-debt/.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of York, UK

    Claire Westall (Lecturer)

  2. University of Warwick, UK

    Michael Gardiner (Professor)

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  1. Claire Westall
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  2. Michael Gardiner
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© 2014 Claire Westall and Michael Gardiner

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Westall, C., Gardiner, M. (2014). Public Reflexivity as Political Foreclosure. In: The Public on the Public: The British Public as Trust, Reflexivity and Political Foreclosure. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137351340_5

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