Where Is the Real Opposition?

The arts and media: a new home for politics?

Parliamentary politics seems increasingly irrelevant and dull, and there is little excitement about the impending general election, but does this mean the public is hopelessly apathetic? Increasingly, others seem to be occupying the ground where politicians fear to tread. The media have been hailed as the new opposition, with the Today programme taking on the government over Iraq, for example. Theatres feature plays about the war on terror, the transport system and education, attracting large audiences and provoking intense debate. Satire on TV and on the comedy circuit seems more scathing than questions in the House. Important issues neglected by mainstream politics are explored in the cultural sphere.

Do the arts and media offer a viable new home for critical engagement, or does this reduce politics to a product to be consumed by passive audiences? Can the creative energy of the arts inspire a new kind of politics? If culture is the new home of politics, why do the media continue to devote so much attention to the electoral antics of the political parties?