Power was the subject of the UpRising learning session held on 12 November 2009. UpRisers explored what the idea of ‘power’ means and the current power dynamics in the UK. They also discussed different types of power and the importance of values to responsible use of power.
Speakers at the learning session included Peter Kellner, former Political Analyst for Newsnight and now President of polling company YouGov, and Geoff Mulgan, Director of the Young Foundation. The discussion was chaired by Young Foundation Associate Director Rushanara Ali.
Peter Kellner spoke about the difference between holding power and exerting influence. He said that while it is thought by many that people who have held power – such as Churchill, Thatcher or Blair – have had the biggest impact on the world, it is often those who influenced power that have the more transformative impact in the long run. Examples of the later approach given by Peter Kellner were John Maynard Keynes’s influence on economic theory and that of William Beveridge on the development of the welfare states.
Peter Kellner also warned the UpRisers to question, although not cynically, those with power, and to bear in mind that power can be corrupting. He further pointed out that the beauty of a democracy is that, unlike autocracies, power grows out of the pen or the ballot box.
Geoff Mulgan spoke about other forms of power, such as moral power or authority – a potential power people have and often underestimate. Using the example of Sharron Storer, who confronted Tony Blair during the 2001 general election, he demonstrated how people often have more power than generally thought. He said that the insight of leaders such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King was how to harness the moral power of the powerless through encouraging the powerful to attack them so that the powerful undermined themselves.
Conversely, those in formal positions of power, such as government can often have far less power than might be expected because they are hemmed in by constraints placed upon them from the media to the public and international organisations. Geoff Mulgan warned about pursuing power for the sake of power – rather, power should be pursued to achieve an objective.
A lively discussion took place following the speakers’ contributions covering issues ranging from the extent to which the EU had gained power and how new media changes the nature of influence of the mainstream media.
Click here to see photos of the learning session.
