Linda Hofman

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO EVERYONE: HOW THE DUTCH WILL MAKE THE LOCAL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS ABOUT THE LONG-TERM

By Linda Hofman

USUALLY, there is a circus of opinions, loose facts and controversies surrounding the elections. A common experience is that people find the tone of politicians unpleasant, do not feel represented and feel that politicians are mainly concerned with themselves. To get people more involved in local politics again and give them a view on the long term, the election of the future is about other questions. ‘What is a good world?’ and ‘How can you move towards it?’

Our Prime Minister called the management of the corona crisis the last two years: “steering in the rear-view mirror”. That was necessary, of course, because we were taken by surprise. However, this skill of steering is wholly inadequate now that the approaching climate catastrophe, increasing inequality and growing distrust in society presents us with greater challenges. If we only fight the symptoms of structural problems, we will be overwhelmed by a literal and figurative flood. So how do we find a way forward after two years swallowed up by our personal and local problems? Are we swallowed up by discussions on the measures and the figures, busy arranging postponements, replacements, shelter and recovery? Do we have any idea what kind of world we want to return to now that the pandemic seems to be getting under control?

It is not surprising that our politicians are limited to talking rather than deciding what needs to be done now. News is often about incidents, fleeting excitement, fuss. The newspapers are full of problems, scandals or remarkable anecdotes. And we all suffer from it, hunched over our smartphones, swamped with information and confronted with instantaneous communication. The technological, financial and social structures that we have so carefully built up over decades leave little room for the long term. So we are held in a permanent now, with no room to zoom out and ask questions about the things that matter.

Yet it is perfectly possible to give abstract things like hope and good courage a place in our lives. There is a bigger story that transcends our daily concerns and concerns us all. What story emerges when we ask how we can be a good ancestor?

Composer Merlijn Twaalfhoven has taken the initiative for an alternative election. This should lead to more cohesion. “There is actually one clear cause for all of today’s major problems: we think in the short term. Let us, therefore, together put longterm thinking on the map for administrators and politicians. Not with warnings and admonitions, but with a beckoning and inviting picture of the future! We need an artist mindset to open up our imagination for this bright possible futures. If we see how much we can agree on what a good world in 2050 might look like, we can also commit to taking steps now.”

The so-called Future Election will be held during the municipal elections on the 16th of March 2022. Beforehand, inhabitants of the Netherlands, both adults and children, will be asked to indicate what makes their hometown a good place. The election of the future shows in easy ways how politics can also be about the own local environment, the long term, togetherness, agency belief, creativity and that it is possible to protect the interests of even future generations in every municipality. A broad audience will be involved in the idea that together we can play an important role in shaping the world of our grandchildren. This breaks the focus on incidents and individual problems in the media and creates room for a different conversation.

Tessa Cramer, futurist and Applied professor at Fontys Academy for Creative Economy, supports the idea of Future Elections: “What I find very important is that the future should be accessible for all of us. I am a scholar and have learned about a lot of methods and theories on how to study the future. Yet, at a certain point, I came to the conclusion that the questions we ask can and should be much simpler than I initially assumed. Questions like: What matters? And, what are the uncomfortable questions we have to ask ourselves?”

By questioning people about ‘What makes the place where you a good place to live?’ and ’What is your idea of a good world?’ the dialogue is started, and by listening to each other, we learn what is really important in our lives.

The future has already begun. Scattered in small, loose islands of invention, solidarity and sustainability, a good world already lives among us. We can experience it, even if it is far from normal. Once you start looking and listening in the neighbourhood, the village, at schools and in organisations, it becomes clear what we are all capable of doing, undertaking and organising. It doesn’t take much more than the ability to listen to see all these initiatives, projects and enterprises as a courageous movement towards a good world. And it turns out that when people can actively participate in building something together, it really makes them happy. Distrust falls, courage arises, and that is what is needed.

Unlocking held dialogues, revealing what usually remains hidden: the dreams and ideals that live within citizens. These thoughts and opinions can be seen as the fertile layer in our society and the foundation for a healthy and good world. In this layer, it is possible to imagine and create a world we want to live in.

Cramer: “Many futures lie before us. By exploring them, it quickly becomes clear that there are many beckoning prospects”. Twaalfhoven adds. ”But it takes courage to make room for them now. And you get that courage when you see the neighbourhood power, the local cooperation and the local entrepreneurship. The connection between ideals and practical ways of making a difference creates perspectives for action. This is not a luxury but a necessity. It offers a way out of the tangle of crises in which we are entangled and which takes our breath away.”

The stories and descriptions from the dialogues about ‘good lifes’ are transformed by artists into images of the future, making it even easier to understand what we want for the future. This will lead to twelve visions of the future, which will then be presented to the newly elected municipal council in each municipality: The world we want today and want to create for our grandchildren.

On the same day as the municipal elections, the Future Election will behold. All inhabitants, including children, can vote for the Netherlands of 2050. This voting says which version of the year 2050 would make us happiest. The outcome of the future election will be given to the elected local leaders so that they can express not only the interests of their voters but also those of future generations. It is the starting point to keep the dialogue about futures represented. That way, we will take serious steps towards a good world. Not to dream, but to live.

This text have been largely translated, copied and mixed up from: An earlier Dutch article ‘Gemeenteraadsverkiezingen kan niet om de lange termijn’ written by: Merlijn Twaalfhoven, Kees Klomp, Tessa Cramer, Danielle Arets and Jan van de Venis, but not published; And from the websitehttps://toekomstverkiezing.nl.