THE APPY PARTY LAUNCHES TO GIVE A VOICE TO THE NATION
A former Government technology and data advisor is today launching a new, independent online platform with the ambition of giving the nation the opportunity to share their thoughts directly with decision makers.
Susannah Schofield OBE, who served on the Business, Innovations and Skills Advisory Panel under the Coalition Government, has created the ‘Appy Party’ in a bid to give a voice to the nation.
The time of yah-boo, Punch and Judy politics belongs in the history books. Political participation needs to reflect the evolving world. We can order food, get any product delivered to our door, engage with friends, family and even celebrities and watch millions of hours of content on a smart-phone.
The current landscape means it is easy for voices to be locked out of debates, drowned out by a vocal minority. The Appy Party provides an independent, neutral platform for all voices to be heard, for all to participate in debates and for all to have their say in the future of the country. Using the Appy Party platform, a decision maker will be able to engage with constituents, asking the people an opinion on the latest issues via opinion polling and crowd-sourcing questions. Individuals will also be able to share video, text and audio testimonials, and have the opportunity to deliver their message directly to their political representatives.
The Appy Party provides an alternative to the echo-chamber of social media, presenting decision makers with a representative and comprehensive account of the mood of the nation on any given subject. Meaningful engagement only works if the conversation is two-way.
Over recent years, interest and knowledge in politics has grown. However, throughout this period, satisfaction with our system of governance has dropped by almost a quarter1.
This new platform brings the public into the heart of Westminster. Over half of people agree that digital platforms such as social media can help broaden the conversation and be inclusive of voices traditionally excluded from political debates1.
Despite this, technology has for too long been shunned by politics-as-usual. Despite more than eight out of ten Britons owning a smartphone, fewer than a third watch political content or have signed an e-petition1. The Appy Party can fix this by providing an easily-accessible, comprehensive platform which empowers citizens to participate in the democratic process.
Susannah Schofield, CEO of The Appy Party, said:
“This is an exciting day to bring democracy into the 21st century. There is not a person in this country that would try to claim that politics as usual is working. More and more people are feeling locked out of the democratic process, feeling like their voice doesn’t matter.
“This isn’t good enough and unless we try something different, nothing will change. The Appy Party gives a platform for the disenfranchised to have their say and make the voice of the people known.
“The Appy Party will build a genuinely engaged community that is at the heart of decision making. This isn’t about telling our elected representatives what to do, it’s about creating a real and meaningful conversation between our representatives and those they are meant to represent.”
Members of the public are able to register their interest in participating with the Appy Party by visiting our website at www.appyparty.co.uk
References
Hansard Society, Audit of Political Engagement, 2018 report, access here: https://assets.ctfassets.net/rdwvqctnt75b/iHWHYym8BquqsMQ64oaEC/5c151f5dc7302f37633977500f68c104/publication__hansard-society-audit-of-political-engagement-15-2018.pdf
