How to make politics more fashionable for young people is a conundrum that has exercised many minds of late, but Hazel Blears thinks she has found an answer.

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government plans to involve people in local politics through a number of new and imaginative ways - and the internet is one of them. 

Speaking to MSN, she explained she and her department have embraced Twitter, Facebook, instant messaging and the very latest interactive online tools to spread the word that politics is no longer a playground for the few, but for the many.

By allowing decisions about our everyday lives to be taken at a grassroots level, and not behind closed doors in a dusty committee room, she hopes many more people - both young and old - will feel they have a greater say over their own lives.

She wants to see radical changes in every community across the land, and has a clear plan for making it happen. If her proposals become law, it will revolutionise the way our villages, towns and cities are run - and revolutionise the kind of people running them, with a particular emphasis on attracting the skills and enthusiasm of first-time voters.

Trying to turn more people onto politics can be a tricky business. Photos of MPs rubbing shoulders with rock stars and ministers showing up on stage with comedians can often win brickbats rather than plaudits. But Hazel Blears is determined to steer clear of any such stereotypes, as her commitment to thoroughly 21st century methods of spreading her message makes clear.

Among her proposals are:

- handing over street markets, community centres and swimming pools to local residents if they can do a better job of running them than councils

- giving local people a direct say on how council budgets are spent

- a programme for young people to shadow government ministers and elected mayors

- consulting on allowing online petitioning as well as paper petitions to be counted towards support for a referendum for a mayor

'Democracy is too precious to leave to the old,' the Secretary of State believes. 'We need to bring on the next generation of young people who are going to be the future. We need to use new media a lot more. I want there to be a real sense that getting involved in politics is a normal thing to do, not something that's a bit strange.'

Watch the video and see how her plans will affect you.

July 22 2008

What do you think is the most practical way to get people more involved in politics? Are you convinced by Hazel Blears and her plans? Have your say.