– We think it is important that elected officials meet face to face
Loppa SV does not want all political meetings in the municipality as a general rule to be conducted as remote meetings. We believe it is important that elected officials meet face to face to discuss important political issues. Physical meetings provide better room for dialogue, nuances and understanding – which is crucial in a living local democracy.
At a time when political debates are increasingly moving to the keyboard – whether on Facebook or in the media – we think it is more important than ever to protect the arenas where we actually meet, talk together and exchange views directly. When the policy is digitized and the distance between the representatives becomes greater, the democratic conversation and the sense of community are weakened.
We understand that there can sometimes be weather and driving conditions that make it difficult for some to meet physically, but this is precisely why we have deputyists in the municipal council. In special cases, we are of course open to using remote meetings, but we believe it should not be the main rule.
We see that in social media and in the media it is presented as that SV is against representatives from Vestre Loppa being able to participate in political meetings and in democracy. This is wrong. Our position is not about who can participate, but how we best facilitate good democratic processes, real debate and trusting dialogue. We get that best when we meet – not just on screen, but in the same room.
