Citizenship is a balance between rights and obligations and this is the generally accepted view by several theorists and philosophers in the world both past and present. Obviously one has to take into account several factors when discussing citizenship and the various political theories which form and take this into account, theories such as conservatism, socialism, liberalism and other forms of political philosophy.
Politics as a form of administration:
Politics is described by the Concise Oxford Dictionary as the art and science of directing and administering states as well as other political units and this is the basis of good citizenship. Heywood’s typology of politics also discusses the various forms of this genre but one can start with what he defines as the art of government. In it, the citizens are administered directly by politicians who come up with a set of rules and these are accordingly followed and adhered to in the interest of stability and good governance. Naturally one has to take into account certain aberrations which are inherent in this system such as criminality and the breaking of the law which are adjusted by legal means.
Public affairs:
Citizens should involve themselves on a daily basis with public affairs as only through this can a proper administration work. Such public affairs include voluntary services, life as a teacher or an instructor and suchlike. The public service where lots of civil servants are involved includes several factors which can demonstrate how workers and other contributors can strike a balance between their obligations and what they need to do to provide a service. Education is one such factor which indicates how important life can be and how the instilment of the values of learning in younger children is so that these will be able to grow up in a much better atmosphere than their parents. The provision of basic services to those who need them is another crucial part of the coin for the eventual success of the whole enterprise of citizenship.
The art of compromise and consensus
Compromise and consensus is an important part of the political sphere and also involves what may be termed as good citizenship in this regard. Politicians need to adopt a give and take attitude if they are to achieve something concrete in legislative terms and they are also to attempt to move forward in this respect and all the time. When passing certain laws, such as the Healthcare law in the United States, politicians practiced the art of consensus in all forms and were also involved in heavy debates on the art of compromise, this is obviously intertwined with what a good citizen needs to do to achieve a proper balanced form of citizenship.
Citizenship as the art of power and the distribution of resources:
Power is an important part of any relationship and in politics this is no exception. The right amount of power enables one to gain access to resources such as money and land which can then be distributed accordingly in return for political favours. Obviously an element of corruption may be involved in all this and a good citizen has to steer clear from such temptations as this will inevitably bring about a total fallout in the political system. Politicians should also be astute on such issues and must never bow to the temptation of corruption as this will lead to them becoming bad citizens and an inevitable end to their careers if found out.
Politics is also a discursive activity and this is made possible through its use as a language. The art of citizenship is also achieved through the use of good dialogue in politics as this is crucially important when language is used both as a tool of communication as well as manipulation. Up to a point good citizenship may be seen as achieving the art of the possible and making everything happen through the proper use of language (Jenks p 117-120). Language must also be used as a form of expressing rather than concealing ideas and one has to take into account the open discussion when focusing on citizenship accordingly. Public deliberation is also an important and crucial part of citizenship.
Politics as a form of office and service and true citizenship
Politics is obviously made up of several different branches of governments with policy being amongst the most important points in this regard. There are various offices of government across the world and one may describe these as for example, the Prime Minister, ministers, Members of Parliament and the President of the United States. In their own forms each affects the actions of their office, their character is important and crucial to everything and to the manner that their office functions. Citizens elect holders of political office accordingly to what they believe are the best characteristics in this regard and this may be reflected in what eventually comes out of everything (Jenks pp 117-120). One must also take into account how the political system works especially with regards to the passage of bills through parliament and how these are intrinsically affected in each and every stage through the input of politicians who twist and turn everything according to their own needs and requirements.
Political philosophy in order to achieve good citizenship.
There have been several writers on this subject in the past but two which really spring to mind are Plato and Machiavelli. In ‘The Republic’, Plato explains in great detail what the rights and obligations of citizens are and how these can intertwine with what is required on a public level. Naturally enough one has to take into account the various characters of the personnel involved and everything turns full circle in this respect.
Nicolo’ Machiavelli also contributed heavily to the art of politics with his well know book, ‘the Prince’. In it Machiavelli describes the art of political compromise and his ideas are still very much au courant today albeit in different forms and practices (The Prince pp 25-50). Hobbes is also an important author to study on the art of politics while Karl Marx in his seminal book, ‘Das Kapital’ discusses the political philosophy of socialism and communism at length. The trick is to take what is good out of these systems and intrinsically put them all together in one fell swoop and the art of the possible in politics is intrinsically achieved and citizenship is also perfected in this manner. (Marx pp 28-56).
One should also understand how debates form part of government philosophy and how these should contribute to the way resources are allocated. Citizen participation in politics is crucially important in the sense that everyone should make use of his/her vote or else if not, this can be seen as a form of political protest. The way states and institutions interact is also crucial to the understanding of how politics operates and how better citizenship may be achieved.
Politics is an important tool to achieve an interest in the art of citizenship. To fully participate as a citizen, one must understand the art of politics as a form of interaction and this must always be within the context of values, rights and obligations.
The following of a career in politics is also extremely important if one is to achieve some sort of recognition in life and one can say that this has been achieved through the art of citizenship. If one studies political science, empirical forms of social behavior remain paramount and these should also form part of the basis of citizenship.
Political philosophy is also an important part of understanding what citizenship means especially in the context of normative values where one postulates how things should be and also taking a stand in this regard. In this context it is important to study the theories of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas who come up with rival forms of political philosophy. The liberal tradition espoused by Locke is also important as is the class struggle personified by Marx and Engels (Marx 130-150).
Finally being a good citizen rests on the art of balancing out the rights and obligations of the person in the context of political philosophy. If this is not always achievable then it is indeed intrinsically possible by the proper application of common sense as well as moral and cultural values (Jenks 140-150).
References:
Jenks, Edward (1900). A history of politics. J. M. Dent & Co.. pp. 6–15. "In spite of the constantly increasing intercourse"
Jenks, Edward. A history of politics. pp. 16–72. "We now approach the consideration of the second stage of social development"
Jenks, Edward. A history of politics. pp. 73–96. "The origin of the State, or Political Society, is to be found in the development of the art of military warfare."
Jenks, Edward. A history of politics. pp. 97–111. "No political institution is of greater importance, none has been the subject of greater controversy, than the institution of property."
Jenks, Edward. A history of politics. pp. 112–124. "We are so accustomed to look upon the administration of justice as an inevitable duty of the State"
Jenks, Edward. A history of politics. pp. 124–139. "As we have before stated (p. 41), the notion that law could be made was unknown to primitive society."
Jenks, Edward. A history of politics. pp. 140–150. "We come now to the last, and by far the most difficult department of State activity."
Plato; The Republic; Hackett pub 1992
Machiavelli; The Prince; Simon and Brown 2011
Marx K: Capital; Penguin 1992
