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Following the 61% turnout in the May 2005 general election, which was barely an improvement on the historic low recorded in 2001, the apparent 'crisis of democracy' continues to give rise to concern among politicians and all those individuals and groups working to increase public participation in politics.1 The Hansard Society is one such organisation and has for some time been conducting research into the state of political participation in Britain. In March 2005, the Society published its second annual Audit of Political Engagement, conducted in conjunction with The Electoral Commission, which found alarmingly low levels of political engagement among the public: it revealed that the majority of the UK public (54%) feel they know little or nothing about politics; that barely a majority find it of interest (53%); and only a small minority are politically active (16%).2 Of course, a section of British society has always been indifferent to formal, representative politics and eschewed participation in the democratic process; the problem is that this group appears to have grown in recent years. However, while general indifference or laziness may account for some of those declaring a lack of concern for politics and electoral participation, our findings suggest that 'apathy' is not the sole factor responsible. Significantly, according to successive Audits, three out of four people state a desire to 'have a say in how the country is run', while the numbers declaring themselves to be interested in 'issues' (local, national and international) are very high. The problem is that this interest in issues—and the desire to have a say—has not translated into engagement with 'politics', suggesting that the formal process has somehow become disconnected in the minds of many from everyday outcomes and concerns.3