What one year of political activism within Reform UK taught me – and why I left

Martha Garcia

Democracy does not fail overnight. It erodes slowly—through indifference. Across countries, systems differ, cultures vary, histories diverge. Yet one pattern repeats: democracy doesn’t underperform because it is broken in design, but because people stop caring, and that failure begins with us.

The Illusion of ‘Not My Problem’

Once basic needs are met—job, income, comfort—most people disengage. Civic responsibility becomes optional. Public problems become someone else’s burden. Not out of malice, but distance. We don’t feel part of a shared system.

Nationhood—history, culture, tradition—sounds unifying, but in practice, it rarely compels action. So, we default to familiar excuses: “Someone else will handle it”; “It doesn’t affect me”, or “I don’t have time.”

But this isn’t neutrality. It’s withdrawal.

Ask yourself a simple question: Could you name five key national dates without looking them up? If not, the disconnect is already there.

Selective empathy

We care—but only up close. A farmer loses everything to drought? That’s unfortunate. Change the channel. A stranger needs life-saving treatment? Tragic. But not your problem. Then, eventually, crisis arrives at your door. And when it does, you ask for help—from the same society you once ignored. But that society responds the way you taught it to. Indifference is contagious!

The Bystander Effect in real life

Imagine this. A crowded bus stop. A man is attacked in front of several people. No one moves. Not because they don’t see—but because no one acts first. This is how societies fail—not through lack of numbers, but lack of initiative. Human behaviour follows momentum. One person steps forward, others follow. But without that first move, nothing happens.

Democracy depends on participation – active presence, not passive responsibility.

Voting Without Belief

People still vote—but often without conviction. “I don’t trust politicians, but I’ll vote anyway.” “I don’t know who they are, but I’ll choose one.” This isn’t democracy functioning; it’s a shadow of democracy on autopilot. Worse still, participation without thought creates the illusion of legitimacy and creates the opportunity for cunning individuals and politician wannabees to advance their career agendas.

Illusion is dangerous because it leaves you exposed to their exploitation of you.

From Democracy to Partocracy

What we call democracy is increasingly controlled by political parties and the ones who fund them.

Choices appear broad at the start—many candidates, many voices. But after elections, diversity collapses into a handful of power structures every single time. Representation narrows, and control consolidates – business as usual!

The system shifts—from democracy to partocracy. Political parties become gatekeepers: protecting their own, distributing power internally and reducing accountability. Promises are easy but consequences are rare.

The Accountability Gap

Politicians campaign on promises but are not bound by them. There is no enforceable contract between voter and representative. Imagine if there were: clear commitments before election, measurable obligations in office and immediate consequences for failure. Without accountability, trust collapses. Without trust, democracy becomes performance.

The most important lesson from my observations as an activist for Reform UK is this: there is no accountability, public trust is broken because of it, our democracy has become a theatrical performance and internal corruption is the plat du jour, for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

If I am allowed to recommend just one crucial change for us all moving forward, it is to create an enforceable contract between voters and their representatives. Politicians must become legally accountable for their broken promises, with immediate consequences, enforced by British law.

The Wrong People in Power

Individuals have different personal motivations for seeking active participation in political processes, directly or indirectly. Some are motivated for altruistic reasons, life-changing events and personal experiences that made them aware of the wisdom they accumulated, gifting them with the desire and opportunity to advocate for positive change in society.

Some have long-term deep financial interests and invest in a particular party’s rhetoric. Others get into politics purely for career advancement and access to power and all the privileges that a political career naturally brings.

Politics far too often attracts those who have little to lose, since there is no legal accountability for broken promises, making their move a very attractive and safe bet.

When power becomes the only path to success, it draws the wrong incentives: dependence over independence, loyalty to party over public and survival over integrity.

Power is like a recreational drug: once you experience it, it becomes addictive and you never want to get out of it.

Contrast that with individuals who have succeeded elsewhere—experts in any field, working professionals, thought leaders. They can walk away and that independence matters, because independence is the foundation of integrity.

This is not just political failure, it is societal failure and this is the core problem.

Democracy has weakened over time because people have disengaged, responsibility has been outsourced and public accountability is non-existent in British politics.

Parties have been exploiting that vacuum – but they didn’t create it, we did.

We have a choice, we can change.

The choice

Democracy requires participation, with full awareness.

We ought to care about what happens beyond our immediate lives. We must act when it matters. We the people must hold Power accountable. Because if we don’t, someone else will decide everything for us.

Democracy isn’t dying because of corruption alone; it’s dying because Indifference makes corruption possible.

Martha Garcia lives in Wrexham