the best possible use I can think of is to generate strategies for implementing (cheap) positive changes in policy.

Competitive government seems about the best hope for this to me, though I rate its chances of success pretty low it seems slightly less hopeless than fixing conventional politics.

The real question is whether you think discussing politics is an effective use of your time. I'm more interested in discussions where ultimately I can take concrete actions that deliver the most expected value possible. Politics doesn't generally seem like such a topic.