Why Are Politicians so Out of Touch with the Real World?

Politicians seem to be extremely out of touch with the people who elected them. They don't have to worry about losing their job – at least not for the duration of a parliament – and even if they are not re-elected they usually end up with a cushy job on a company board somewhere. They are paid a significant sum of money to represent the interests of the people who voted them in; to defend the vulnerable and promote policies which will benefit the whole country. How often does this happen, though? Not very often, it would appear.

The trouble is that politicians live in their own little bubble, surrounded by political acolytes and cronies who tell them what they want to hear. Usually, politicians come from privileged backgrounds that gained them access into the higher echelons of society. They may have been sent to private school before heading on to a prestigious university, such as Oxford or Cambridge. It is in these institutions that politicians usually start to make a name for themselves, getting involved in student debates and making acquaintances who will later become political allies or enemies.

Students in well-established universities are often able to make connections that will prove to be extremely useful when they are trying to forge a career. They may get involved in public relations or take a job assisting a politician and work their way up from there. Often, they will work for a politician without being paid for it, and so it helps to have money in the first place. Clearly, it is difficult for someone from a working-class background to be able to work for nothing just to get a foot in the door. Thus, the political landscape ends up being dominated by a small, select group of white, middle-class men.

Most of the people who end up as politicians have never had to struggle to get where they are, as they have always had everything handed to them on a plate. They may have some degree of intelligence, although there are instances where individuals get into university based on their family connections rather than on any innate ability. Even those that do have a few brain cells may not always turn out to be a particularly good politician. They have no experience of the real world, and so how can they formulate legislation that reflects the concerns of ordinary people? They end up obsessed with what business leaders think and how they are presented in the media, rather than the likely impact of their actions on society at large.

Privileged elites end up shaping and sometimes transforming a country without necessarily being able to relate the concerns of ordinary people. Politicians often come across as complacent, because generally they don't really care what happens to the country. They've already made a name for themselves and will have no difficulties getting a job even if they lose the next election, and it will no doubt be a job that pays well. What difference does it make to them if there are people leaving in poverty who have very few chances to improve their lives?

Even the very few politicians who come from less privileged backgrounds and have had to make it the hard way soon become part of the system. Instead of challenging the unfairness of the system and the disparity of wealth within the country, they soon find themselves enjoying their high salary and extra perks they get. All politicians are shielded from the realities of life. Usually, they have no idea of what it is to work hard, even though they usually maintain that they work all the hours god sends and do a good job. If their job is really so difficult and thankless, why on earth were they so keen to get into politics in the first place? Clearly, there must be some advantages of being a politician, particularly when it comes to the financial side of the job.