Why are People Fed up With Politicians?

Why are people fed up with politicians? It's not a difficult question to anwswer is it? They lie, cheat and do whatever they want and the rules that apply to us mere mortals appear not to apply to them. Politicians are supposed to represent the interests of the people who vote for them in the national legislature, but the reality is that they form an elite club and they only seem to care about themselves and others who belong to their set. There may be the occasional idealist, fighting for the working man and woman, but the majority of politicians are more interested in being seen to have power and influence, and using that power to help cement their position at the top of society.

The number of people voting has declined over the years and politicians will point to general apathy. Is it really apathy, though, or just realism? In the UK, the first-past-the-post system means that unless you live in a marginal seat, your vote barely counts for anything. So, you end up with either a Conservative or a Labour government, or on occasion a hung parliament and the need for a coalition. The Liberal Democrats conveniently seem to swing both ways. At the end of the day, who can tell the difference between the parties anyway? They've all moved towards the centre, so that there is very little to distinguish between them, and whoever is in power generally makes a mess of things.

It's all about posturing and grand gestures instead of what would actually make the country a better place to live. Everything worth anything has been privatised in the UK and we're continually told that competition is good; that it benefits the consumer, despite the fact that there is little evidence to support this claim. What can ordinary people do to vent their anger? They can whinge to their friends and family and moan on various social networking sites, but that won't change anything. Of course, they can vote and help to elect another government, yet will that alter anything? It will hardly make a difference. Politicians appear to be devoid of integrity. They simply chase votes, and do whatever they can to annoy the other parties.

Parliament is composed largely of white, middle-aged, privately-educated men who are supposed to represent the views and opinions of an extremely diverse nation. They get paid a large salary and receive other perks, and proclaim that if you want the best you have to pay well. Well, of course, they would say that wouldn't they? Who has decided they are the best, though? So, a politician went to Eton, then Cambridge and fell into a job in politics because his daddy has the right connections. He hasn't had to work his way up and see what it's like to struggle, has he? The chances are that he got where he is because of luck and knowing the right people more than anything else.

Politicians say whatever they can to get elected, then renege on their commitments. They have no sense of shame as they cut people's benefits and denigrate 'scroungers' whilst awarding themselves huge pay rises for turning up and doing the bare minimum of work. Maybe some of them got into politics for the right reasons and wanted to improve their country, but in most cases it seems that they're there for the glory and to help others within their own social circle, rather than the country as a whole. Although people may be fed up with politicians and angry, there don't seem to be any other satisfactory alternatives and a sense of powerlessness means that people, in the UK at least, don't really see a point in trying to change the situation.