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.

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.