They always come across as disconnected shysters to me . So the question is does politics attract that kind of person or do people go into it with good intentions but the system turns them bad ?

Because we allow them to get away with it that’s why.

Because…

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYnnm3L12fA[/video]

Because you hear a lot about the ones who screw up, but the press don’t bother reporting on when they just get on with their job.

I don’t want to saint Jo Cox just because of what happened to her, but it does seem that she was genuinely one of the good ones.

When I was young, I was active with a political party, and I can say that, while many of us got involved with the best of intentions, it became very insular very quickly.

Now, I admire those who hold on to what got them into it in the first place.

Because you hear a lot about the ones who screw up, but the press don’t bother reporting on when they just get on with their job.

^^This^^

The best get little or no press. The bad, the mad and the Livingstone-Hitlers get all the press.

Thankfully, the majority of people in politics are there for the right reasons. Sadly, there are a few too many of the wrong sort as well, but isn’t that the case in almost any work environment? It’s just that the dick in accounts who had a dalliance with male hookers doesn’t garner quite the interest as the upstanding member from Leicester.

I don’t buy the line that there’s more good than bad politicians in politics. I think there are a lot of very apathetic politicians, with some good ones and some utter arseholes thrown in – in equal measure.

I mean, where else, other than Westminster – would you get giant great big **** off advertisements for the F-35. Are they there to sell them to you and I? Uhhh no, they are there because they are busy lobbying various politicans in the private members clubs in and around embankment and those adverts are there to make sure that their product is on the mind of every MP and adviser who takes the tube back home.

Met a few. Generally more impressed with the backbenchers, but most of them came across as imperfect people (aren’t we all) trying to do a decent job in an imperfect world.

Jack Straw is a perfect example of a ****.

In April 2011, Straw was appointed as a consultant to E. D. & F. Man Holdings Ltd., a British company based in London specialising in the production and trading of commodities including sugar, molasses, animal feed, tropical oils, biofuels, coffee and financial services. Commenting on his appointment to ED&F Man on a salary of £30,000 per annum, Straw said, “There are 168 hours in the week, and I will work in Blackburn for a least 60 and maybe sleep for 50. Providing there’s no conflict, I have long taken the view that I am not against people doing other things. I had two jobs as a minister. I think it’s really important that politicians are involved with the outside world.” [66]

LOL – apparently a financial firm counts as the outside world.

Because you hear a lot about the ones who screw up, but the press don’t bother reporting on when they just get on with their job.

From what I’ve been told by a friend of mine, it’s like doping – the ones you know about are the ones that were stupid enough to get caught, so it’s just the tip of the iceberg, it’s not far off the mark to assume that everyone is doing it.

the upstanding member from Leicester

He has a *very* bad reputation in Leicester – considered most untrustworthy

National Treasure:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIt3PM5DF_c[/video]

He has a *very* bad reputation in Leicester – considered most untrustworthy

I feel you may have missed my (admittedly very poor) joke!

Politicians are a bunch of ****, fact. Greedy, immoral bastards the lot of them & I wouldn’t trust any to do anything unless it would satisfy their greed. Have no trust in any of them.

My MP has a lovely bum.

My MP has a lovely bum.

I didn’t know we both lived in Surrey heath Crikey!

My MP saved our post office. Or maybe it was my missus returning 3/4 of the shite she buys of the internet. I don’t know but every single one I’ve met is a twunt, except for ours but i won’t vote for him, bloody do gooder.

I suspect it’s because most politicians these days have only ever been politicians.

I reckon the last really competent politicians were the ones who came out the diplomatic service.

Jacob-Ress Mogg is the first one I’d send to a gulag if I were ever in that position. I hope the squirrel from Iceage chews his nutsack off.

At least MP’s are elected. The House of Lords isn’t… and they outnumber MP’s. 🙄

Most of them want power at any cost. To my mind that accounts for most of their actions.

Much farther North fella!

even if you don’t believe half the things that Nick Clegg recently said of Osbourne and Cameron, the idea that they (tories in this instance, but the reverse is also true) see social housing as literally building a Labour vote, or welfare as the same, reveals how tribal it all is. They ALL (and I’ve never met a politician that didn’t think like this) think of it in terms of their own side and the other side…

Why are people like the wild generalisations I make about them?

How can politicians hold the public that elect them in contempt? Well a significant amount of the population can’t be arsed to vote so no need to bother about them (a significant number of seats at the last GE could have been one by “Didn’t Vote”) of those that do a good number have a “I’ll never vote for them cause [insert event from 20-30 years ago]”, the rest are easily bribed with shiney things.

Every nation gets the government it deserves. – Joseph-Marie

24hr news and the void to fill, social media and the rise of the Like to express a political opinion but can’t be bothered voting generation also means a log gets dragged onto the headline/news feed that in other times may have just washed away – remember the good day to bury bad news, a few previously ago it would have been missed, now it will be pushed back to the surface and recirculated.

We also live in a world where facts are dispensed with and dropped like awkward memories when it’s convienient by both politicians and the great internet commentry team. If it doesn’t fit your narrative just ignore it – we have more news and option but how much of it is actual facts?

Our MP seems ok when I’ve meet him. Many MP’s seem good even if I don’t agree in their direction. Those that stick their heads above the political parapet and actually try to represent all those in their constituency should be respected.
There are some notable exceptions.

I vote for an MP I despise (Eric Piggles) because he’s part of a political doctrine I have no real confidence in compared to various other choices, all of which I detest even more.

That just about sums up our electoral system and why we have so many shitty, self-serving MPs sitting in safe seats.

My MP is an utter ****!! He seems to actively enjoy being an utter ****, and doesn’t seem to care one little bit about even pretending he’s representing the interests of his constituents. In fact, we rarely see him. He seems to turn up every few months, do a quick round of photo ops, presenting charity cheques, opening a new maternity unit or whatever (with the local press in full attendance of course), then he’s on the train back to Westminster as fast as his legs will carry him, where he acts as a Tory hatchet man to scupper bills that the boss doesn’t like

I haven’t heard a single person, of any political persuasion, have a good word to say about him. People who have to deal with him say that, on a personal level, he’s utterly repellent. Arrogant, rude, and self-absorbed, with a monstrous sense of entitlement (typical Tory)

But he’s just been re-elected again, which would suggest that we get the politicians we deserve.

The previous Labour MP was sent down for fraud during the expenses scandal, just to show that its not just the Tories who are ****s!

My local MP works very hard, replies to my ranty emails about trains, the NHS, Referendums and filibustering very swiftly. I don’t agree with his politics, nor will I ever vote for his party in a millions years, but I appreciate that he takes the time to respond to all my concerns.

Thankfully, he isn’t Jacob Rees-Mogg, a man who I too would love to see breaking rocks in some freezing gulag somewhere until he acknowledges the error of his ways.

A school friend of mine is *almost* an MP (lost by a handful at the last GE) but I think will certainly be one next time (if labour don’t implode). He is seen as a ‘rising star’ by labour bods apparently.

Although not terribly bright, he had a very ‘big’ personality. At school, it seemed like he was accepted and thought of as funny, or a massive show off/ idiot. I liked him once I got to know him. He was ALWAYS chasing women as well.

He tried to be a rock star for years with his band (he was the front man, naturally) and had a Jim Morrison schtick that was a little irritating. He got close and released EPs and singles, but it never quite happened.

I was thinking about him the other day in this regard and wondered if being an MP is a quest for fame like being a the lead singer in a successful band – basically an acceptable way of being famous (if you’re a bit of a show off….)

I remember he always saw things in a very black and white way and was very religious. This did not stop him smoking weed at school and f*cking numerous girls 🙂

They reflect society – if we dont like what we see in the mirror we need to change what’s in front of it first.

It depends on what you mean by ‘Politician’. ‘Politician’ isn’t really a job. We use the word as a catch all for MPs and Government Ministers but an MP’s job is to represent their constituency and a Minister’s job is to run their ministry. ‘Politics’ is about shaping public opinion rather than representing it. Some MPs do that and some don’t. But you don’t need to be and MP to be a politician. Rupert Murdoch is a politician, Trade Union leaders can be politicians, elements of the charity sector are politicians, some celebrities are politicians, you can be a politician if you put your mind to it.

When you look at the way the actions of government broadly or MPs individually are represented by the press you’re often seeing the efforts or actions of one politician through the filter of another politician – that news outlets selectivity and choice of emphasis is about shaping you’re opinion rather than informing it.

esselgruntfuttock – Member
Politicians are a bunch of ****, fact. Greedy, immoral bastards the lot of them & I wouldn’t trust any to do anything unless it would satisfy their greed. Have no trust in any of them.

It’s not surprising that many people hold similar opinions. The problem is, if that’s the general attitude, if MPs feel that everyone thinks that’s what people think of them, irrespective of what they personally do, why would they be motivated to try harder? I imagine it must be a hard job to do while holding on to your principles and idealism.

I’m not sure I buy into the assumption that they all get into politics in order to line their pockets or to massage their egos. Lots of them have come from professions that are already well paid and how exactly is being hated, mocked and pilloried by the press and the public going to make you feel good about yourself? Some will have a thirst for power but I expect many get into it because it’s something they believe in, but years of slogging through the mires of student, local and then national politics eventually grind them down.

I have rarely, if ever, had any direct dealings with my MPs/MSPs/councillors or other politicians but I want to remain optimistic that as oldnpastit says there’s a rump of good ones out there that we just don’t hear much about because they aren’t making an arse up out of a government ministry and they aren’t enjoying coke and hookers in the company of journalists.

If that’s not the case then the whole country needs to work out why decent people either aren’t volunteering to represent us, or aren’t getting elected to do so.

Would anyone here consider being an MP? I don’t think I’d have the skills and I reckon I’d find it incredibly stressful but the idea of trying to make a difference has some sort of abstract appeal, until I remember that most people would just end up assuming I was untrustworthy and on the take.

They reflect society – if we dont like what we see in the mirror we need to change what’s in front of it first.

No, they don’t. The argument that the electorate is responsible for self-serving politicians being elected is an utter fallacy – when presented with a smorgasbord of turds, you’re going to select the one least offensive to you at the time and you can be forgiven for being influenced by the media as to whatever moral outrage helps justify your vote. I would argue that politicians per se see themselves as above society and ignore swathes of it at will, because someone from the Mail/News International/Express will help focus voter antipathy.

We live in an era of lazy politics.

2nd post in summed it up….people moan but then do nothing about it to bring about change.

No, they don’t. The argument that the electorate is responsible for self-serving politicians being elected is an utter fallacy – when presented with a smorgasbord of turds, you’re going to select the one least offensive to you at the time and you can be forgiven for being influenced by the media as to whatever moral outrage helps justify your vote.

Are the lazy/passive/victim excuse!!