My OperaCan They Sink Any Lower?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007 1:47:09 PM
As I was passing a front garden I overheard a teenage girl complaining to her mother about being asked to help move some stones. Nothing new there then I thought. Well no but one phrase the girl used stayed in my head - "Alright as long as I don't have to touch a slimy Tory". It was a throwaway remark but indicative of a general disregard, even hatred, of our politicians.
In the UK it can be said that along with second-hand car salesmen, estate agents and child molesters; politicians are regarded as the lowest of the low. Self seeking, narcissistic, power hungry and totally divorced from reality - I have heard all these terms applied to MPs. Do they really deserve such contempt?
In the 50's and 60's politicians were treated with such deference. Their words were taken as gospel - without question or debate. Then along came the Profumo affair and "That Was The Week That Was". Interviewers started to doubt the veracity of politicians - and by doing so opened up a can of worms. Now we have gone to the other extreme.
Whilst living in Holland in 1994/5, amongst an international group of fellow students, the Brits were regarded as the most cynical about their leaders. Jokes like - "Q: How do you know when a politician's lying? A: His lips are moving." - fell easily from us. In contrast the eastern Europeans, who had just become democracies, accepted what their governments said without a trace of a doubt. I remember one of the Czechs telling us about some statement from their new Prime Minister. The Brits said "And you believe that?". The Czech said "Of course my government said so!" Such naivete was astounding to us cynics.
As part of my degree in business studies I had to wrestle with the complexities of probability theory (and how I hated it too). I have to admit that the statistical likelihood of ALL politicians being venal, self-aggrandising hypocrites is (sadly) nil. So what proportion do fit the current media image? How many are like our former sultan of spin - the Cheshire cat at number 10? I don't have the resources to carry out such a survey or even the time to sift through the contrary and conflicting reports in our politically biased newspapers. Besides I would rather like to hold onto my sanity.
Still this does leave me thinking about the young woman and her generation who, in the main, don't bother to vote. Where will this lead our society? Can we go on being apathetic while the country goes to the dogs. My bet is that's exactly what's going to happen.
In the UK it can be said that along with second-hand car salesmen, estate agents and child molesters; politicians are regarded as the lowest of the low. Self seeking, narcissistic, power hungry and totally divorced from reality - I have heard all these terms applied to MPs. Do they really deserve such contempt?
In the 50's and 60's politicians were treated with such deference. Their words were taken as gospel - without question or debate. Then along came the Profumo affair and "That Was The Week That Was". Interviewers started to doubt the veracity of politicians - and by doing so opened up a can of worms. Now we have gone to the other extreme.
Whilst living in Holland in 1994/5, amongst an international group of fellow students, the Brits were regarded as the most cynical about their leaders. Jokes like - "Q: How do you know when a politician's lying? A: His lips are moving." - fell easily from us. In contrast the eastern Europeans, who had just become democracies, accepted what their governments said without a trace of a doubt. I remember one of the Czechs telling us about some statement from their new Prime Minister. The Brits said "And you believe that?". The Czech said "Of course my government said so!" Such naivete was astounding to us cynics.
As part of my degree in business studies I had to wrestle with the complexities of probability theory (and how I hated it too). I have to admit that the statistical likelihood of ALL politicians being venal, self-aggrandising hypocrites is (sadly) nil. So what proportion do fit the current media image? How many are like our former sultan of spin - the Cheshire cat at number 10? I don't have the resources to carry out such a survey or even the time to sift through the contrary and conflicting reports in our politically biased newspapers. Besides I would rather like to hold onto my sanity.
Still this does leave me thinking about the young woman and her generation who, in the main, don't bother to vote. Where will this lead our society? Can we go on being apathetic while the country goes to the dogs. My bet is that's exactly what's going to happen.
