Monday 5 March 2012

So much for the people's idea of democracy and politicians

Conservative Home has the results of a survey carried out by YouGov looking at what voters think of their MPs, the political parties and British democracy.


It would seem that 62% say politicians tell lies all the time and not a word they say can be believed and 58% say it doesn’t make much difference to their daily lives who wins general elections these days as there’s very little real difference between the main political parties - yet 38% think their local MP is doing a good job, whilst 67% still regard Britain as a democracy 63% say for all its faults, Britain’s democratic system is one of the finest in the world.

The mind boggles when people can believe that politicians are untrustworthy but still consider their MP is doing a good job. The mind boggles when people still regard Britain as a democracy when the basis of being a democracy has been handed to Brussels, yet can still believe our democratic system is one of the finest in the world.

And these people have a vote? The mind does indeed boggle!

4 comments:

Twisted Root said...

Don't forget though, that YouGov was founded by a current MP.

PeterCharles said...

Indeed it is mind boggling, but a little thought can cast some light on these preconceptions. I suspect for most people 'politicans' refers not so much to individual MPs as to ministers and government, they do not really see backbench MPs as part of the government process. It should also be noted that many MPs are often far more 'sensible' about controversial things in the privacy of a constituency office, even though they go back to Westminster and do as the whips demand. In constituency terms many MPs do have a good record, interfacing between the individual and government or public service bureaucracy, which is why Council Officers generally loathe their local MP.

The 2/3 professing a belief in Britain's democracy can be put down to an unhealthy mix of inadequate education, general disinterest and biased cultural assumption, or perhaps more correctly, prejudice.

TomTom said...

63% say for all its faults, Britain’s democratic system is one of the finest in the world.

That might - frighteningly - be true !

WitteringsfromWitney said...

TW: To save me travelling to wiki (lack of fare) who?

PC: As ever you make obvious points, based I suspect on a belief like mine, that the public haven't any idea of how our present democratic system works.

TT: I know - and as PC says, so much for political awareness. As I said - these people have a vote????