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THE BEADY EYE ASK’S: WHY IS TRUST IN POLITICIANS AT AN ALL TIME LOW?

30 Saturday Nov 2019

Posted by bobdillon33@gmail.com in Political Trust, Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on THE BEADY EYE ASK’S: WHY IS TRUST IN POLITICIANS AT AN ALL TIME LOW?

Tags

Career politicians, Depoliticization., Fair Political System., Far Right political parties, Political ignorance, Political leaders, Political power., Political spectrum, Political Trust, Politicians, Politics of the Future, Populism., The Lethargy of our Political leaders

 

(Twenty-minute read)

The problem with the above question is where to start.

Around the world, democracies are distrusted by a majority of their citizens.

As a result, it is creating space for the rise of authoritarian-populist forces or other forms of independent representation.

Without trust we are diminishing our capacity to meet complex, long-term challenges, reducing support for evidence-based public policies and promotes risk aversion in government.

This lack of trust is and will translate into a lack of action.

I suppose that there is no one simple explanation for what drives or undermines political trust but there can be no doubt that social media with the growing worldwide inequality is contributing to spreading distrust. and forming barriers of political engagement.

This is set to get worse with profit-seeking algorithms.

So what is it about citizens, such as their educational background, class, location, country or cohort of birth, that makes them trusting or not?

In general, the strongest predictors of distrust continue to be attitudinal and are connected to negativity about politics which is being influenced more and more by technological algorithms of prediction and recommendation.

What would it be that makes citizens feel that their vote could deliver value?

Most interventions tend to focus on dealing with issues of social disadvantage through education, labour market activation, public participation, improved representation, place-based service delivery and other forms of empowerment.

By offering more participation or consultation we are turning politics into a tokenistic exercise, generating more cynicism and negativity among citizens, who are turning to Populism.

The term populism can designate either democratic or authoritarian movements. Populism is typically critical of political representation and anything that mediates the relation between the people and their leader or government.

Populism usually combines elements of the left and the right, opposing large business and financial interests but also frequently being hostile to established socialist and labour parties.

In its contemporary understanding, however, populism is most often associated with an authoritarian form of politics.

Populist politics, following this definition.

It revolves around a charismatic leader who appeals to and claims to embody the will of the people in order to consolidate his own power. In this personalized form of politics, political parties lose their importance, and elections serve to confirm the leader’s authority rather than to reflect the different allegiances of the people.

Depending on one’s view of populism, a populist economic program can, therefore, signify either a platform that promotes the interest of common citizens and the country as a whole or a platform that seeks to redistribute wealth to gain popularity, without regard to the consequences for the country.

In Europe, we are seeing the rise of the Swiss People’s Party, the Austrian Freedom Party, the Swedish Democrats, the Danish People’s Party, the Northern League in Italy, Marine Le Pen in France, Victor Orban in Hungary, and Greece’s Golden Dawn and of course the Brexit party in the UK.

Elsewhere in the world one has to only look at Donald Trump, Dufeele in the Philippines.

The question of what’s fueling this populist?

It’s nothing new.

Most of us are now live in two increasingly separate worlds one wants to eliminate health care, shred the social safety net, and cut taxes on the rich—benefit the winners from globalization and work against the economic interests of the working class.

They others want revenge and this revenge is —not of the economically insecure, but of the cultural left-behinds.

So are groups like the those mentioned above, just groups of nativist, putting their nation first?

The answer is obvious. No. They’re looking backwards.

However, that is not the case, because if populism was truly driven by economic fears, populist candidates should be drawing votes from those who are suffering the most: unskilled workers, the unemployed, those with lower levels of education, and less advantaged groups in cities and urban centres.

Because economic issues have declined in importance to voters, like cultural issues—around women’s rights, abortion, same-sex marriage, and gay rights—climate change – have risen to the fore, along with the anti-immigrant sentiment, authoritarianism, mistrust of global national governance, and right-wing ideological self-placement.

The rise of populist parties reflects, above all, a reaction against a wide range of rapid cultural changes that seem to be eroding the basic values and customs of Western societies.

So a populist leader is forced to be in a permanent campaign to convince his people that he is not established and will never be. Magnify the political divide. Ultimately he ignores complicated democratic systems and is therefore viewed with suspicion…

What if anything can be done?

The importance of beliefs can only be tackled through discussion of the role of mass media in influencing public trust.

The power of mass media is not easy to reconcile with the empirical evidence of experimental social psychology research which demonstrates that people with strong beliefs and values often remain unpersuaded even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Positive economic growth does not necessarily increase political trust, but negative economic growth and prolonged economic crises.

Rather, economic development and social modernisation in advanced industrial democracies have encouraged new types of engaged, questioning and assertive publics, for whom strong economic performance no longer automatically leads to increased trust.

There is only one answer to this question.

It is greater political accountability of MPs and political parties to their electorates and members.

Providing performance data will not work because it leads to government officials trying to manipulate the way citizens judge their performance. Positive data is given prominence, less helpful data sometimes hidden.

There is one thing for sure because trust cut across racial and ethnic lines any solution to the puzzle of political trust can not be achieved without our engagement.

Anti-establishment, might having faith in “plain talkers” and “ordinary people” as opposed to the “corrupt establishment” of business, government, academia, and media but without formal rules there can be no good democratic practice.

Here I may be forgiven for indulging in some wishful thinking and believing that, despite the current shortage of inspirational leadership in the West, trust in democratic principles and values that transcend national boundaries will remain strong and shared by a large number of ordinary people across the world.

The good news for political parties that take up the cause of democratic reform is that the citizenry is ready to take up the challenge.

Finding what is the equilibrium point between political trust and distrust requires reducing inequality because political attitudes are shaped by more than people’s pocketbooks.

In effect, political parties are each a product of the world view of their membership or of their directing minds. Their attitudes, carriage or expression are often indicative of the groups’ underlying body of beliefs, catechism or affirmation of faith.

The chattering class will continue to wallow in their own cynical self-assurance, and the best and most principled among us will remain reticent to enter to the moral minefield of public life.

At the heart of this faulty ontology remains the myth of the autonomous self, the pipe dream that our identity is a “blank slate” that WE choose regardless of the desires and influences of others.

Dogmatism and doctrinaire ideology may seem no longer attractive or realistic political attributes. But democracy will continue to mean a change of government from time to time as if oscillating between two sides with opposing philosophies rigidly applied.

The democratic tradition of alternating governments, evolving policies, pragmatic choices, etc theoretically presents us with some choice with regard to the management of our economic and other affairs.

Being so vulnerable to purely political decisions surely honesty is required.

Perhaps it is time to remove politics from decisions that require long term solutions and set them in law, like reducing Carbon emmission, before we see civil unrest, and migration on a massive scale.

Why should this be done:

Because elections are for political parties to be in office for the short term – five years if not re-elected.

All human comments appreciated. All like clicks and abuse chucked in the bin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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THE BEADY EYE ASKS: IS IT TIME TO REPLACE POLITICAL PARTIES. PART THREE.

29 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by bobdillon33@gmail.com in Modern Day Democracy., Politics., Social Media., Technology, The Future, The world to day., Unanswered Questions.

≈ Comments Off on THE BEADY EYE ASKS: IS IT TIME TO REPLACE POLITICAL PARTIES. PART THREE.

Tags

Fair Political System., Inequalities of opportunity, Political leaders, Politicians, politics, Politics of the Future

I can’t help but to return to the fascinating question.Afficher l'image d'origine

WHY?

Because DIVERSITY is absolutely necessary to justice.

Because Biometric E-Voting is on the horizon with a new paradigm in political communications. Look at your desktop, and you’ll see the ways the new media are changing the political scene from the bottom up.

Because of the outmoded ways we allow politicians to make decisions on our behalf.

Because candidates who would have had no chance before the Internet can now overcome huge odds.

Because we are becoming aware of what today’s Capitalism is doing to culture.  A top-down, big-money view of politics while the unresolved tensions between morals and markets are getting worse.

Because of corporate funds in political which are devastating to the public interest.

Because more and more of the new Generation want to balance individual autonomy with civic virtue. New social media are already changing the way organizations attract supporters.

Because we need a balanced society without turning persons into clients, cogs or worse. Facebook addicts. The potential mobile universe of grassroots text messagers is now over 136 million.

Because most social mayhem now arising around us is driven by seduction and stresses of public decay under a capitalism that’s no longer tempered.

Because with today’s casino like, predatory, intensively degrading capitalism is ruining social equality.

Because if we don’t want the curtain to drop on Sapiens history we have to answer the question. What do we want to become?

Do we want a digital existence. With hundreds of cable TV channels and satellite radio stations, millions of bloggers, and literally billions of Web pages all pouring out trillions of unadulterated verbal and written diarrhea that nobody gives a shit about.

The media today are more diffuse and chaotic than ever.

Because there are thousands of other reasons but it is naive to think or imagine that we might hit the brakes and stop scientific project that are upgrading Homo sapiens into a different kind of being, or a computer with a mind inside. ( Nobody is willing to argue such a proposition as the answer is we are doing it to cure diseases and save human lives.)

So I suppose we are left with the real question that is not what we want to become, but what do we want to want?

It is obvious that we all want to live, but up to now we have not given the question of living enough thought.

In my mind no political power should have the power to declare war without asking its people first, never mind getting a United Resolution it is the Young of a country that dies.

If you don’t agree with me here have a look at what happens.

The 20th century is described as the “bloodiest”, with an estimated 187 million deaths due to the various wars combined.

The death tolls for various conflicts throughout history, the best estimates put the total death toll due to all wars at 341.7 million people.

The United States most likely has been responsible since WWII for the deaths of between 20 and 30 million people in wars and conflicts scattered over the world.

The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have taken a tremendous human toll on those countries. As of March 2015, approximately 210,000 civilians have died violent deaths as a result of the wars. The number of displaced people exceeded 50 million in 2013.

Our subjective well-being is not determined by external parameters such as wars, salary, social relations or political rights. Biologists hold that our mental and emotional world is governed by biochemical mechanisms shaped by million of years of evolution.

Any decision that has a direct effects should be put to the nation as a whole not delegated to those that happen to be in power at any given time.

So here is my suggestion.

In this age of instant communication there should be a Free Government App (for argument sake called Vote Now.)

Afficher l'image d'origineThis App delegates an unique password to all.

When any political party in power want to commit a country to any project that will cost the nation let’s say over 6 billion.

We the people of the country are asked to approve or disapprove the project within a given number of days, weeks or whatever.

The app provides all relevant information connected to the project.

The E-voting system using biometric enables a voter to cast his vote using internet without additionally registering himself for voting in advance and going to a polling place. Why not an App.

This App will stop governments from sell of the country’s natural resources to Sovereign Wealth Funds and cut out lobbyist and any form of corruption.

Here are a few recent UK decisions that should have been put to the people.

For examples 300 odd sitting Conservative MP under the leadership of a Prime Minister Theresa May (a Prime Minister that has no mandate) recently voted in favour of spending over £31bn over the lifetime of the programme, including adjustment for inflation over that period, and an additional £10bn as a “contingency” to renew four worthless submarines carrying Trident nuclear missiles.

It’s no wonder they got cold feet on the total lifetime cost of the planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant which could be as high as £37bn. Which is was to be funded by the EDF and a Chines Sovereign Fund against 35 years of guarantee returns at twice the present cost of power.

The two new carriers that has attracted criticism over its £6.2bn cost.

Maybe I am nive but I would not let elected or non elected people sell my future.

All views and suggestions welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Democracy – Is it just Political Ignorance that is exercising the Vote.

23 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by bobdillon33@gmail.com in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Democracy – Is it just Political Ignorance that is exercising the Vote.

Tags

decentralized government, Democracy, Elections, Political ignorance, Political leaders, Referendum In Scotland

Democracy is supposed to be rule of the people, by the people, and for the people.

But is it ?

The public often does a poor job of evaluating the political information they do know and this state of affairs has persisted despite rising education levels, increased availability of information thanks to modern technology, which is mostly the result of rational behavior, not stupidity. ( Recent Referendum In Scotland)

But it is striking that knowledge levels have risen very little, if at all, despite rising educational attainment and the increased availability of information through the internet, cable news, and other modern technologies.

Voters still overvalue anything that supports their preexisting views, and to undervalue or ignore new data that cuts against them, even to the extent of misinterpreting simple data that they could easily interpret correctly in other contexts.

Moreover, those most interested in politics are also particularly prone to discuss it only with others who agree with their views, and to follow politics only through like-minded media.

A truth-seeker should actively seek out defenders of views opposed to their own.

The results of the Scottish Referendum strengthens the case for limiting and decentralizing the power of government.

Why?

BECAUSE:  When it comes to General elections without a clear choice there is a small turn out, compared to the Scottish Referendum which had a clear and precise question to be voted on TURNED OUT 85% of its population.

In General Elections most of the public has very little idea of how the basic structure of government and how it operates down to such ignorance and confusion as to which government officials are responsible for which issues.

Why?

For several reasons,

BECAUSE: Public ignorance is not limited to information about specific policies.

The problems of political ignorance and irrationality are accentuated by the enormous size and scope of modern governments.

BECAUSE: Voters routinely reward and punish political leaders for events they have little control over, particularly short-term economic trends. Incumbents also get rewarded or blamed for such things as droughts, shark attacks, and victories by local sports teams.

Some people react to data like the above by thinking that the voters must be stupid. But political ignorance is actually rational for most of the public, including most smart people.

BECAUSE: We vote with our feet in the private sector, by choosing which products to buy or which civil society organizations to join.

BECAUSE: Most people don’t precisely calculate the odds that their vote will make a difference.

BECAUSE: Moreover, political leaders and influential interest groups often use public education to indoctrinate students in their own preferred ideology rather than increase knowledge.

BECAUSE: Information shortcuts are small bits of information that we can use as proxies for larger bodies of knowledge of which we may be ignorant. The major flaws are that shortcuts often require preexisting knowledge to use effectively, and many people choose information shortcuts for reasons unrelated to truth-seeking.

BECAUSE: For most of us, it is rational to devote very little time to learning about politics, and instead focus on other activities that are more interesting or more likely to be useful.

BECAUSE: For many, it is rational to take the time to vote, but without learning much about the issues at stake.

BECAUSE: If your only reason to follow politics is to be a better voter, that turns out not be much of a reason at all. The chances OF CHANGE are very small, and act accordingly.

BECAUSE:  The chances of effectively monitor more than a fraction of the activities of the modern state is all but impossible.

BECAUSE:  Voters If things are looking up, they will reward the incumbents at election time. If not, you can vote the bums out, and the new set of bums will have a strong incentive to adopt better policies, lest they be voted out in turn.

BECAUSE:  Voters choose their opinion leaders largely based on how entertaining they are, and whether they make us feel good about the views we already hold.

Add all the above up and it points to that the Current Democracy is too big, too complicated, too influenced by consumerism, untruest,  in a state of confusion with rampant political ignorance.

There is no easy solution to the problem.

The key difference between foot voting and ballot box voting is that foot voters don’t have the same incentive to be rationally ignorant as ballot box voters do.

In fact, ballot box voters have strong incentives to seek out useful information unlike political fans, foot voters who know they will pay a real price if they do a poor job of evaluating the information they get.

So the informational advantages of foot voting over ballot box voting strengthen the case for limiting and decentralizing government.

The more decentralized government is, the more issues can be decided through foot voting. 

It is usually much easier to vote with your feet against a local government than a state government, and much easier to do it against a state than against the federal government. Choosing among the former usually requires far less in the way of moving costs than choosing among the latter.

The other is choosing what state or local government to live under in a federal system – a decision often influenced by the quality of those jurisdictions’ public policy. 

It is also usually easier to foot vote in the private sector than the public. A given region is likely to have far more private planned communities and other private sector organizations than local governments.

Reducing the size of government could also alleviate the problem of ignorance by making it easier for rationally ignorant voters to monitor its activities.

moving costs can be reduced by decentralizing to lower levels of government or to the private sector, and such costs are in any case declining thanks to modern technology.

For example, some large-scale issues, such as global warming, are simply too big to be effectively addressed by lower-level governments or private organizations.

A smaller, less complicated government is easier to keep track of.

Political ignorance is far from the only factor that must be considered in deciding the appropriate size, scope, and centralization of government.

Democracy and Political Ignorance is not a complete theory of the proper role of government in society. But it does suggest that the problem of political ignorance should lead us to limit and decentralize government more than we would otherwise.

The likelihood that political decentralization might harm unpopular racial and ethnic minorities is a myth the opposite is what will happen.

moving costs can be reduced by decentralizing to lower levels of government or to the private sector, and such costs are in any case declining thanks to modern technology.

There are many different forms of democracy, but what makes a democracy different from all other forms of government is the participation of the people in decision-making. Putting power and decision-making in the hands of the people, not catering to the wishes of the wealthy or repressing freedoms.

Information is the currency of Democracy not,

The Vision is the real Democracy

This is what the Scottish Referendum taught us all.

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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All comments and contributions much appreciated

  • THE BEADY EYE ASK’S. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT WHEN CULTURES COLLIDE? January 29, 2023
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