We assume that voting is an acceptable, unproblematic mechanism for holding politicians to account. We surmise that there is an unwritten contract between political parties and the electorate, stating that politicians have moral standards and societal obligations. We believe that if political wrongdoing or corruption is exposed, it should stop. However, more and more politicians are showing blatant disregard for these principles.
Traditionally, politicians have been held accountable by periodic elections that allow voters to reward or sanction MPs for their decisions and/or conduct. Unfortunately, this concept of justice is faint and superficial. However outrageous the actions of today’s rulers, any memories of past scandals or misconduct are fleeting and will be virtually non-existent by the time of the next general election. Time is on the side of politicians. They can endure criticism and get away with murder, or can they?
Public confidence in politicians was a victim of the 2009 expenses scandal. The impact of the scandal was explosive: several government ministers and the speaker resigned, two peers and five MPs were imprisoned and many more were forced to stand down. Along with forcing significant systemic reform, the scandal exposed wholesale wrongdoing, ultimately providing a portrayal of the political elite as conniving and untrustworthy.
It seems as though those with political power view themselves as being above both the general public and the law itself. This is especially apparent in recent events. The issue of the Internal Market Bill and the government’s decision to deliberately breach international law suggests complacency and shows the lack of rigid accountability within the British political system. In fact, a government spokesperson has openly stated that “if we feel that the laws, we are subject to can be broken, then we retain the right to do so”.
Public sentiment about politicians has definitely declined significantly in recent times. This is a culmination of many factors: shocking revelations such as the MPs’ expenses scandal, conflicting interests between an increasingly conservative political elite and a vocal, egalitarian younger generation and the continuing actions of the government that have supported this pessimistic viewpoint. There is not a visibly optimistic future, either. Time will continue to protect politicians and elections are becoming less and less effective at holding politicians to account.
