Politics. It has become a derogatory term over the years, while it is arguably the single most influencing thing in all of our lives. If I were to go into town and ask a hundred random people about their feelings regarding politics, I sincerely doubt I'd get more than 20 positive responses.
Politics have become a joke. A frightening amount of people simply don't care about politics, and therefore don't vote or vote for the person they see on the news who shouts the most things they can relate to. Others simply can't make heads or tails from the circus politics have become.
I can't blame them. Looking at my own country's political environment, I've not been able to take any of it seriously since Wim Kok gave up office. A quick google search tells me that was in 2002. Well over 6 years of politics, and therefore also our country's government, that has been pretty much a joke. Debates which would make a highschool student feel embarrased, so devoid of meaning and childish are they. Inner-party bickering, fought out in public. Backpedalling at a never before seen level. I'm suprised we haven't seen politicians disputing their own names in interviews yet.
I know that alot of these things are inherent to politics and as such will always be a factor. Getting a straight answer out of a politician is harder than getting conclusive proof of the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot having an affair. When something goes wrong, or turns out to be less than ideal, you can bet your entire savings (Provided you still have any, and hadn't put them on in Icelandic account) that the person responsible will backpeddle his or her way out of any blame, as if they were in the Tour. I'm not saying that this is new, that this has cropped up in the last 6 years. I'm saying that it has gotten worse, so much so that it seems to have completely replaced everything else. Politics are in a sad state when not even politicians take it seriously anymore.
Anyone living in the Netherlands, or familiar with foreign politics will know who Geert Wilders is. If you don't, look him up in google images. One look will last a lifetime.
You can say a lot about Geert Wilders. There has been alot said about Geert Wilders, even. I'm not going into the political content, that horse has already been beaten beyond recognition. What I will say is that he is a very clever man. To coin a popular term, he is a populist.
He tells the people what they want to hear. He gives them what they want. And so, they flock to him. His popularity is stupendous, while many of his followers probably don't even know what his agenda is. At times, I doubt he knows what his agenda is, or whether he even has one (A political one that is. I'm quite certain he has an agenda...).
You all probably know the phrase "There is no such thing as bad publicity" or something similar. And exactly for that reason, is why Geert Wilders is brilliant. He is the most talked about politician in ages, at least nationally (and I'm sure he's made some waves abroad at least). Everyone is talking about him. Everyone has an opinion about him. He gets to people. His supporters follow him for what he says, while the rest condemns him for it, finds him loathsome because of it, or thinks he's generally a deranged crackpot. But everyone knows who he is.
The tie that binds this all together, and the point I'm making, is that the current political climate is such that people like Geert Wilders get free reign. Politics are a contest of populism now that convential politics have all but failed. Where will we be in 10 years from now, when our entire government consists of people who shout the loudest, are best at blaming certain parts of the populace (Sound familiar? It should, if you know your history.) but wouldn't know a political agenda from a hole in the ground?
We need sensible, strong leaders if we are to have a decent future. We need our politicians to stop acting like spoiled 12-year old clowns, and to start taking, and making, politics serious again.
If they don't, it will mean we keep seeing Geert Wilders' and Pim Fortuyns, and they will keep getting votes, because people rather get told what they want to hear, than see our nation's leaders bickering like children.
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Nothing new,politics are politics.The same since the dawn of men.The evolution of media has just resulted in giving politicians new ways of doing the same old tricks.But politicians abusing the popularism theory you mentioned aren't the ones to blame.As long as they can do that,there's not a single reason for them to stop.It's the people like me who don't give a damn,and a large number of uneducated people that allow these things to happen.
BeantwoordenVerwijderenOnce the masses not caring/not knowing what's happening start thinking about choosing the people who decide their future better,maybe we'll get somewhere.But the reality is,that's not gonna happen any time soon.