Being A Politician

[Liquid]

Ever thought of becoming one?
What do you think about the whole job; what should they do different?
Is it as hard as they say it is?

Go.

 

[Sanji Himura]

I've considered running for mayor of my town now that I am eligible to run. I think that it should be pretty tidy since most of the decisions are operated by a City Manager, but I have been proven wrong before.

 

[Lizard]

I have considered it. It was partly the reason for my subject choice at university which I am currently studying. Politics and International Relations.

Mind you if I ever get there it will be a long time in the future so I know I will need other jobs beforehand.

 

[Omnis]

I could run for Mayor of my city, but I don't want to. It's real easy. The people in there now are complete morons. All nepotism.

Running for state office is out of the question because Tallahassee sucks. Running for federal office is out of the question because it's impossible to make any kind of difference and you're forever put into the crosshairs of statist whack jobs.

Being an anarchist politician would be fun though.

 

[PeterJB]

From time to time I've imagined what it would be like if I was Prime Minister, but I never seriously considered entering into politics.

I'd probably just become too power hungry and turn into a dictator.

 

[DK]

I'd run into some serious difficulties:

1. Given my political views, I only have two options open to me: join the Labour Party, and compromise when they go into government with a centre-right party and get accused of hypocrisy, or run as an Independent, and get endless requests from Seamus and Maureen to "fixsh the roads" in BallyArseEndOfNowhere. Sinn Fein is out of the question, because I'm not an Irish language zealot.

2. I like anime. Sooner or later, the Daily Mail (yes, they've extended their tentacles into Ireland) will probably run a scandalous story about my fandom for the Evangelion franchise.

3. Did I mention that I have flip-all social skills?

 

[kikie]

Politicians? You probably mean white-collar criminals.

To answer you question; NO! NEVER!

 

[Danny]

I intend to be the Prime Minister one day.

 

[kikie]

I intend to be the Prime Minister one day.

Of what?


+ =

 

[DK]

Of what?


+ =

The Kingdom of Lovely, of course!

 

[Danny]

The Kingdom of Lovely, of course!

Nah, man. I dream big.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

I have considered it but...some day I might want to and other days I don't because of the mudslinging you have to do to become one in any capacity. If people would adhere to facts and truth rather than who has the better ego or tagline, I'd be on board...

 

[sumbrownkid]

Best possible job there is. You lie and cheat, screw others over, and recklessly attack opponents on their character and not on the actual issue itself. And you get paid regardless if you show up to work or not.

Do that as a doctor and it's a one way ticket to the civil courts and joblessness.

 

[Jay.]

There's no point trying to get into politics in the UK anymore. You won't make enough of an improvement in anything you try to achieve because the people that have been 'running' this country for for the last 15-20 years have completely balls'd it up. A handful of people won't be able to make a difference because there are too many people in the majorities that are happy with the way these goons are currently running things.
The country is still in a recession no matter what the pompous ass politicians say.
The NHS is a shambles.
Our kids are raised in schools now run like businesses that are only interested in their figures instead of our children's education.
The employment situation sucks, people are forced to take underpaid jobs then can't support their families because the cost of living is rocketing every year.

Needless to say as soon as I've gained enough savings I'll be emigrating.
I may be British but this isn't Great Britain anymore, and our politicians will never find a shovel big enough.

 

[lbsf1]

I consider it occasionally, but most so I can think about how I would do almost everything differently. However in Britain there is no way to do anything meaningful unless you are part of a party, and my views are based mainly around the party system being the main problem with out political system. Hence I would have no way of getting into a political position.

 

[Pupik]

They would probably find my multiple traffic offences, and then competition would turn it into "would you want this person running for office" or "what kind of sociopath runs a red light (even once)".

 

[orimarc]

They would probably find my multiple traffic offences, and then competition would turn it into "would you want this person running for office" or "what kind of sociopath runs a red light (even once)".

Hell, a real politician could turn that around, with something like:

Yes, I did commit some traffic offenses, and I'll admit them all. Why? Because I'm an honest man. An honest man will recognize his failures and mistakes as well as his achievements and successes, and that's me. I did wrong, and I was fined/spent time in jail, so no-one can say I didn't pay my price to justice.

 

[Touring Mars]

Billy Connolly once said that having the desire to be a politician should bar you for life from ever being one.

 

[dhandeh]

I'm too honest to be a politician. In fact if you have 0.0000000000000001% honesty in you, that rules out a career as a politician. They are one up from car dealers on the people I trust least scale.

 

[homeforsummer]

I've entertained the thought on occasion, though never seriously. I'd genuinely like to see how far it's possible to get in such a career if you are honest and do genuinely represent the people and aren't motivated by power or personal gain.

I suspect local office is the highest you'd reach - it's probably easier to make a positive contribution on a small scale than it is on a large one, without deviating from an honest and just path. It strikes me that the backbenchers you rarely hear about are simultaneously the best people for the job and the ones least likely to hold a position of real power - since they might have the nous for politics but not the attitude to climb further up the ladder.

Still, I'd like to think I could make a positive difference at a local level even if it never went further than that. Maybe when I'm a bit older...

 

[Liquid]

I had some more thoughts on this lately, what wish brushing up on some world history and global affairs. Not in the sense that I was thinking about actually being one, but just about how difficult it must be.

I certainly don't think I could be a high ranking politician; I don't think I could stomach looking some people in the eye and calling them 'allies', even if the enemy of my enemy is my friend. What our defence, foreign and Prime Ministers must actually think about these kinds of people would be very interesting to read.

 

[Lizard]

I certainly don't think I could be a high ranking politician; I don't think I could stomach looking some people in the eye and calling them 'allies', even if the enemy of my enemy is my friend. What our defence, foreign and Prime Ministers must actually think about these kinds of people would be very interesting to read.

Reminds me of something one of my lecturers told me last year.
Sometimes the cabinet are made up of people you think of as a threat not who you think are good for the job.
“Better to have them inside the tent pissing out than outside pissing in” as Lyndon B. Johnson put it.

 

[Ibonibo]

As south park put it : " you either need to be a poo sandwich or an behind shower to make it in politics"

It's the class of people I generally hold the less high in my estime. I think a lot of todays politians do it for the fame, money, historical ref. rather than being at the service of a nation or country.

I find it sad.

I also think that the political and vote and population intergration in the politics as it is today is overaged and we need a more democratic approch, rather than giving a bunch of people a free pass to do what they want for 4-6 years....

I see it here,... we changed our party in command, first time since 40 years. No new tax promised, clear politics promised, integration of the poeple promised. What we got : tax raise, behind close doors agreements,,....

 

[Liquid]

But the point is exactly that @Ibonibo, what exactly are you going to do about it? If these politicians are so bad, could you and will you do any better? Make a point and stand in election.

Exactly. You don't want to. Because now, you come to the fact that many people might be interested in politics, but not interested in being in politics. It's an ouroboros cycle; bad politicians disillusion public, public get mad and say they want change, "Why bother when they're all bad?", very few people stand, bad politicians continuously elected.

As @homeforsummer said earlier in the thread, you're more likely to be able to do something only on a local level rather than a national level.

 

[VBR]

I came here thinking that this was a complaint thread about Kaz.

 

[Ibonibo]

But the point is exactly that @Ibonibo, what exactly are you going to do about it? If these politicians are so bad, could you and will you do any better? Make a point and stand in election.

Exactly. You don't want to. Because now, you come to the fact that many people might be interested in politics, but not interested in being in politics. It's an ouroboros cycle; bad politicians disillusion public, public get mad and say they want change, "Why bother when they're all bad?", very few people stand, bad politicians continuously elected.

As @homeforsummer said earlier in the thread, you're more likely to be able to do something only on a local level rather than a national level.

No you are right. But I think we need a more democratic system first. I love what switzerland is doing with referendums. It got talked here, but politicans think the population is to stupid to make such decisions. Well they said it more refined. But the message was that.
And if they think that of the people that first vote them in ....

I honestly think if our political systems don't change, and our politicans keep taking the people for stupid cows, we will have sooner or later people that go on the street. I sincerly hope so. But I think in the EU a lot need to happen to motivate people to go on the streets.

But a lot of people are fed up. From low salary to high, from intellectuals to workers.

Our new EU commission chief let phrases out like these:
"People are too stupid to make decisions"
"Sometimes you have to lie to get a project through"
"The best laws are made behind closed doors"....

Juncker! He can be good, but I think he is poised from being in the system to long

 

[Liquid]

For a country like Luxembourg, referenda could work. You say Switzerland does it (I didn't know that) and I know Austria has public referenda. The smaller the country in terms of both population and geography, the more manageable these things can be.

My problem with politicians is the way they are bandied around between offices. One year, he's the transport secretary. The next year, he's defence secretary. He'll be energy secretary soon. Why? Does he have experience in either of those fields? Ministerial/secretarial generalisation is not something I think works. More tailored, specialised and dedicated appointments should be used.

 

[Lizard]

My problem with politicians is the way they are bandied around between offices. One year, he's the transport secretary. The next year, he's defence secretary. He'll be energy secretary soon. Why? Does he have experience in either of those fields?

No. That is why we have the civil servants.

 

[Liquid]

And we all know the British civil service is a well trimmed, lean political machine and not a fat, bloated tax burden.

 

[DK]

But a lot of people are fed up. From low salary to high, from intellectuals to workers.

Our new EU commission chief let phrases out like these:
"People are too stupid to make decisions"
"Sometimes you have to lie to get a project through"
"The best laws are made behind closed doors"....

Juncker! He can be good, but I think he is poised from being in the system to long

TTIP and the TPP come to mind.