Britain business held back by politicians who have 'never run anything'

Devon_Sailor

Thrugelmir wrote: »

I do wonder if the current crop of professional career politicians may be the last. As hardly covering themselves in glory whenever they open their mouths. So plainly have no understanding of finance at the most basic of levels. Merely regurgitating pre written spin. So when pushed off track in interviews struggle to string together any coherent sentences of value.

Unfortunately I think the exact opposite will happen. With all the (deserved) bad press for many politicians, who in their right mind is going to leave the world of business, enterprise, teaching, nursing or anything else, to stand up and become effectively "scum of the earth" in Joe Publics eyes, even if they are the nicest person in the world.

No, the real issue is that the days of the "conviction" politician, who did it out of a sense of duty, or belief in certain principles and ideals (yes, left or right...doesnt matter which), to be replaced by the politics degree-intern-management consultant-special advisor-parachuted into safe seat never done anything in the real world cads and swine that we have today. Of course they dont "get it"; all they are concerned with is the theory of politics and the vital necessity of winning votes and power, because they are not there with a burning core desire to better a cause, issue, or the population/country in general!!!

D_S

CLAPTON

Maybe we are better off with 'managerial' career politicians.

Unfortunately the way to hell is paved with good intentions.

Real conviction politicians include some very very vicious people and had a terrible effect on the world.

We just need some good managers who don't want to change the world; just evolve it a bit.

Devon_Sailor

Clapton,

I dont entirely disagree. Indeed, perhaps I rather unwittingly over egged the pudding; however, I still feel that the replacement in Parliament by those who feel the need to serve, by those who seek to make it a career, is damaging.

I have a lot of good friends in politics, indeed, a number of MPs amongst them. Two of them are lovely people who I am very fond of. However, they took the uni to advisor to parachute seat route. They are young (late 20s). They are "going places". Have either of them had to deal with struggling to cover a familys expenses? Or hold down a real job (or, indeed two real jobs concurrently) to make ends meet? Now, that in itself would not necessarily faze me...but the fact that they dont even have a wider business/commercial background to replace the lack of life experience, worries me.

They are the epitome of "theoretical politicians". They have to rely on the leaches that run self interested focus groups, lobbying firms and marketing agencies, as well as think tanks and other "shapers" of policy. With no ideas of their own to fall back on, is it any wonder that successive governments have made promises on the hoof, policy on a fag packet, and lack an overall "strategy" of ideology upon which a coherent set of visionary policis can be hung?

My god im sounding awfully wet and Leftish tonight... lol A week in a tent @ -12 degrees on exercise seems to addle the brain :rotfl:

D_S

grizzly1911

CLAPTON wrote: »

Maybe we are better off with 'managerial' career politicians.

Unfortunately the way to hell is paved with good intentions.

Real conviction politicians include some very very vicious people and had a terrible effect on the world.

We just need some good managers who don't want to change the world; just evolve it a bit.

You are right about the extremists.

A downside with managers they are good with a rule book, and bit of nudging that simply gets nudges somewhere else so that no one takes responsibility, it is always someone else's fault.

Experienced directors, with capable knowledgeable support can give more vision and direction.

Sadly we don't really have either or if we do they are sat in opposite corners.

CLAPTON

Yes, a managerial class of politicians but who have had significant career and maybe brought up a family would be the people to manage the country.

But that's probably not going to happen for a whole lot of reasons.

Thrugelmir

CLAPTON wrote: »

But that's probably not going to happen for a whole lot of reasons.

The one thing that history can tell us. Is that nothing stays the same for ever. So tomorrow is a different day.

wymondham

this is all true, but lets face it as 23 of the 29 cabinet members are millionaires (mostly born into privilege) they are just playing at this..... it does not really matter to them if they can do the job or not, although it does matter to us!

Thrugelmir

wymondham wrote: »

this is all true, but lets face it as 23 of the 29 cabinet members are millionaires (mostly born into privilege) they are just playing at this..... it does not really matter to them if they can do the job or not, although it does matter to us!

and the shadow cabinet?

Hardly sons and daughters of miners or steelworkers.......

wymondham

Thrugelmir wrote: »

and the shadow cabinet?

Hardly sons and daughters of miners or steelworkers.......

true!

wouldn't it be nice if we had people who needed the job and needed to do it well!

Fella

The problem is we have politicians instead of leaders.

Everyone, in every walk of life, hates politics. How many times have you heard a work colleague or sportsperson say that the worst thing about their work/sport is the politics? Or that they like someone because they "aren't political".

And by definition, the people who do best at politics are the people who are best at it. The best at being something we all dislike.

Obviously there are genuine well intentioned guys who go into politics, but by definition most of them lose, since they're playing against people who will happily sell their granny for some power. It's like the Olympics. It's not that the best athletes take drugs. It's that the athletes that don't take drugs are really up against it to get to the final, since they're up against everyone who does.