{"id":80017,"date":"2025-02-06T07:37:09","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T07:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=80017"},"modified":"2025-02-06T08:37:01","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T08:37:01","slug":"why-shouldnt-we-be-disillusioned-with-our-politicians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taxresearch.org.uk\/Blog\/2025\/02\/06\/why-shouldnt-we-be-disillusioned-with-our-politicians\/","title":{"rendered":"Why shouldn’t we be disillusioned with our politicians?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have already discussed<\/a> the chaos being created by Trump this morning. He is destroying politics as we know it in pursuit of what I can only presume to be his own personal gain, aided and abetted by those he will enrich on the way.<\/p>\n

That is what corruption looks like. It is alienating, corrosive, dispiriting and ultimately completely destructive in the sense that this will destroy belief in the whole political process and the sense of community that goes with it.<\/p>\n

It would be good to think that this is a phenomenon that is currently curious to the USA. But it is not. That same destruction is happening here in the UK, even if it is manifested in different ways. Starmer is as intent on ignoring what people want - and on delivering what suits his purpose and that of his sponsors - almost as much as Trump is.<\/p>\n

Take some examples over the last day or two of what Starmer and his government are doing. He is pushing an oilfield<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is despite the news that January was the hottest on record<\/a> and that the rate of climate change is clearly growing:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He also wants nuclear power<\/a> in people's backyards but cannot answer any question about what will be done with the waste:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Meanwhile. he wants to appease Trump because of his naive desire for a trade deal with the tyrant, and he won't call Trump out on Gaza because he shares his Zionism.<\/p>\n

Here in the UK, the obsession with growth is already backfiring. Many reports suggest that the Office for Budget Responsibility can't see signs of it, and Reeves will have to frame her budget within that context, despite which Labour's narrative is not changing - making them look utterly out of touch with reality.<\/p>\n

And the failure to address real issues, from high interest rates (which the Bank of England will not really address today) or the stench at Thames Water, go unaddressed.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in the background, almost unnoticed, the reality that 25% of people live in poverty and that there are still 7 million people on NHS waiting lists goes on, with nothing being done about it because to do so would offend markets, the neoliberal view, the food industry, the power of pharmaceutical companies and the embedded interests of the City of London.<\/p>\n

Is it any surprise then that people, and especially young people, in this country are alienated from Starmer and what he is doing? Why not be alienated?<\/p>\n

As is noted in the Guardian<\/a> this morning:<\/p>\n

Prof Linda Woodhead, a co-author of\u00a0Gen Z, Explained: The Art of Living in a Digital Age<\/a>, [has suggested that] her research had found 40% of those surveyed in the UK and the US did believe the political system needed major reform, and 15% felt it was entirely broken. Their disillusionment was rooted in what they saw as the failure of the political establishment to tackle existential crises such as climate breakdown.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When faced with Starmer and his complete denial of the realities that we face and his indifference to finding any solution to any known problem, why shouldn't they feel that? Don't you?<\/p>\n

So, a poll:<\/p>\n

\n\t\t

Do you think the UK political system:<\/strong><\/p>