Restoring trust in politics

Political democracy does not guarantee good public governance. Still, it has one distinct advantage over other systems: it puts the power to alternate political administrations in the hands of voters. But do voters always get what they want when they decide to change political horses?

The recent UK elections reflected the will of many Britons for change after more than a decade of Conservative rule.

The way the British electoral system is engineered guaranteed the Labour government an impressive majority even if their share of the vote was way below the number of seats they hold in parliament. Sadly, for those who voted for change, the performance of the new Labour administration fell well below many people’s expectations.

One of the Labour government’s first steps was restricting the winter fuel payments to many pensioners. Then came revelations of sleaze through which Labour MPs, including the prime minister, enjoyed freebies from one of their wealthy donors. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of pensioners were asked to make sacrifices to put public finances in order.

It was not just the media that shone a spotlight on how the new administration was betraying the trust of ordinary people at such an early stage of the new administration.

During the election period, many political leaders present themselves in a way that focuses on their charismatic personalities and the promises they make when they come to power

Labour MP Rosie Duffield resigned from the party and hammered the prime minister in her resignation letter. Duffield said: “It is so profoundly disappointing to me as a Labour voter and an activist... to see this is what we have become.” After days of revelations about donations and the leadership’s refusal to apologise, she added that the leadership seemed “more about greed and power than making a difference… I just can’t take any more”.

The transition of political leaders from pre-election to leading a country is a significant event requiring many personal and professional skills. Upon assuming power, political leaders are forced to adapt to the political and social conditions of the place they will govern, considering the limited resources and existing political constraints.

This often means finding a compromise between what they want and what voters want. This transformation is complex and influenced by many factors, such as social expectations, the personal characteristics of the political leader and their personal political experience.

There is a chasm dividing the skills needed to win elections and those required to promote responsible governance. During the election period, many political leaders present themselves in a way that focuses on their charismatic personalities and the promises they make when they come to power.

Most politicians employ marketing gurus to project a positive image of themselves to the public. Dale Carnegie was an American author and a developer of courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking and interpersonal skills. He observes: “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic but creatures of emotions.” It is no wonder that the pre-election period is often filled with promises and dream-building. Realpolitik is quite different.

When they come to power, most leaders are forced to face the reality of public governance. This often means making difficult choices and communicating differently from what they used during their election campaign period. They are forced to deal with the high expectations accompanying their entry into power because, during the election period, promises were made for change and improvement that may be difficult to achieve under actual conditions in public administration.

When in opposition, many political leaders are vague about how they will bring about the change and reform most voters want. They repeat platitudes, sound bites, and comforting language that hides the pain that change will impose on some people. 

They hedge their bets, trying not to upset any minority in the electorate that may be instrumental in deciding which way the election goes. This strategy often alienates a growing minority of the electorate that is not prepared to buy into political eloquence devoid of detail on how reforms will be made. This may explain why political absenteeism is growing in many Western democracies.

Political leaders who want the electorate to trust them in the longer term require skills in managing change, resisting the pressure of expectations, and sincerity by showing integrity, authenticity and genuineness when meeting, speaking to and getting to know people. Above all, they need emotional intelligence, defined as “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically”. 

For how long will restoring trust in politics remain an impossible dream in Western democracies?