Yahoo News British public opinion of politicians has sunk to a record low, says Hansard study
The British public’s view of its political system has fallen to a new low, a study has warned.
The annual Hansard Society audit of political engagement found that nearly three-quarters of people felt the UK’s system of governing needed “quite a lot” or “a great deal” of improvement.
At 72%, this is the highest level in the 15 years the audits have been published – worse than the previous peak of 69% in the 2010 study taken in the aftermath of MPs’ expenses scandal and the financial crises.
The growing public dissatisfaction of Britain’s political system is leading people to entertain “radical solutions” which challenge the core tenets of democracy, the charity warned.
Only 25% of the public have confidence in MPs’ handling of Brexit, its study found, while 50% say the main parties and politicians don’t care about people like them.
Three out of four people said the main political parties are so divided within themselves that they cannot serve the best interests of the country.
The research and education charity warned that the increasing public dissatisfaction with the system of governing meant sizeable numbers of people were willing to entertain “radical solutions”.
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These included people saying Britain needed a “strong leader willing to break the rules” and that many of the country’s problems could be better dealt with if the government did not have to worry about parliamentary approval.
Hansard Society director Dr Ruth Fox said: “This year’s audit of political engagement shows that the public are not apathetic about politics, but they are increasingly dissatisfied with the way our system of governing works – so much so that sizeable numbers are willing to entertain quite radical solutions.
“Preferring a strong leader who is willing to break the rules or thinking that the Government should be able to tackle the country’s problems without worrying about the approval of Parliament, would challenge core tenets of our democracy.”
Dr Fox warned the anti-system sentiment, pessimism about the future and strong feeling the system favours the rich and powerful was creating a “potentially toxic recipe” for the future of British politics.
She added: “Although the core indicators – including certainty to vote – remain stable, pessimism about the country’s future combines worryingly with anti-system sentiment.
“The public feel strongly that the system of governing favours the rich and powerful and that political parties don’t care about the average person.
“Unless something changes, this is a potentially toxic recipe for the future of British politics.”
The audit was based on a poll carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Hansard Society.
It found 54% of respondents said Britain needed a “strong leader willing to break the rules” while 42% of people said “many of the country’s problems could be dealt with more effectively if the government didn’t have to worry so much about votes in Parliament”.
The audit also found that nearly two-thirds of people thought the British system of government was “rigged to advantage the rich and powerful” and 47% felt they had no influence at all over national decision-making.
