The problem is not so much politicians but voters

Public faith in British politics is at an all time low.

People are fed up with MPs lying and cheating. They feel looked down on by fake-sounding Oxbridge-educated men in suits playing endless games of verbal ping-pong.

In 85 days time, when polling stations open, a third of the electorate probably won’t even bother to cast a ballot.

Of those who do vote, almost third are predicted to back insurgent outsiders, particularly UKIP, the SNP and the Green Party.

This means that barely half the eligible population are likely to support the three main Westminster parties.

Such a situation would have been unthinkable only a decade ago. So how did this situation come about?

Certainly, Tory, Labour and Lib Dem politicians have done a lot to build a deep lack of trust – notably with the 2009 expenses scandal.

But MPs have also been unfairly maligned by increasingly hysterical and paranoid voters.

This contempt is most evident in the oft-trotted out claim that mainstream parties are “all the same”.

Yet, in terms of policies, the ideological gulf between Labour and the Conservative Party is now wider than at any time since 1992 and possibly earlier.

If elected in May, Labour plan to restore the top 50p income tax rate, introduce a mansion tax, repeal the “bedroom tax”, cut tuition fees by at least a third, roll back NHS privatisation, maintain Britain’s membership of the EU and impose spending cuts of only £7billion.

The Tories, on the other hand, will avoid increasing taxes on the wealthy, expand privatisation, offer a referendum on EU membership and roll back public spending to levels last seen in the 1930s with cuts of about £33billion (which, in my view, will unfairly hammer the majority of people at the expense of the rich while dooming Britain to a long period of stagnation).

The two parties have vastly different visions of Britain’s future - in stark contrast to the Blair era’s narrow ideological divide of matched taxation and spending.

Yet few voters appear to have noticed.

Instead, many have flocked to what they see as more authentically left-wing (Greens and SNP) and right-wing (UKIP) parties.

Given the irrelevance of these insurgents before the gulf between Labour and the Tories reopened in this parliament, it is hard not to conclude that the “all the same” cry has less to do with policy than personality and style.

The appearances, accents and manners of politicians are often so alike – and so too are their limited career paths.

Ed Miliband may well oppose the 30-year consensus against market intervention, but he made the same single step from Oxford University to his party’s headquarters as David Cameron (even if the Labour leader did go to a state school and not Eton).

This for many voters is sufficient reason to ignore what either man is saying.

It fuels claims that MPs are self-serving, colluding elitists who only want to work in politics for money and prestige.

But this is wrong. Most Westminster politicians seek the job in a spirit of public service and hold deep convictions.

They also work far longer hours and earn much less than they would many other careers.

And, while it is disconcerting that an increasing number of MPs are professional politicians, it was inevitable that major parties would compete for graduate talent in the same manner that private sector firms do.

By saying this I know I have openly invited incredulity.

But here in lies another reason why so many voters have become unflinchingly – and unfairly - indignant about Westminster politics.

Social media and other comment forums too often become digital echo chambers where opinions are shouted back ever more loudly.

In such an environment, reasoned arguments become increasingly sidelined in favour of myths and conspiracy theories - and opinions harden.

Yes, debate in Westminster is nuanced and often involves a mind-numbing cycle of rebuttles and counter-rebuttles.

But that is no reason to hold the entire political process and those who practice it in contempt while also ignoring their message.

Politics is a serious business and we should be glad that it is less hysterical than blowhards on the outside – myself included.