Public does not trust MP's

Politicians are now being regarded as less trustworthy than estate agents.

A supposingly new survey, show 3 in 10 people think Government Ministers tell the truth.

The watchdog commissioner, Sir Alistair Graham, says a "significant number" of the public still felt the war in Iraq was affecting trust.

A spate of negative stories - such as the cash-for-honours scandal - may have had an adverse effect on public trust.

Also in a so called poll of school children, most felt that the PM is doing a very bad job. According to the poll 80% of children think that Britain should not have went to war with Iraq.

Pupils News Source

Public News Source

It gets me how they can say that these polls, represent the majority of the Publics opinions when they only asked 2,000 people out of 60 million.

Also I would question how can they say, that the pupils poll represents the majority of the opinions off Children in our schools when they only polled 1215 children.

Oh, statistics!

Two points

Firstly...

The polling companies say that they poll in such a way as to be statistically representive of the population for some of their surveys. I have always felt a bit unsure with Mori polls and the like because they are in it to make money.

Other surveys (such as internet-based) are usually monopolised by vested interest. So George Galloway's website (if he has one) which asks the question "should we have gone to war" would doubtlessly get a 100% "no" score because of the people who would likey visit his site. The same question on a website aimed at victims of Saddam's brutality may give a 100% "yes"!

Secondly...

The question... What is the question that is asked. "Should Britain have gone to war with Iraq when WMD did not exist" may solicit a "no" response, whereas "Should Britain have gone to war with Iraq to get rid of a pychopath who has gassed his own peopel and been resposibile for hundreds of thousands of deaths" may solicit a "yes" response.

Regards

The truth is that this is how it has been for ever.

All of my life (that I can recall this kind of stuff) there have been a few constant enduring truths.
One of these is that politicians are held in the same kind of 'regard' by the general public as journos and estate agents.......all of them about 3 levels below the lowest forms of pond-life.

Always were & always will be, it's an enduring urban truth (or myth depending on your POV).

Not that it's so fundamental and strongly held that it'll ever stop people buying houses/flats, reading papers or magazines or voting at election time .....or even having the occasional excited debate about politics......

.....and quite right too.

I trust politicians are far as I can throw them, and in John Prescotts case... well you get the idea

The reason people don't trust politicians is because of what they do, the actual work itself and the fact they do things like play at war when they shouldn't or forget who actually put them in office.

Originally posted by Prometheus James
I trust politicians are far as I can throw them, and in John Prescotts case... well you get the idea

The reason people don't trust politicians is because of what they do, the actual work itself and the fact they do things like play at war when they shouldn't or forget who actually put them in office.

I think much of the distrust of politicians is down to the overbearing media intrustion and often exaggeration. I actually think that many politicians I have seen are actually quite honest, but often their inability to "be blunt" is tempered by (a) the Party Message and (b) the fact that the press are a pack of dogs.

I am not saying the media should not intrude, although maybe if they reported on some of the work politicians actually did 99% of the rest of the time they may be enlightened. My previous MP did well for the last place I lived in and was greatly respected and admired by all corners, as far as I can tell.

Regards

[edit on 17/9/2006 by paraphi]