“It’s a tough job being a politician because it’s hard to please everyone”
This was recently stated by a local politician and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it. It sounds like a reasonable lament and God knows we don’t envy them. But. The truth is that politicians should not be trying to “please” anyone. That’s not their job.
Trying to please everyone may seem like a good way to secure re-election but it may also be a big reason why our political systems are struggling on every level. From Ottawa to tiny communities, politics have taken over society. We have a situation where politicians believe they somehow have to make enormous decisions about things they can’t possibly understand. They don’t have the time, the resources or the knowledge to make far-reaching decisions in a rapidly changing world and their track record has been abysmal. They are pressured to do so by a government hierarchy that also seems to be lacking in fundamental insights and who remain determined to force their agendas and experimental policies onto the public.
Being reactive to outside pressures has contributed to a culture of politicians going rogue in their decision making. A very bad pattern indeed. We are seeing attitudes in politicians and high ranking bureaucrats that seem completely out of touch with the realities of their constituent’s lives. Widespread protests are becoming the norm in Canada and Mr. Trudeau cannot go anywhere without attracting large and angry crowds. We have become a country of perpetual protests.
Recent revelations in Ottawa expose how the Prime Minister has ignored his own intelligence agency’s (CSIS) dire warnings about foreign interference (Peoples Republic of China) in our elections! Has he been trying way too hard to please China? Who else is he trying to please? The following is eye opening and describes a very disturbing pattern in the PM’s office. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44P8PiNC_xo
As a long standing democracy, we have invested vast amounts of time, energy and resources into designing a system of rules, laws and democratic protocols to give politicians and governments a powerful tool to guide decision making. Why do we continue to see them over-riding those guidelines and making decisions that “please some people” or worse, create new laws and rules when they can’t possibly foresee the consequences? Has the disastrous political response to the pandemic not shown us how utterly inept they are in spite of their refusal to take responsibility?
Making “people pleasing” a priority in the political arena will open the door to corruption, coercion and bad choices. It will result in a population that no longer trusts authority and society will suffer terribly. This is how societies deteriorate and we are seeing it everywhere. Citizens have to remain ever vigilant against this kind of degradation of our institutions. We must hold our politicians to their oaths – to do otherwise is to ignore our civic duty as responsible citizens. It’s been beyond disturbing to see our local political class ignore our Official Community Plan, due process, transparency and ethical decision making while they pursue their personal agendas and focus on supporting the goals of “outside interests” including major corporations.
A politician that tries to “please everyone” will be frustrated and disliked by most even if they manage to make a few happy. Unfortunately for them, they will be respected by no one. If they stick to due process and focus on the long-standing democratic systems at their disposal, they will have a far better chance of making good decisions for the communities/societies they serve. Above all, they must be willing to listen. Hearing from the public at large, directly, is the only way to understand a problem and have any hope of making an informed decision. That’s their number one job. They may not be liked by all but they will be respected and that is a much more honourable goal.
