Something must not be done

root — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 13:33:14 +0000

Many people nowadays expect government to be the solution to all ills. Whenever something happens that someone doesn't like, the cry goes up "Something must be done". The expectation is that it will be government doing that something.

And yet those same people hold government and politicians in contempt. Every government programme fails to satisfy them. Politicians are often regarded as arrogant, unlistening, venal, untrustworthy self-publicists. If so, why do people have such high expectations of government?

pickinglosers exists to put the opposite case. We believe the truth is that politicians and civil servants are generally decent people trying to do their best. The problem is not with the personnel, but with the system and people's expectations of it. Most of life's ills cannot be solved by government, though people want to believe that they can. In a democratic system in a society where such delusions predominate, politicians are obliged to pretend or delude themselves that they can, if they wish to be elected. Who ever voted for a candidate whose campaign admitted that they would be able to do very little for their constituents if elected?

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Something must not be done