Public service: Politics

It has become virtually impossible to ignore politics in the last 4 – 5 years for reasons that are most unfortunate: everything is being politicised. The terms “Civil Service” and “Public Servants” which we’re casually applied to those supposedly paid for by the taxpayer to work for the greater good of the public, may as well be discontinued as it has been a long, long time since we last had politicians who have put themselves forward to serve. You get a knock on you door during an election cycle, open the door and there in front of you, would be a very polite individual asking for your support, your vote. Few weeks later and once elected, the transformation from public service to Demi-god, inaccessible status will be in full flow. We vote MPs in to represent us in parliament but when big decisions arise, party politics lead to requests to put it to the people (via the increasingly popular phenomenon known as referendums!); what follows is a referendum without set parameters, with narrow victories that would not have been deemed conclusive under any other circumstance, becoming a seemingly immovable noose around the necks of our politicians. Divisiveness has become the most potently effective tool to win elections and the individuals who are supposed to serve, become cheerleaders of divisiveness through half truths and blatant lies, whipping populations into a frenzy in incurable loathing. It is difficult to see a way back to the days where politicians had a moral compass and debate facts.