Professionalism in Politics: A Recipe for Disaster!

I remember, back in the 1990s or whenever, people saying it was desirable to have professional politicians.    In those days parliament was dominated by people who had spent many years working in very different careers, be it as Trade Unionists, businessmen, teachers, soldiers, etc., etc.    Now such people are in a tiny minority, having been replaced very largely by 'professional politicians'.

One thing these 'professional politicians' have in common is that they all look so very much the same.    They are all 30-something, and either upper or upper-middle class.    Very few have ever done a 'proper job', most having risen through party ranks as researchers or advisors.    Of those who have, an alarmingly high proportion have either been lawyers or PR consulants.    What all this adds up to is that none of them have any real experience of 'life'.

Surely it is life experience which is needed in abundance in our national leaders and legislaters.    Yet that is the very thing which the party machines have ruthlessly expunged from parliament.    Cameron, Clegg, Osborne, Balls, the Millibands, etc.,:   none of them are in any way qualified to represent a constituency, let alone run the country, because none of them know anything about the lives of ordinary people!

The long term consequences for the nation can only be negative, and it is difficult to see any way of reversing this trend.    In the old days, those of us who have been around the block a few times and gained life experience, stood a reasonable chance of being selected as parliamentary candidates if they put their minds to it.    Now, with candidate lists being controlled centrally, there is no chance of that any more.

Consequently, parliament has become an increadibly undemocratic institution.    The parties ensure that only cardboard cutout candidates that they can tightly control will be elected, and the party whips make sure they do as their masters bid them.    Time is running out for democracy in this country unless we can once again make parliament the last bastion of amateurism.