Do politicians need qualifications?

[dragon]

I would like to raise the issue of qualifications for politicians.

Diane Abbott MP has featured on a radio programme this week and, as far as I understand, she is fairly typical: she has been an MP since 1984 which is to say that roughly half of her life, or about three-quarters of her adult life, has been spent as a politician. This means that within a very few years of graduating from university (I assume she has some sort of degree) she entered politics and has been an MP ever since.

The current trend in politics is toward younger politicians and MPs and towards career politicians. In the case of career politicians, the aspiring MP graduates with a degree in, say, political science, and then walks straight into a job in politics. Thus, unlike older politicians such as Abbott, their entire adult life is dedicated to politics. Thus politicians increasingly have little or no life experience outside the world of politics.

My concern is that these politicians are making decisions and imposing conditions and laws upon other people whose lives are entirely outside these politicians’ experience. There are numerous films which illustrate this problem. Frequently these are about the police or the armed services where a new graduate with no field experience is put in a position of authority over more experienced but lower ranking older men. The graduate then proceeds to make a complete hash of things and has to be bailed out by his experienced inferiors.

Speaking personally, the qualifications I would propose for aspiring politicians are these:

a) in order to acquire the necessary life experience, all politicians must be at least 50 years old.

In addition, aspiring politicians should be required to spend significant periods of time
b) in a variety of non-professional jobs e.g. working in call centres, factories, schools (as cleaners or classroom assistants, say), shops, working as farm labourers etc., etc…
c) living on benefits, with no outside support, and in damp, sub-standard housing;
d) being self-employed e.g. running a shop;
e) travelling extensively, independently and on a budget;
f) experiencing the lifestyle of the seriously wealthy.

There are many other qualifications that I can think of, but that will do for starters.

What, if any, qualifications for becoming a politician would others propose?

[Noblerust]

Personally, I think elected governing officials need qualifications. A democratic vote is in effect, a job interview determining which candidate is going to do a particular job. Who is the best qualified? Is it their hair or charming that is required? Political stance? Academics?

All high-level politicians are wealthy, that much is certain. Maybe your local coroner or sheriff or obscure justice seat isn’t wealthy, but they are still solidly upper-middle class. So class can’t be an issue. Seeing a billionaire dressed like a local yokel farmer on tour, or the president drinking a beer with a cop is patronizing.

So I already know I’m voting for somebody better off in society then I am.

Then, my personal stance on the issue is derided as ‘elitism’ or ‘technocracy’ because I expect an elected official to be qualified for the job he is petitioning for, not how his hair is tusseled so, or the blunt lies he throws at an opponent, or the bullshit ideological stances he will have no power to realize in office. I’d like to see somebody who knows what he is doing, like a professional. Not some popularity contest, reality TV with wealthy people and whoever gets voted off the island last wins.

Probably why I don’t vote.

[Flannel_Jesus]

@dragon

In addition, aspiring politicians should be required to spend significant periods of time
b) in a variety of non-professional jobs e.g. working in call centres, factories, schools (as cleaners or classroom assistants, say), shops, working as farm labourers etc., etc…
c) living on benefits, with no outside support, and in damp, sub-standard housing;
d) being self-employed e.g. running a shop;
e) travelling extensively, independently and on a budget;
f) experiencing the lifestyle of the seriously wealthy.

That’s a really strange set of requirements. Probably narrows down the list of potential candidates to like…3 people. Not too many people have done all those things.

[SIATD_v2]

@dragon

I would like to raise the issue of qualifications for politicians.

Diane Abbott MP has featured on a radio programme this week and, as far as I understand, she is fairly typical: she has been an MP since 1984 which is to say that roughly half of her life, or about three-quarters of her adult life, has been spent as a politician. This means that within a very few years of graduating from university (I assume she has some sort of degree) she entered politics and has been an MP ever since.

The current trend in politics is toward younger politicians and MPs and towards career politicians. In the case of career politicians, the aspiring MP graduates with a degree in, say, political science, and then walks straight into a job in politics. Thus, unlike older politicians such as Abbott, their entire adult life is dedicated to politics. Thus politicians increasingly have little or no life experience outside the world of politics.

My concern is that these politicians are making decisions and imposing conditions and laws upon other people whose lives are entirely outside these politicians’ experience. There are numerous films which illustrate this problem. Frequently these are about the police or the armed services where a new graduate with no field experience is put in a position of authority over more experienced but lower ranking older men. The graduate then proceeds to make a complete hash of things and has to be bailed out by his experienced inferiors.

Speaking personally, the qualifications I would propose for aspiring politicians are these:

a) in order to acquire the necessary life experience, all politicians must be at least 50 years old.

In addition, aspiring politicians should be required to spend significant periods of time
b) in a variety of non-professional jobs e.g. working in call centres, factories, schools (as cleaners or classroom assistants, say), shops, working as farm labourers etc., etc…
c) living on benefits, with no outside support, and in damp, sub-standard housing;
d) being self-employed e.g. running a shop;
e) travelling extensively, independently and on a budget;
f) experiencing the lifestyle of the seriously wealthy.

There are many other qualifications that I can think of, but that will do for starters.

What, if any, qualifications for becoming a politician would others propose?

I propose that they should be as unlike Diane Abbot as possible. She’s a vile, racist moron.