2023-10-11 01:00:26
With increasing personification, politics tends more and more towards entertainment. Parties and the media tend to be more interested in the private lives of politicians than in fundamental issues.
While Belgium is facing serious problems — budget and education, asylum and migration, energy and climate, pensions and childcare — we might expect our politicians to demonstratea little more seriousness on the professional level, as well as a certain sense of urgency. But recently, the private lives of politicians appear more worthy of interest than political acts for which they are elected and paid.
Rue de la Loi has, in fact, become the scene of a spectacle where the pursuit of popularity eclipses the conclusion of lasting political agreements. Many prominent politicians now make appearances on singing and dancing shows, appear in the world of reality showdress up as a panda, a rabbit or a drag queen and reveal intimate details about their family life in magazines or via social media.
Loss of political influence
Politicians who thus open the door wide to their private lives risk see this strategy backfire. Several Flemish party presidents and ministers have experienced this in recent months.
Excessive personification leads to an evaporation of political content, neglecting the importance of real politics in favor of the battle of likes and reposts.
In doing so, politicians above all camouflage their powerlessness. With the decline of the center on the political spectrum and the magnifying effect of social media, the parties can no longer or no longer dare to compromise. And so the status quo prevails.
At the same time, in a world where the influence of international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank is growing, national politicians have less and less say. Our politicians therefore concentrate on their personality, without worrying about the loss of their political influence…
Brand image
This excessive personification leads to a evaporation of political content, neglecting the importance of real politics in favor of the battle of likes and reposts. Through their presence in entertainment media and on social networks, politicians hope to give an impression of proximity and humanity, but instead of bridging the gap between citizens and politics, they are on the contrary widening it. Blurring the line between politics and entertainment, in effect, creates a smokescreen that obscures political issues.
So we need to recalibrate our political system to make it more dignified, more sober, and maybe even a little more boring.
Citizens can therefore come to consider politicians as “ordinary people”, while being disillusioned with their ability to bring about substantive change. The attempt to be authentic thus comes at the expense of trust in politics to find effective solutions to problems. This obviously fuels the extremes on both sides of the political spectrum.
We therefore need recalibrate our political system to make it more dignified, more sober, and maybe even a little more boring. Politicians should be more aware of the serious nature of their role. They should adopt a more professional attitude and prioritize policy issues, pragmatic solutions and building coalitions to implement them.
Stay down to earth
Boring politics is not necessarily meaningless. It provides a framework for a more sincere dialogue between rue de la Loi and rue du village, in which politicians can continue to recruit and remain a source of inspiration.
Real closeness requires much more than sound bites, quick fixes and image polish. Voters don’t want a new media persona so much as they want people who can decisively solve problems and have leadership.
Stay down to earth and don’t give in to sensationalism would constitute a solid basis for pursuing a respectful and constructive policy, thanks to which we could collectively address the challenges facing our society.
1696993636
#Making #Politics #Boring