Voting for nothing just leaves a political mess

One perspective is that politics and politicians are undervalued. Another is that politics and politicians are treated contemptuously by a cynical media and a cynical public.

The truth probably lies in between.

Politics and those who ply the trade get a raw enough deal. I’m not saying they are not deserving of criticism because politicians over-promise and fail to deliver. They tend to court populism and play to the gallery and sometimes don’t step up when really brave decisions have to be made.

There are three strands this week that all feed generally into that theme.

The first was the shocking murder in Britain of the Labour MP Jo Cox. Clearly, the man who shot and stabbed her was mentally disturbed. And of course, that is an extreme example. But there are other, admittedly far less grievous, example of that and it is not nice.

If you follow certain politicians on social media you will see the dog’s abuse they get. The latest ‘victims’ have been those Independents who have gone into Government who have been lashed by (often anonymous) posters and branded as traitors.

Another person who gets a lot of abuse, Regina Doherty, said this weekend she will begin to respond in kind to those who abuse her, saying she has had enough of staying quiet.

We will see how that goes, but my own impression is that those who attack politicians online are as relentless and committed as a dog with a bone. She will find it hard to fend them off.

The stock of politicians was never high but it is particularly low at the moment. I think the Brexit referendum in Britain is an indication of that.

Many of the arguments being advanced by the Leave campaign are emotional and negative, railing against Brussels and what they claim is its baleful influence. In a sense they are anti-political and anti-politician.

All of the mainstream British parties officially support a Yes campaign - of course, the Tories are split on the issue. It’s clear a majority of conservative voters probably want out.

I went to the North last week to gauge unionist opinion, particularly in working-class loyalist areas. The first thing that surprised me was how little engagement there was.

The only thing that really excited people was that the Northern Ireland soccer team was in the Euro finals. The second thing was that I found no loyalist to say they would vote to stay even though the North has benefitted enormously from Europe.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.