Disgruntled, Disillusioned and Disengaged: Public Attitudes to Politics in Britain Today

Does constituency focus improve attitudes to MPs? A test for the UK

“…To these accounts, we might add two more recent trends. On the demand-side, post-2010 austerity has both added to constituent grievances and reduced alternative sources of advice and advocacy, swelling MPs' caseloads (Fox, 2012). In terms of supply, there has been a tendency towards Parliament facilitating the discussion of constituency concerns.…”

Access to information in the UK and India

“…It has undoubtedly empowered NGOs and other groups at the local and central levels, but has not yet led to a widening involvement or arrested the historic decline in participation in the UK (Worthy 2013: Fox 2012. Even the MPs" expenses scandal failed to ignite involvement, despite isolated attempts to "de-select" MPs (Worthy 2013b).…”

“…At the local government level, traditionally more trusted than central government, voters views are more heavily influenced by performance and "community visibility" than openness (Worthy 2013). Even the seemingly clear case of trust decline created by the MPs' expenses scandal involves nuance, as the disclosure of Parliamentary corruption came as a confirmation rather than a revelation to many (Hansard Society 2010) and since 2009 levels of trust in MPs have now moved back upwards (Fox 2012). The idea that information equals increased trust over-simplifies the complex ways in which the public approaches politics and presumes a cognitive "blank slate" where there are in fact numerous biases, dissonance and expectations through which information is processed (De Fine Licht 2013: Grimmelikhaujsen 2012.…”

“…In this sense FOI "went with the grain" of other change, so reforms mutually reinforced each other. Yet FOI ran against historically low levels of participation and trust, further eroded by conflictual government and media relations (Worthy 2010: Fox 2012. In India expectations are even higher.…”

Political Emotions: A Role for Feelings of Affinity in Citizens’ (Dis)Engagements with Electoral Politics?

“…Recent examples abound: President Obama’s 2008 campaign motif of ‘hope’; the outpouring of public indignation surrounding the Westminster expenses scandal; 1 the ‘joy’ and excitement in Egypt as Mubarak was overthrown (Ali, 2011); anger at Tony Blair from families of British military personnel killed during the Iraq war (Lewis and Dodd, 2010); the shame evoked by President Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina (Cornwell, 2010); the catharsis as Australia’s Prime Minister formally apologised to Australia’s Indigenous peoples. In addition, there is also a body of academic literature which documents widespread electoral disengagement, low levels of trust and high levels of cynicism about politics and politicians (Fox, 2012; Hay, 2007; Nye et al, 1997; Stoker, 2006). Popular connections are made between emotions and politics, and surveys identify the palpable shortcomings of the political system, but social science, and sociology in particular, seldom consider the role, and importance, of emotions in thinking about, and engaging with, electoral politics.…”