Trust in our politicians ‘has sunk to all-time low’
BRITAIN is in the grip of a ‘deep institutional crisis’ with trust in government, parliament and politicians at an ‘all-time low’, according to an internationally respected survey.
It has led to the UK having one of the lowest political participation rates in the developed world – and even scoring below Palestine and Iraq.
Researchers said other institutions in Britain have suffered a decline in trust including the police, the church, the banks and the media.
The study by The Economist Intelligence Unit measured the health of democracy in 167 countries around the world.
Britain scored relatively healthily for having open and free elections. But its score for the number of people participating in politics – just over six out of ten – was alarmingly low.
The MPs’ expenses scandal, the handling of the Libor rate rigging by the banks and other contro-
‘Institutional breakdown’
versies were blamed for damaging public trust.
And the researchers warned that the inner-city riots during the summer of 2011 had ‘provided a glimpse of the unpredictable consequences of institutional breakdown’.
Turnout for a string of Parliamentary by-elections has fallen below 0 per cent.
According to the Intelligence Unit, the participation rate in British politics was ranked below all of the major powers in Europe, and a string of nations which were not even considered to have fully-functioning democracies. These included Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, Tunisia and Namibia.
For all categories in the study, which also included civil liberties, the UK was ranked 16th out of 167 countries in 2012, placing it towards the bottom of the 2 nations considered a ‘full democracy’.
The UK was ranked below the Netherlands (10th), Ireland (13th) and Germany (14th).
In a damning indictment of the political class, the researchers warned that the UK is ‘beset by a deep institutional crisis’.
The researchers warned of more problems ahead. ‘The gulf between the country’s citizens and the political elite is a cause of concern given the depressed state of the economy, and the gloomy outlook,’ they said.