Politics that cares, not PR and spin.
31st March 2023
Politics that cares, not PR and spin
As Parliament goes into recess, we have experienced a fortnight of announcements of provocative, PR-driven legislation, initiatives, and photo opportunities from senior politicians that illustrate they are in election mode.
But policy statements that ignore expert advice and address outlier issues rather than the urgent issues affecting millions show a deeply concerning lack of competency and responsibility. In the meantime, the cost of living crisis, pay disputes, inflation, systemic failures and issues in the police, fire and health services, investing in the border force and operating 24/7 shifts for a set period to process asylum seekers, costing taxpayers £7 million a day, go unresolved.
Against this backdrop, the True & Fair Party commissioned polling in March on a range of questions.
The findings can be found on our website here, with the main headlines below:
Recent Polling Data from the Public
Political Polling – March 2023
Disaffected voters
- Only 5% of people believe politicians put country before party.
- Only 14% of people believe their local MP represent their interests and concerns effectively.
- More than four in 10 people don’t know who to vote for at the next general election or won’t vote
Gina Miller said of these findings:
“These results show that voters feel neglected, lost and unrepresented. The current party system produces candidates that barely even pay lip service to voters’ concerns. People do not believe their voices and concerns are being heard.
The outdated notion that first-past-the-post provides a strong constituency link is again shown to be wrong – too many MPs see representing a constituency as the step into parliament, not a main reason for being there.
No wonder so few people know who to vote for or whether they should vote at all. We are in an age of political neglect and that needs to change.”
Question on Reform of the House of Lords
- 66% of people believe there should be reform of the House of Lords honours system.
We believe the honours system has been a clear abuse of power for at least a century. Yet, last year’s Conservative prime ministerial merry-go-round has taken rewards for failure and political donations to uncharted depths.
At a minimum, prime ministers who lose a vote of no confidence or are forced from office for lying should not be allowed to make honorary nominations. Nor should PMs whose failures were so grave that they could not even stay in office for a year. Johnson and Truss should not be allowed to nominate anyone for honours.
Question on revolving doors
- 66% of people believe that senior officials should be made to wait at least a year before taking up a private sector position that requires intimate knowledge of Whitehall.
This is an issue that Gina Miller has been very vocal about – not just for politicians but senior people working for regulators and public services. Her view is:
“The UK openly fosters a ‘revolving door’ political chumocracy that completely undermines any argument that we are a leading democracy. Commercial organisations want our top civil servants for their contacts books, to help them win work and take advantage of an opaque system.
To believe otherwise is either shockingly naïve or an attempt to maintain a system that benefits the very few, to the detriment of everyone else. We urgently need proper regulation and oversight.”
Question on Matt Hancock
- 54% of people believe the Metropolitan Police should investigate Matt Hancock for criminality in light of his Covid-related WhatsApp messages
The True & Fair Party agree with the public that Hancock should be investigated for criminality. This is why Gina wrote to the Metropolitan Police and CPS asking for them to determine whether Hancock has committed gross negligence manslaughter. The open Letter can be found here.
The WhatsApp messages show what we all suspected but hoped was not true – that one of the Conservatives’ most senior MPs was playing fast-and-loose during the height of the pandemic, worrying about his media profile while he was endangering lives.”
If you are tired of partisan politics, the True & Fair Party is here to bring people together and offer them the opportunity to be part of a movement to clean up politics, modernise our democracy and fight corruption.
We believe in creating a just society where everyone's voice is heard, and opportunities are accessible to all. Please have a look at our website, join us, spread the word and help us, help you and our country.
Kind regards,
Candidate for Epsom and Ewell, and Leader of True & Fair