h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

what would happen if....

politicians legally had to attempt to keep their campaign promises?

would this make politics less profitable?
would corruption still be as prevalent?

I expect that if politicians were made legally liable for their actions and decisions, you find a lot less people running for office.

would that be such a bad thing?
perhaps it would be but how many people really go into politics aiming to deceive?

My observations over about 40 years of voting at every level, every election I was eligible for: most actually DO enter the field with good intentions. But something in human nature seems to shift to a sense of entitlement and immunity sometime in a second term of office.

You must never forget that politics is a career and puts food on the table. Of all the influences a politician may have, this will be the most basic.

Life would be much simpler.

We might just as well ask singers to keep the promises they make in songs.

but no-one bases if they buy the song based on what the singer promises in it

a lot of people only have the politicians promise to deliver them to influence their vote

More importantly, too many voters have astoundingly short memories.

"We might just as well ask singers to keep the promises they make in songs." [TC]

Like this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpKAnp5Klzw

Or this one, which is actually about a politician campaigning?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNhQrMgDVng

Where's that Mumbo Jumbo song from?

It's from "Stop the world, I want to get off."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_the_World_%E2%80%93_I_Want_to_Get_Off

It would end up with politicians committing to nothing, promising nothing, delivering nothing, but talking a lot.


No real change then

Could we put them in front of windmills, to produce some power?

seems like a good use for them Paulh
but you'd only get people complaining about the blight on the landscape

They wouldn't complain so much if the politicians were good-looking.

Perhaps, but politicians / attractiveness are mutually exclusive.

Maybe it depends on what part of the world you live in. Physical appearance seems to be an asset when you're first running for office.

you haven't seen Justin Trudeau and the hype around his looks then, brolean?