The death of populism is within reach at this general election – Scotsman comment

A focus on serious election issues, rather than unfortunately timed downpours or empty populist rhetoric, is vital for this country's future (Picture: Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak got a right soaking when he called the election, didn’t he? Then he asked Welsh people about the Euros – and Wales didn’t even qualify. Keir Starmer is so boring, he’s just “sleepy”. The Lib Dems? Who?

Apparently the rain that fell on the Prime Minister as he called the election wouldn't really have mattered if he had been riding high. The jokes about umbrellas only struck a chord because they became a metaphor of his current troubles, reinforcing, rather than creating, an impression in voters’ minds.

At times, superficial discussions of political imagery can seem to be what democracy is all about. It can make voting seem almost frivolous. However, a glance at life in Putin’s Russia or Xi’s China – where both men are basically in power for life barring some kind of coup – is a reminder that it most certainly is not.

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Few of us have the time or the inclination to read every party political manifesto, take part in profound, serious debates with our peers, and only then, after much reflection, form a judgment on how we will vote. But that doesn’t mean we don’t care or that the process is frivolous. Everyone is free to make their own choice about how they make political decisions.

However, the greater the number of people who identify the issues that really matter and vote for the candidates who they believe will best address those issues, the better democracy is likely to work. Populists are masters of political distraction and too many SNP and Conservative politicians have discovered they can rely on little more than empty rhetoric for votes.

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This means that real-world problems, like the decline of the NHS, gradually get worse, and public resentment builds, potentially to the point where democracy itself comes under pressure.

So if there is to be one theme of this general election, let it be the death of populism and a return to politics that focusses on the economy, health, education and other such ‘bread-and-butter’ issues. This is serious, some might even say dull, work, but it is absolutely vital to the future of this country.