If I want to have a say in national policy when I know something which makes a difference, it looks like I either have to run for parliament …, lead a rebellion, or start my own country.
If you had a lot of money...think billions...and were willing to spend it, I damn well guarantee you could have your MP and plenty of other officials slobbering at your feet in order to have your attention.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you would get your own way automatically. Politicians are promiscuous in their willingness to slobber at donors’ feet. There are other countervailing forces—other billionaires, for example. Also, even if they don’t have the time or interest in responding to your individual letters or (worse) emails, your elected representatives are keenly attentive to mass polling data. If it looks like the majority of likely voters will think better of a politician for taking position X, even in the face of a really, really, well-financed campaign for the opposed position Y, then bet on most politicians going with position X.
P.S.
It’s easy for someone with a lot of money to bid for politicians, but it’s harder to buy them such that they stay bought.
Buying politicians? no way. it would be cheaper and more effective in the long run to buy newspapers and television stations, so that people only choose between the politicians who agree with me.
If you had a lot of money...think billions...and were willing to spend it, I damn well guarantee you could have your MP and plenty of other officials slobbering at your feet in order to have your attention.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you would get your own way automatically. Politicians are promiscuous in their willingness to slobber at donors’ feet. There are other countervailing forces—other billionaires, for example. Also, even if they don’t have the time or interest in responding to your individual letters or (worse) emails, your elected representatives are keenly attentive to mass polling data. If it looks like the majority of likely voters will think better of a politician for taking position X, even in the face of a really, really, well-financed campaign for the opposed position Y, then bet on most politicians going with position X.
P.S.
It’s easy for someone with a lot of money to bid for politicians, but it’s harder to buy them such that they stay bought.
Buying politicians? no way. it would be cheaper and more effective in the long run to buy newspapers and television stations, so that people only choose between the politicians who agree with me.