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23% of MPs 'would escape politics'
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A quarter of MPs (23%) would not go into politics if they were starting their careers again, according to a poll which uncovered low morale at Westminster in the wake of the expenses scandal.
Out of about 100 MPs who took part in the confidential online survey for a BBC2 documentary, nearly one in four (37%) said they had little or no power.
And almost three-quarters (72%) said the election will do nothing to neutralise the impact of the expenses row on the public image of MPs.
Some 40% said their work had sometimes made them feel depressed, 41% powerless, 51% anxious, 65% angry and 72% stressed. Almost a third (31%) said they had sometimes felt like quitting, 33% that they had lost sleep and 9% that they had feared they could not cope.
Details of the ComRes survey will be unveiled on Thursday night in BBC2's The People's Politician, a documentary examining the relationship between MPs and the public.
Some 84% of MPs questioned said the public generally do not understand what politicians do, and 30% said voters do not care enough about politics to understand how it works.
Frustration with constituents' demands was reflected by the 76% of MPs who agreed that voters' expectations were "inconsistent and contradictory". And 80% said the public do not give MPs a fair hearing - rising to 86% over the issue of expenses.
A large majority (80%) agreed they are seen by the public as "hate figures" who do not have the country's interests at heart.
Meanwhile, there was evidence that some MPs may be turning to the bottle to help deal with the stress of their position, with almost four in 10 saying that they "always" or "often" exceed the Government's recommended weekly alcohol limit.
However, 58% of those questioned said they got "a lot" of satisfaction from their work and 21% said they could not imagine being happier doing anything else - compared to 4% who reported feeling only "a little" and 17% "some" satisfaction.
Reader views (2)
Tax payers would be a whole lot happier - and richer - if 75% of them had never entered politics in the first place. They have misappropriated millions of pounds of public money whilst at the same time being grossly overpaid for what has become a very menial job. Their behaviour during PMQs is inexcusable when they are seen braying across the floor at each other like constipated donkeys.
- R.F.York, Yorks, UK, 18/03/2010 08:11
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Oh, poor ickle wickle politicians. Can I suggest that those who do not wish to be employed in the field of national polics leave the building NOW??? Perhaps then the people's wishes may be served by public servants who actually wish to be fully engaged with our country, our lifestyles, our economy, and our future government? Instead we have jaded, money grabbing, non-committed, party hopping, professional politicians who probably don't even CARE which party they represent so much as what used to be a luxurious position of authority. Boo hoo, are the nasty public holding you to account and criticising the state of the country you've got us in?
- Real, London, 18/03/2010 08:06
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