'Engaging' With Voters

The Daily Express carries a report that David Cameron wishes to "re-engage millions of voters who have been "switched off" politics" and "....who are disheartened by politics, who are disengaged with this election...." Whilst the following comments are direct at David Cameron, they are equally applicable to Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg.

What we have here are three, supposedly, intelligent men asking questions to which they must surely know the answer. We have three parties all fighting for the 'centre ground'; three parties all wedded to the same ideas, but differing in the methods to reach the same 'end'; three parties who are content to allow our ability to be a self-governing country eroded by our membership of the European Union; three parties who, in effect, have buried their heads in the sand where our present problems are concerned; three parties who, to all appearances, have the MSM 'in their pocket' and thereby 'control' what we are told; three parties who try to ignore - and thereby will not debate with - what they term 'minor' parties in the hope that those 'minor' parties will 'disappear' and three parties who, in effect, lie to the electorate with almost every word they utter and write.

Not that their candidates are any better, due to the 'hold' the party leaders - and whips, when Parliament is sitting - have over them. Candidates - and MPs, when elected - are treated as (potential) 'voting fodder' or face possible deselection 'next time round'. Leaders and their MPs are all guilty of placing party before country; none of them actually 'represent' the majority view of the constituents; between general elections, none of them actually 'talk' to their constituents until it is time to 'beg' said constituents for their vote. Oh, sure they hold 'surgeries' and write to the constituents lauding their 'achievements' by means of the occasional leaflet and their websites - but when do they actually announce an 'appearance' to their constituents in say, an informal 'meet and greet' in various High Streets?

And they wonder why the electorate is 'turned-off' politics and politicians? FFS - are they 'brain-dead?*

Update: Ian Drury puts it slightly more politely.