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this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2026
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How much more do we want to be taken for fools? How do we get responsible politicians?
Main one: Prohibit lobbying (or soft corruption as I.like to call it). Others: Set payment + 100% illegal to receive gifts, services for free, any type of advantage + extreme high fine for both parties if they are caught breaking the rules.
I would also include aggressive financial oversight, constant supervision of all financials, assets and so forth. Possibly even mandatory external management for the duration of their term.
Officials and their families should not be able to privately invest at all while they are holding office. Seems inconvenient for them, but anyone going into politics hoping to do some insider trading should get the fuck out anyway.
All good points... but it will never happen... Money can buy everyone, every decision maker in the line can be bought and influenced.
You need some rules like: If you're caught accepting money of any kind except your salary, you go in jail for 1 year or something. Without exception or early release.
With that some probably would think twice before going corrupt.
Maybe it's worth considering that "prohibiting" lobbying would also ban or severely restrict many NGOs such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace, trade unions, the recent initiative to "Stop Killing Games" as has been discussed on this instance extensively, etc.
Obviously politicians should be banned from accepting cocaine, hookers, chests of golden doubloons, etc. from other parties, but it can still be useful for them to consider the perspective of different groups in society, including environmental groups, citizen initiatives, but also industry advocates.
How do you enforce this? How do you enact this?
Easy: Pay them as much as the industry they are actually working for. Oh, you don't have enough money for that? Well, it's your problem (and entirely your fault) that you are too poor to matter.
On a more serious note: People seem to believe that voting more and more for screaching morons promising burn the planet faster while at the same time rolling back every positive development of decades is the way to go. So the actual answer is you won't. Because in a democracy the majority is calling the shots and sadly that majority is criminally stupid.
Gathering those kinds of funds as simple peasants is not easy at all :(
I'm confused, you just said those with money call the shots. Is it because the politicians aren't the only ones receiving big bags of money? We the peasants not only need responsible politicians but also responsible (and well-funded) media outlets.
What can be done about the stupidity?
Now? Not much.
The actual main measures so voters don't fall for stupid bullshit against their interests (education and proper journalism) already failed. In big parts because the propagandists prepared well by buying out a lot of media and defunding education.
Better education, more measures against fake news and propaganda. Some nations (like, as per usual, the Nordics) are working hard on this, including even with providing courses for adults on how to spot fake news (as well as incorporating it into the general curriculum), but most are complacent at best, far too slow at adapting to rapidly changing times.
People are increasingly voting rightwing parties, and this is the price they pay.
They dont pay it because it is mostly old people voting right wing
first they pulled the ladder with them, now they are pouring gasoline and throwing matches. may they rot in hell
And old people think, right wing parties protect our pensions
(While they kick the pensions even lower and blame insert any group with little power for their own greed)
It is not old people that are our enemy. The only enemy we have is but the reactionary elite who manipulates the labourers!
That's only half the truth. At least in my country.
While it is true that many Boomers vote conservative, e. g. Millenials like to vote far right instead. In total there is not that much difference between generations (Gen-Z excluded but this will change as soon as they have themselfs established and have something to loose).