What motivates politicians?

Politicians are as open to being persuaded by lobbying, perverted by money or getting drunk on power as anybody else. It is just that they have more opportunities than most to do all three. They, more than almost any other profession, live in a bubble world where everyone they know is in politics, there friends are fellow politicians and the higher they rise the more likely they are to be surrounded only by people who agree with them.

They also bring into politics all the personal faults and weaknesses that beset everybody. Mrs Thatcher was doctrinaire. Mr Blair's had an immense capacity for self-deception. Both these faults were there before they gained power and were contributory to their downfall.

Power is heady stuff.

Well said M0nica

I think politicians of all the main persuasions start with a shared desire to make the country a better place for all its inhabitants. Where they differ is in how they believe this can best be done.

Most of us on Gransnet seem to hold strong views on political and social issues and profoundly disagree with one or other of the main political parties (or both in my case). However because we disagree profoundly with the policies of one party does not mean that that party is following policies that are aimed ...to hurt one section of society as some believe? .....(or) to suck up to those they believe are their cronies? as the OP asked. It simply means they have a different view on what consitutes a well-ordered society working for the best interests of all its members and how this can be achieved.

No one party of any persuasion can know with absolute certainty that it has the one and only solution to all the country's problems.

I agree Roses and suspect that once they have got over recognising that the Civil Servants do the groundwork on proposals and their staff answer letters from constituents they realise how little they can actually do. Then I suppose they do what they think will keep their own party in power and keep their own seats. So presumably they do what they think we want them to do.

Agreed Roses and sadly I don't believe that enough thought is given to the ramifications of their proposals or 'The Law of Unintended Consequences'.

Exactly what Roses said.

I don't think whitewave that a partisan reply was looked for here, but a genuine question.

I believe all politicians at least start out 'to make a difference', it's not a career to go into to simply make money. Then they have a dose of realism, and find it's harder than they think.

Oh no I don't think they go into politics to hurt one particular group of society. But I think that the policies they pursue often result in hurting one group. So Labour may decide to increase tax to the wealthy to help the poor.

The wealthy may then feel hard done by saying they pay enough as it is and more tax is unfair.

The complete opposite may be true of the Tory government