--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Public respect for politicians has long…" description: "\"“Public respect for politicians has long been declining, even as the population at large has been seduced into responding to each new problem by demand..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/kenneth-minogue-28215_politics_public-respect-for-politicians-has-long_1620467.jpg" --- # Public respect for politicians has long been declining… ![“Public respect for politicians has long been declining, even as the population at large has been seduced into responding to each new problem by demanding that the government should act. That we should be constantly demanding that an institution we rather despise should solve large problems argues…” quote by Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/kenneth-minogue-28215_politics_public-respect-for-politicians-has-long_1620467.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/kenneth-minogue-28215_politics_public-respect-for-politicians-has-long_1620467.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/kenneth-minogue-28215_politics_public-respect-for-politicians-has-long_1620467.jpg) > ““Public respect for politicians has long been declining, even as the population at large has been seduced into responding to each new problem by demanding that the government should act. That we should be constantly demanding that an institution we rather despise should solve large problems argues a notable lack of logic in the demos. The statesmen of times past have been replaced by a set of barely competent social workers eager to help 'ordinary people' solve daily problems in their lives. This strange aspiration is a very large change in public life. The electorates of earlier times would have responded with derision to politicians seeking power in order to solve our problems. Todays, the demos votes for them.”” [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Public trust in politicians is eroding while citizens increasingly demand government solutions to everyday issues, revealing a paradox of reliance on often incompetent officials. **In simple terms:** People rely on government even as they distrust politicians. Key Takeaway Question the logic of demanding solutions from disliked leaders. Themes politics public trust government responsibility citizen expectations Mood critical reflective Type analytical political When to use this quote - voting behavior - policy advocacy - community problem solving - public discourse Key Concepts democratic theory political legitimacy social contract Questions to Reflect On - Do we truly need government to solve personal problems? - How can citizens balance skepticism with civic engagement? A Different Perspective The quote assumes all politicians are incompetent, ignoring effective leaders. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demanding Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demanding-government-264097/) [Demos Statesmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demos-statesmen-264098/) [Derision Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/derision-politicians-264095/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Public life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-life/) [Public Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-respect-264096/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Respect Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect-politicians-264094/) [Social Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-workers/) ## Related quotes > [I genuinely believe that people respond to your behaviour. So if we show respect to each other, we show a higher level of behaviour,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/i-genuinely-believe-that-people-respond-to-your-behaviour-so-if-we/) [Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/) > [Being honest with the public is how they respect you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-haze/being-honest-with-the-public-is-how-they-respect-you/) [Angel Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-haze/) > [“I watched with incredulity as businessmen ran to the government in every crisis, whining for handouts or protection from the very competition that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-simon/i-watched-with-incredulity-as-businessmen-ran-to-the-government-in/) [William E. Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-simon/) > [People who know nothing about advertising, nothing about pharmaceuticals, and nothing about economics have been loudly proclaiming that the drug companies spend too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/people-who-know-nothing-about-advertising-nothing-about/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [A few days after Bloody Sunday, there was demonstration in more than 80 American cities. People were demanding that the government act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/a-few-days-after-bloody-sunday-there-was-demonstration-in-more-than/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [I grew up in Ireland, so I do not have a lot of respect for most politicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-guinness/i-grew-up-in-ireland-so-i-do-not-have-a-lot-of-respect-for-most/) [Jasmine Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-guinness/) > [I've got less respect for our politicians, for instance, who are not worried or apparently don't even consider the fact that Apple and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-robertson/i-ve-got-less-respect-for-our-politicians-for-instance-who-are-not/) [Julian Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-robertson/) > [If we haven't got democracy, what have we got?... It is about the respect of politicians, it's building trust with our constituents. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/if-we-haven-t-got-democracy-what-have-we-got-it-is-about-the-respect/) [Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/) > [“My concern with democracy is highly specific. It begins in observing the remarkable fact that, while democracy means a government accountable to the electorate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/my-concern-with-democracy-is-highly-specific-it-begins-in-observing/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [I may have come into politics with an unacknowledged condescension toward the game and the people who played it, but I left with more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-may-have-come-into-politics-with-an-unacknowledged-condescension/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [My respect for politicians has increased. It's hard work - even hard physical work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrystia-freeland/my-respect-for-politicians-has-increased-it-s-hard-work-even-hard/) [Chrystia Freeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrystia-freeland/) > [“I respect ordinary thieves much more than I respect politicians. Ordinary thieves take my money without pretense. Unlike typical politicians, these thieves don’t bore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-williams/i-respect-ordinary-thieves-much-more-than-i-respect-politicians/) [Walter Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-williams/) > [I've developed a much greater respect for our politicians and every high-tech CEO. It's very easy to read about the things they did that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-saylor/i-ve-developed-a-much-greater-respect-for-our-politicians-and-every/) [Michael J. Saylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-saylor/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [The "health, education, and welfare" section of government is another boondoggle. First we manufacture indigent and superfluous people by legal monopolies in land, money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/the-health-education-and-welfare-section-of-government-is-another/) [Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/) ## More by Kenneth Minogue > [“An ideological movement is a collection of people many of whom could hardly bake a cake, fix a car, sustain a friendship or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/an-ideological-movement-is-a-collection-of-people-many-of-whom-could/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [ “Their \[realists'\] concern is that utopian aspirations towards a new peaceful world order will simply absolutize conflicts and make them more intractable. National interests… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/their-realists-concern-is-that-utopian-aspirations-towards-a-new/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [Politics is the activity by which the framework of human life is sustained; it is not life itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/politics-is-the-activity-by-which-the-framework-of-human-life-is/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [“From Hobbes’s theory of the sovereign ruling by authority to Max Weber 250 years later, defining the state in terms of a monopoly of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/from-hobbes-s-theory-of-the-sovereign-ruling-by-authority-to-max/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [Moral vices prosper by dressing themselves as virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/moral-vices-prosper-by-dressing-themselves-as-virtues/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [Capitalism is what people do if you leave them alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/capitalism-is-what-people-do-if-you-leave-them-alone/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [“Dynasties rise and fall according to what the Chinese used to call ‘the mandate of heaven’, but life for the peasant changes little.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/dynasties-rise-and-fall-according-to-what-the-chinese-used-to-call/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [“The story of liberalism, as liberals tell it, is rather like the legend of St. George and the dragon. After many centuries of hopelessness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/the-story-of-liberalism-as-liberals-tell-it-is-rather-like-the-legend/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [“My concern with democracy is highly specific. It begins in observing the remarkable fact that, while democracy means a government accountable to the electorate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/my-concern-with-democracy-is-highly-specific-it-begins-in-observing/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [If the central contest of the twentieth century has pitted capitalism against socialism, then F. A. Hayek has been its central figure. He helped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/if-the-central-contest-of-the-twentieth-century-has-pitted-capitalism/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [Theodore Dalrymple is a brilliant observer of both medicine and society, and his book wittily engages with two versions of the current nonsense: orthodox…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/theodore-dalrymple-is-a-brilliant-observer-of-both-medicine-and/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [“Olympianism is the characteristic belief system of today’s secularist, and it has itself many of the features of a religion. For one thing, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/olympianism-is-the-characteristic-belief-system-of-today-s-secularist/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [“To be conservative in politics is to take one’s bearings not from the latest bright idea about how to make a better world, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/to-be-conservative-in-politics-is-to-take-one-s-bearings-not-from-the/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [“The evident problem with democracy today is that the state is pre-empting—or “crowding out,” as the economists say—our moral judgments. Rulers are adding moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/the-evident-problem-with-democracy-today-is-that-the-state-is-pre/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) > [“The failure of Communism was consecrated in the fall of the Soviet Union. The remarkable thing is that, as in most cases when prophecy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/the-failure-of-communism-was-consecrated-in-the-fall-of-the-soviet/) [Kenneth Minogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) [Explore all 19 Kenneth Minogue quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/) ## More Politics quotes > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“Only careful political manoeuvring will be able to manage the situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davan-yahya-khalil/only-careful-political-manoeuvring-will-be-able-to-manage-the/) [Davan Yahya Khalil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davan-yahya-khalil/) > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [“Jim Reston: Walking through the crowds of air-kissing politicians, actors and high fliers, it was tough to tell where the politics stopped and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/jim-reston-walking-through-the-crowds-of-air-kissing-politicians/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [The notion of a non-religious Christmas is ridiculous. But so is the insistence on the part of Christians that politicians and retailers carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/the-notion-of-a-non-religious-christmas-is-ridiculous-but-so-is-the/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [A man who kills on his own is a murderer. A man who kills at his government's request is a national hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramman-kenoun/a-man-who-kills-on-his-own-is-a-murderer-a-man-who-kills-at-his/) [Ramman Kenoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramman-kenoun/) > [Politics in Philadelphia is a contact sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/politics-in-philadelphia-is-a-contact-sport/) [Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/) [Browse all 44,914 Politics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Public respect for politicians has long been declining, even as the population at large has been seduced into responding to each new problem by demanding that the government should act. That we should be constantly demanding that an institution we rather despise should solve large problems argues a notable lack of logic in the demos. The statesmen of times past have been replaced by a set of barely competent social workers eager to help 'ordinary people' solve daily problems in their lives. This strange aspiration is a very large change in public life. The electorates of earlier times would have responded with derision to politicians seeking power in order to solve our problems. Todays, the demos votes for them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kenneth Minogue" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/public-respect-for-politicians-has-long-been-declining-even-as-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Politics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/public-respect-for-politicians-has-long-been-declining-even-as-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/kenneth-minogue-28215_politics_public-respect-for-politicians-has-long_1620467.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/kenneth-minogue-28215_politics_public-respect-for-politicians-has-long_1620467.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce5/kenneth-minogue-28215_politics_public-respect-for-politicians-has-long_1620467.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Public respect for politicians has long been declining, even as the population at large has been seduced…” — Kenneth Minogue", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kenneth Minogue", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-minogue/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Public respect for politicians has long...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/public-respect-for-politicians-has-long-been-declining-even-as-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-minogue/public-respect-for-politicians-has-long-been-declining-even-as-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```