Is being an 'honest liar' a big thing in politics.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again. Politicians are salespeople.
To catch the voters that didn't look into the issues that are on the table currently, politicians have to sell them a narrative. And quite often, the best salesperson wins the vote. It's cynical, because it's not what elections are supposed to be about. But for some salespeople the only thing that counts is getting to that 50+1 % , and if you can't do it by rational discourse, you have to do it with spectacle. Because in politics everything goes.

I think it's more destructive when the segment of the poppulation that considers politics some kind of reality show that needs to drag them out of boredome becomes to big. That also means that that segment, doesn't really care about what is actually happening, they just want to be entertained. And in that sphere, demagogues have a higher chance of swaying the masses then annyone that tries to give an inteligent lecture on the toppic that needs to be decided.

For those idealists that are saddened by this... remember what Machiavelli said.

[quote][b]How we live is so different from how we ought to live that he who studies what ought to be done rather than what is done will learn the way to his downfall rather than to his preservation.[/b]

- Niccolo Machiavelli, [i]The Prince[/i][/quote]

I'm fine with bland and technocratic. That's what it looks like when someone is taking the gig seriously.

I kinda agree. Biased but relevant --

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nknYtlOvaQ0]

I was musing about Johnson's inexplicable appeal just yesterday and came to a similar conclusion. I don't think your average voter even cares that he's full of shit. What they fall for is his flowery language and the ridiculous Churchill imitation. It doesn't really matter what he's saying , it just reminds them of the greatest hero they ever had. Like you said , he's a shameless charlatan , and an unabashed copycat.

Berlusconi managed to make a great career out of it.

Macron's 'variant' of the truth seems to be doing the same in France.

I think it's become very clear that the current crop of political leaders is clueless about either economics nor virus containment nor planning for any sort of future.

In such light i suppose those 'distanced from reality' probably serve up the most 'comfortable to live with' scenarios for the public.

The most blatant and unashamed liar (and I am not mistaken in using that word) we have ever had in No 10. Others have been mendacious in selecting which truth to tell, but this one is brazen and positively happy to be seen as a 'good sort' while shafting the country. Cronyism is rife, Northern Ireland going up in flames in places because he did what he said no Conservative Prime Minister could ever do and only COVID is preventing the full negative effects of Brexit being reported on. (I'm happy for someone to give me an actual positive, not a jingoistic 'feeling' or false attribution of a reclaimed power.) I see no Opposition with vision or the ability to appeal to the electorate that fell over themselves falling for his nonsense. And I'm afraid, Corbyn was not that person either.

It's not the politicians, it's the people who elect them.

To me, the ones who paint themselves as sincere tend to pander to the whiners while condescending to the masses.

I don’t think Johnson and the Orange Menace are in the same category. Orange Menace learned one thing from his father: brand development. He has zero other skills. He is quite literally dangerous. Whereas Johnson may be brutish, but he’s still a statesman.

The “honest” ones are rarely honest. They claim to believe in science, but manipulate it to support their agenda.
They point fingers at the opposition, and yet use many of the same tactics.

It’s a mirage.

I'm amazed that the number of people and media talking heads who throw the work lie around so much. Everyone makes errors and mistakes, especially when speaking in public off the cuff, but lies are deliberate attempts to deceive.

When you hear someone say something that then see it in the news twisted and called a lie, it just destroys trust in the media. It doesn't matter if it is Trump telling the truth and being reported as a lie or Biden lying and being reported as truth. People will make up their own mind eventually and if they have lost trust in those reporting the news, they will believe what they want to.

Its about time the speaker of the house stopped BJ for telling blatant lies and start to answer the questions that he's actually meant to

Its gone on for far too long now every PM just lying there way through PMQs and running off back to number 10 and then to send out a represtative to speak on there behalf.

Also its time MPs started acting as they sued to diplomatically, by example, represent there constituently and not tow party line , get rid of the whips and make Parliament a democracy not the joke it is at the moment

The Ladies Man Has A,Profile Pic Now lol

One word: populism.
Talking on behalf of the little people.

No one seems to care about the lies until it affects them.

Good decent human beings do not go into politics. If you begin with that, it's downhill from there.

I gave up with politics a long time ago. No faith in any of it anymore.

It’s happening right now here in the US. Biden’s handlers have him doing it:

https://similarworlds.com/30-Miscellaneous/3863233-Biden-forbids-government-employees-to-use-the

Any charlatan category must include Mrs Clinton and Prince Charles.