(please feel free to continue).

Until the LibDems reach government, we must be satisfied with the balance of coverage in the knowledge that specific criticisms of any player in the media indicates a sometimes healthy and sometimes provocative addition to the overall wealth and diversity of the critiquing viewpoint, anyhow a media career only lasts as long as it reflects a modicum of truth!

Haven’t seen much serious politics in any recent by-election campaigns.

Politics is very consumerist.
Voters are interested in issues that directly affect them, their families and their neighbourhood rather than abstract issues of principle. This is not a criticism of the voters – their interest can be a principled one – but the issues tend to be very specific and practical. That can mean that politicians who debate ideas, abstract principles and long-term projects can seem out of touch – particularly when the issues that are concerning them are not acknowledged.

There is a breakdown of traditional party loyalties of the ‘I vote Labour/Tory because my dad always did’ variety. As a radical party committed to reform, we should welcome this; but it does make politicians’ jobs harder when their loyal donkey vote is reduced.

Privatisation under Thatcher, the breaking up of local government powers under Blair (academies, ISPs, ALMOs, et al) and globalisation, have all made politicians’ ability to influence events seem less and so made people more sceptical about politicians’ role.

The celebrity culture means we are used to knowing a lot more about our public figures, and being a lot more judgemental about them.

And the fragmentation of media means that we have much greater scrutiny of politicians & access to debate, while the media have to make their content ever more dramatic and topical to retain an audience.

It need not end in a cynical population made ever more cynical by their trivial media, however. We could see more powerful, independent engagement by citizens using the new media to get past old barriers and restore faith in both participatory and representative democracy.

The way in which interviewers seems either to be too cosy with their interviewees (Andrew Marr) or overly aggressive and seemingly pursuing a vendetta or agenda of their own (Jeremy Paxman) is quite disenfranchising in its own way.

I don’t think the British people Do care that much about personalities in politics, and that actually the soundbites and poses only really preoccupy the media itself.

More public involvement in current affairs and politics broadcasting, more accessible debates and a more substance-oriented approach from the mainstream media are required.

For too long politicians have been blamed for gimmickry and posturing, when in reality they just do what is most likely to get them the headline; it is the media which decides what to put on the front page, and as long as they class stunts and gimmicks as more newsworthy than serious policy announcements, politicians will inevitably neglect the latter.