Glyn Davis,

The pivotal concept in your article is “those groups of disenfranchised youths”.

Does it mean ‘free of liabilities towards the Society of which they are a product?

Politicians as holders of direct power over Society, as controllers and not just clogs in the machinery governing it (‘The State’), are historically recent a phenomena and your defining politicians as disenfranchised individuals fits them perfectly.

I would, in addition say that they, having no wealth to loose, are economically irresponsible

Sober article reminding us of how our political system really works.I'm sure glad it is this way - the elected politicians choose the prime minister, someone they can work with, not someone who may win a popularity contest.

The recent obsession with popularity polls adds nothing to sound political debate and seems to be a way for the press the fill their pages with vapid comment.

I hope we'll all come to our senses before the next election and look objectively at what the Government has achieved / not achieved and what the oppositions' policies are to do better. To do this we'll have to look further than the press that is 70% dominated by Murdoch's one-eyed News Ltd.