Political accountability is a myth - those who create chaos profit from it, enabling dangerous leaders like Farage
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/georgemonbiot. "Nothing sums up the death of accountability like the prospect of Nigel Farage in No 10 | George Monbiot | The Guardian." May 20, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that the idea of voters holding politicians accountable is mostly false. Instead, politicians who create problems often benefit from the chaos they cause. This explains why Nigel Farage, who pushed for Brexit despite its failures, might actually become Prime Minister because of those very failures.
Conclusion
Political accountability is largely a myth, and those who create chaos and insecurity often profit from it rather than being punished, which explains how Nigel Farage could become Prime Minister despite being responsible for Brexit's failures
Premises
- Historical examples show that leaders who create disasters often benefit from them (Mussolini profited from WWI chaos he promoted, Churchill became PM after his Norway failure)
- Nigel Farage, despite being primarily responsible for Brexit's negative consequences, has not been punished by voters and may become Prime Minister
- Voters lack the capacity for proper attribution and consistently punish incumbents for conditions beyond their control rather than holding the actual responsible parties accountable
- Research shows people vote based on irrelevant factors like weather conditions rather than candidates' actual records
- The more crises and dysfunction occur, the less accountable politics becomes, as people lose track of who caused what
- Current Labour leadership reinforces this dynamic by appealing to mythical 'hero voters' while alienating their base through hostile policies
- The theory of 'retrospective voting' where voters judge candidates on their records is a fairytale that doesn't reflect reality
Assumptions
- Voters should rationally punish politicians who cause harm and reward those who help
- Brexit has been objectively harmful to the UK
- Nigel Farage bears primary responsibility for Brexit and its consequences
- Political systems are designed around the expectation of voter accountability
- People have a genuine desire for justice and accountability but lack the cognitive resources to implement it effectively