A bloated public sector is a major factor but now we have the demographic factor of cheerfully clueless young people, mostly first-time voters who desperately want to believe the false assurances of the hard left. They'll grow older and wiser as most do eventually but in the meantime massive damage will have been inflicted on the economy and society. I prefer the humdrum politics in Japan, where I live. The conservative LDP have been in power for decades, providing stable and mostly sensible stewardship which seems to satisfy the public. No Parliamentary Question Time theatrics (politicians' speeches are usually very boring) and very little ideological frictions. The one time the Left were elected they blew it and lasted just one term. They haven't been given a second chance.

David Fuller's view

Fair point, although we can both remember when Prime Ministers in Japan seemed to change with the seasons. What is effectively the LDP’s one-party democracy in modern Japan has its disadvantages, ranging from obfuscation to corruption, although Japan’s civilised and consensual society seems to avoid the worst of these excesses.     

In other democracies it is often said that ‘we get the government we deserve’. There is some truth to this although I have heard responsible people lament that they ‘get the government that others deserve’.

We currently have too many populist governments, in my opinion, reminding me of the quote generally attributed to Churchill that ‘democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others’.  Yes, and it is reassuring to know that at least we have an opportunity to vote the bums out at the next election.