AIBU to want politicians with strong academic and business backgrounds?

[Catsandjkr]

AIBU to want politicans to be highly academically successful And have experience in running a business?

I'm so tired of these low grade politicians ruining our lives. They can lie (as Starmer exempifies), they don't need qualifications or experience to get the job. In inexplicable in other areas of life.

What a joke. But I suppose when its politicans like Lammy, Starmer, Reeves in charge, it won't ever change.

Agreed sorry I misread!

I’d say that Starmer is proof of the opposite. Politics isn’t just about academia or business. It’s people job, it’s about knowing who will work well get the best out of people. Can accelerate your vision. Be charismatic and get people on side.

as well as understand how your specific political system works.

Ironic. You didn't read my post properly did you?

This is the key thing. All walks of life. The Covid response exemplified, imo, the problem with lack of diversity.

We need business people. We need academics. We need men and women. All races and backgrounds. How else will we have the experience we need to deal with all the situations that arise?

We don’t, imo, need people who studied politics.

And we don’t need people who comment freely on crap they don’t understand.

@Catsandjkr Can you list some MPs who prove your point - successful MPs with a good education and a background in business 0 so we can see what you're meaning.

I think I would like people who aren’t highly ideological to run the country.
I like even handed pragmatists to run things. Actually maybe engineers would be good, a fix it mind set would be useful. I honestly think having a PPE from oxford should exclude you from government full stop.

😂I love you too

I am interested in this as well

@Catsandjkr ?

We need more women in politics

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/01/men-women-candidates-may-elections-england-scotland-wales

No I cannot - and perhaps that is part of the problem.

A politician I admire the most, who was very effective didn't have the business side but he did have people working with him who seemed to understand economics rather well. So he was in a good place, and did great things. He had other issues of course, but none that affected his job.

I wonder if you know who I am talking about? Clue he's not a UK politician. I can't think of any in the UK tbh,

I agree with every word!

Too many young, inexperienced, ivory-tower ideologues are not going to be any good at the compromises, common sense and pragmatism needed for actual government.

Not amusing, OP.

Happily I can think of half a dozen or more worldwide who fit this description

I don't care about 'side hustles'. I only care that they want to serve the population and are not extremists or ideologues either on the right or left. I want people who have a realistic understanding of most people's lives and who will be prepared to give ground and compromise where necessary to get things done.

I don’t care about academic qualifications; I do want MPs to be intelligent. But for me the most important attribute is emotional intelligence. You rarely see that in an MP, one exception being the late, great Mo Mowlam. Politics just doesn’t seem to attract wise people, and I’m not surprised. We do need to pay them more if we want better quality though I think.

It’s always baffled me how a re shuffle can take you from Health Secretary to Foreign Office like you’re an expert in everything. I’d rather some specific experience and expertise in the dept they’re supposed to lead.

Can someone tell me who he's talking about?

Putin?

Why not just say who you are referring to?

You can’t buy wisdom. I don’t want politicians attracted by the salary. Around £100k and very generous expenses should be enough.

I think variety is important and from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

In Nordic countries you get more people who’ve had regular jobs like nurses etc
I don’t think highly educated always mean highly intelligent or competent. You have people in regular jobs who would be competent in politics. They just never went for the fancy degrees because no one pushed them in that direction or it wasn’t an interest of theirs.

Wasn't supposed to be 'amusing'. How peculiar!

Quite a few fit this description- my first thought was of Reagan.

Who are you talking about?

Actually - when I say he had other issues but none that affected his job, I meant none that Should have effected his job. In the end - they were the thing that ended his job.

I'm being annoying for my own facile entertainment, but surely now you know who I'm talking about.

Is it some fictional character?

It can be that hard to type his actual name

I do not know who you are talking about and that is why I'm asking.