Introduction
Politics is a complex activity consisting of many elements, one of which is trust. Trust is crucial for political efficiency in any country around the globe. The trust problem is relevant for Northern Ireland because of the political cynicism in the United Kingdom. There are multiple examples of people losing their confidence in terms of their country’s government, including Brexit in the UK, Donald Trump, and other authoritarian populists’ appointments in Europe. Populism is one of the most dangerous political instruments because it destroys public trust in the legitimacy of authorities. The confrontation between authoritarian concepts and the ones that are built on trust is one of the most significant oppositions in the modern world.
Main body
Authoritarian populists have undermined people’s confidence in politics in multiple communities. It is known that such parties “have gained votes and seats in many countries and entered government in states as diverse as Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland” (Norris et al., 2019, p. 3). One of the most complex occasions is Donald Trump’s presidency. It is still difficult to understand the reasons for the election of such inexperienced and contradictory individuals to become the American president. However, populism is not a novelty, and throughout the history of humanity happened in many countries, including Tsarist Russia, post-war France, fascist Germany, as well as Argentina, and Victorian Britain. The way this method works is that living conditions change and cause a change in cultural values, the authorities reflect the situation, while the economy and the difference in opinions affect people’s reactions. The backlash votes to support authoritarian-populistic leaders and parties and transforms votes into power. Populism can be a positive thing in case it is used by democratic parties to inspire non-voters to participate or bring people who are cynical back to politics. However, it mostly causes the proliferation of dishonest politicians and fake media.
Nevertheless, trust is the cornerstone of the democratic system of government. Trust, goodwill, and energy are quite blurred concepts, but “a perceived lack of these concepts has also been used to explain the various hitches, delays, and setbacks between the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998” (Gormley-Heenan et al., 2010, p. 146). It also was used to establish the current political structure of Northern Ireland. Confidence is not only crucial between political parties and players but also between society and the political establishment. However, political parties have to continue to work on their strategies to strengthen their support and the political environment in general. According to the survey by Gormley-Heenan and Devine (2010), almost half of the respondents are not very interested in politics or not at all interested (p. 151). Another half are somewhat, fairly, or very interested in politics. It can be seen that men are more concerned about politics than women. The reason for this is that Northern Ireland’s political area is male-dominated, even though some of the parties promote women into leadership roles.
Conclusion
To conclude, trust is one of the most significant elements of a state’s development and improvement. Donald Trump’s election is an example of people’s discontent in case of unwanted political changes. People usually get interested in politics when they feel dissatisfied in this field. Every country needs to have confidence between its population and its government but also between its leaders. Authoritarian political concepts might be effective, but they deprive the country of other vital components, such as people’s political interest and initiative.
References
Gormley-Heenan, C & Devine, P. (2010). The ‘Us’ in trust: Who trusts Northern Ireland’s political institutions and actors? Government and Opposition: An International Journal of Comparative Politics, 45(2), 143-165.
Norris, P. & Inglehart, R. (2019). Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit and authoritarian-populism. Cambridge University Press.