f your employees were fighting in factions, arguing among themselves and failing to do what you expect them to do, would you continue to pay them? You might – but presumably you would also initiate disciplinary procedures to try to correct such behaviours.
I suspect, though, that your answer to the question is that you would not tolerate it – or that it wouldn’t happen in your well -run organisation.
This is, however, what happens regularly, in politics. Both the US and the UK have exhibited such behaviours recently – infighting and squabbling between Republicans and Democrats – or Conservatives and Labourites. All we, as the voting public, can do is to sit and watch – and perhaps seethe with anger – and wit until the next election. These infighters and squabblers would not behave like this in the other compartments of their life, surely. But they seem to think this is how they are expected to behave as ‘politicians’.
There is an old adage – ‘we get the politicians we deserve’ – so it must be our fault
If we want productive government, we must demonstrate productive behaviours in all we do – and set these ‘children’ some role models. We should also write to them and remind them of the constructive and productive behaviours we expect from our elected representatives – and we should certainly use our vote to sanction these unruly and unproductive behaviours whenever we get the chance.