It's not what you know, it's who you know

Time and again there is a saying that crops up which I have uttered myself many times and that is, "it's not what you know, it's who you know", I believe this and I stand by it.  I stand by it because I have seen it first hand, how those who perform the best are routinely overlooked for those who are more popular or who have a better relationship with the person who makes decisions.  There is another saying that is quite similar in the tone that it intimates and that is "it's not what you say, it's the way that you say it" - which in an argument can be one of the most infuriating things to hear because it's basically an admission that you are right but they still aren't backing your side just because they don't like you or the way you do things.

I've spoken about politics before although in a round about way that doesn't drill down into specific issues often.  One thing that is most definitely prevalent in Politics is the idea that those in power get to be there because of the connections they have.  In the UK for example the Prime Minister leads the executive branch of government and they have a cabinet of Ministers that oversee the departments and the ministries that comprise the government as a whole.  It is rare that those who are appointed to this positions actually have any real expertise or experience in the fields that become their remit.  It is a rare thing for a politician to have actually served in the armed forces let alone have much experience with it when they are appointed the Minister for Defence.  It is rare for a politician to hold a doctorate or have any formal training in medicine or the fields within the Healthcare industry before they are appointed as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. 

One of the things I find most egregious about Western Democracies in their current form is the fact that they are driven by popularity alone, not by expertise.  You need no formal background whatsoever to become a Politician if you can convince people to vote for you that's all you need.  In almost every senior profession associated with the departments and ministries mentioned above when it comes to the actual work, you need to be qualified to do it.  Yet when it comes to being appointed to run those departments or ministries there's no qualification needed.  I think it would be better if Western Democracies started to vet the people who run for office and require them to actually have experience of the fields they intend to govern. 

One of the major gripes people often have with those in government is the claim that they know nothing, but with a system that does not ensure they know something, what do you expect?  We're living through a period of time now where, those offices and careers that people once thought you needed a lifetime of experience to undertake, are being filled by people who are increasingly idiotic to the point where the illusion that those who are in power are somehow set apart and held to a different standard and come from privileged backgrounds with world class educations has well and truly slipped.  The cold hard reality that those in power know no more than the man on the street is now apparent for all to see and the more that unnerves people the more I hope there will be a drive towards increased vetting and an elevation of those careers.  We do more to protect the title of Surgeon or Doctor than we do Secretary of State for Health, when the latter impacts our treatment to a far greater extent, even preventing us from ever seeing the former in the first place.