The Distrust of the Political Class

Deep mistrust of political elites is now widespread throughout the Western world, probably to an extent greater than at any time in recent history.

A vote is put into a ballot box at a polling center at St Kilda Primary School in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 14, 2023. Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

Commentary

Deep mistrust of political elites is now widespread throughout the Western world, probably to an extent greater than at any time in recent history. Whether this is because the elites are worse than they once were or because, thanks to various media, we know more about them is a question often debated around middle-class dinner tables.