Politics has always been a farce, almost by definition. Unfortunately it's something we have to deal with if we want to be a free and responsible society. I agree with Nexxo that the best way to tackle this problem is to try and be a responsible citizen. That doesn't just mean try and be sensible when voting; we need to try and be more reasonable and responsible people overall. When we have our opinions challenged, we need to take a step back and consider the other person's argument first instead of immediately going on the defensive. When shown the evidence, we need to look at it carefully instead of immediately deciding which side it supports. When confronted with a complicated issue, we need to listen to the opinions of those who understand it better. If enough people decide to do these things, then the media and the politicians will soon follow. For some reason we all seem pressured to having a solid opinion on everything but I don't see why this needs to be the case. Controversially, I also disagree with the notion that every voter needs to educate themselves on every relevant issue, simply that one should be much more cautious with issues that one is less familiar with.
