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So politicians/leaders can't mould society, they just reflect it?
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Yes, After all they really are a reflection of our society. They are a product of our society and It's very hard for them to change society because we are a very large group of many different people are are rightfully resistant to anyone telling us what to do. How can you change a society and it's culture? You can't*, it requires a critical mass of people before change can happen.
As a result a lot of social problems are caused and resolved by us together and not by sitting back and demanding the government do it. Look at youth crime, teenage pregnancy and so forth. Realistically, what could the government do about that? It's a problem that society needs to fix and the government to facilitate (give the tools to do so).
People seem to be unwilling to accept some personal responsibility and instead demand the government fix it. (A lot of social problems can not be tackled by government alone). A lot of people, including me, are not willing to investigate the complexities of every issue (and why should they? They have lives to led which is why we elect people in the first place) but are willing to form a passionate thought and express it based on little information such as news sources which can rarely impart the full story. Thus governments are forced to act on it which either leads to bad policy or spin, often both. They don't dare tackle the issue and make themselves look unpopular, something Brown is certainly guilty of.
So the public get sick of the lies they are in part reasonable for, someone else comes along and says "Hey, These guys are morons, I can solve this, this and this, it's easy!" and the cycle continues.
If we were more willing to be told we are wrong, more accepting the limitations of government, and more trusting (only a little more) of them on issues which we confess to know little about then we may begin to see a environment in which a politicians who are honest can be successful. It won't be perfect but it would be better, and we would have healthier dialogue between them and us as a result.
*something people should remember before thinking our culture can be changed by Muslims, Immigrants or whomever else, against the will of the majority.