Electoral stunts. Defections. Sniping on the internet. Is this what modern politics has come down to?

THERE is no profession that recruits more self-interested people than politics.

- Fred Hughes - Historian and author

In truth, even though some will disagree, being a politician is not really a job. It has no overview, no job description, no set hours, and no visible employer except for the hirer and firer equally posturing amateur - you and me. And while we favour some with vocal tributes, many of us are not averse to shouting down the same individual at the turn of collective events.Another off-putting aspect of 'the job' is that no matter how well a politician individually performs they carry on regardless with collective aims knowing they could be sacked as a consequence. Pull all this insecurity together and one can see why the vulnerable elected representative is prone to wearing the mantle of puffed-up pride.

Rooted in a system of partisanship crafted by political convention, politicians pledge adherence to characteristic groups. We recognise these as political parties assigned to promote favoured socioeconomic principles from which society can flourish.