Is it enough to just accept that a politician ‘seems cool?’ It can be said this is a new tactic used to pander to the less educated or younger demographics who typically wouldn’t do research before making their minds up about political figures. Since scandals like party-gate, out of touch politicians have been a big issue as distrust has risen, particularly impacting working-class voters. But Burnham's different, he listens to Oasis.
This creates an emotional investment that we should not be having with politicians, instead of holding them accountable supporters develop a personal sense of loyalty and follow it blindly.
He’s built a base off being the ‘northern working-class average guy,’ using simulated intimacy to gain trust with voters. The main thing the media have picked up on is his ‘manchester look,’ the way he dresses more casually than his predecessors. This was additionally highlighted by Kemi Badenoch calling Burham “a pair of eyelashes and a black t-shirt.” More recently, his completion of the Great North Run reinforced his place as the northern PM. It’s arguable that this creates an emotional investment that we should not be having with politicians, instead of holding them accountable supporters develop a personal sense of loyalty and follow it blindly.
We need to accept the fact that politicians are not your ‘average’ citizen, they hold power over us.
By definition, a parasocial relationship is a one-sided emotional connection, where a person feels a sense of friendship, intimacy or deep familiarity with a public figure or celebrity. Although, some people do tend to see right through these tactics. Usual distrust surrounding politicians is very common and can be heightened through the new normal of them having TikTok accounts. At the time of writing, Burnham has 732.8K followers and 14M likes. Many see it as unserious when they engage with social media trends, as they are meant to be running the country, not messing around. We need to accept the fact that politicians are not your ‘average’ citizen, they hold power over us. It can be seen as an impossible case for them to try act normal and relatable, and for some will come across as aggravating.
Ultimately, there is nothing wrong with liking a politician. In fact, feeling represented by someone can be a powerful reason to engage with politics in the first place, especially for working-class voters who may have felt ignored in the past. But there is a difference between appreciating a politician's personality and allowing that personality to become a substitute for scrutiny.
We should be asking what he stands for, what he has achieved and whether he delivers for the people who support him, rather than simply whether we would enjoy having a drink with him. Because if the standard for political leadership becomes whether someone seems like a decent bloke, we risk forgetting what we elected them to do in the first place. A politician does not have to be our friend to represent us, and perhaps that is exactly the point.