I think politics often seems remote, and anything we can do to

The words of Laura Kuenssberg, “I think politics often seems remote, and anything we can do to show more of the workings – how you make the sausage – is useful,” reveal a truth long known but often forgotten: that the realm of politics grows dangerous when hidden from the eyes of the people. When decisions are made in secret chambers, the citizens see only the outcome, never the process, and trust withers. To uncover how you make the sausage—the messy compromises, the debates, the struggles—is to restore understanding, and with it, a measure of faith.

The ancients themselves warned of this. In Athens, democracy was not only the right to vote, but the right to witness the debates of the Assembly. Citizens saw the arguments unfold, the flaws of leaders exposed, and the imperfect yet honest workings of governance. When the process was visible, the people felt bound to it. But when emperors in later Rome cloaked their dealings in secrecy, politics became remote, and tyranny took root.

History offers striking examples. Consider the Watergate scandal in the United States. For years, corruption and deceit festered behind closed doors. The people knew the results but not the process. Only when journalists and investigators pulled back the veil, showing “how the sausage was made,” did the truth become known, and trust in politics—though shaken—was eventually rebuilt by exposure and accountability. Kuenssberg’s words remind us that light is the best remedy for rot.

Her phrase also speaks to the discomfort of truth. To watch sausage being made is not pleasant, just as to witness the bickering and compromise of politicians can be disheartening. Yet better the people see the struggle and know its imperfections than be fed illusions. For democracy thrives not on appearances, but on transparency. Knowledge, though bitter, is a guard against manipulation, and only when the people understand the process can they hold their leaders accountable.

Let the generations remember: politics is never pure, never pristine. It is the art of negotiation, of balancing interests, of messy but necessary compromise. To reveal this is not to weaken democracy, but to strengthen it, for truth breeds vigilance and vigilance preserves freedom. Thus, Kuenssberg’s counsel is timeless: show the workings, expose the process, and bind the people once more to the fate of their own governance.