What is politics ?

The word “politics” comes from the Greek word “polis”, which means “city”. Politics therefore means life of the city, of the community. So that means all the decisions that organize the life of a country, a region or town.

Ok, but is politics useful?

For lots of things! We don’t realise it but politics is everywhere: it decides laws, taxes, salaries, working hours… but also what you learn at school, school holidays… school dinners! Politics also lets countries live together in harmony. For example, it decides how they can trade together and exchange know-how. In democracies, politics is decided by men and women elected by citizens, such as the President, members of Parliament or Congress and mayors. They govern according to their opinions and projects. Sometimes they ask a question directly to the citizens where the answer has to be yes or no; it’s called a referendum. Elected officials can’t just do what they want; they have to respect the constitution, a text that defines the basic political rules of the country. And if the citizens don’t like elected officials’ policies, they don’t get… re-elected.