A secret party in Downing Street10 Downing Street, in central London, has been the official home of the UK prime minister since 1735. at the height of lockdown. The prime minister in crisis. The people up in arms about the hypocrisy of their politicians. Does it feel like we have been here before?

It was first revealed that Downing Street had breached its own lockdown regulations back in December. Leaked footage released by ITV showed staff joking about a Christmas party held in the prime minister's official residence.

Then Boris Johnson himself was implicated. Photos emerged seeming to show him, his wife, and some colleagues drinking wine in the garden outside Downing Street in May 2020.

Now ITV has acquired an email from Johnson's Principal Private SecretaryA senior civil servant responsible for running a cabinet minister's private office., Martin Reynolds, inviting more than a hundred Downing Street employees to "socially distanced drinks" in the Number 10 garden.

The email was sent when people were banned from meeting more than one other person outdoors.

Is it different this time round? Before, Johnson always claimed that the photos showed a business meeting taking place outdoors. Now, there is a smoking gun proving it really was a party. The police may investigate. Labour has ramped up its attacks. Tory MPs are starting to mutter nervously.

But some think the problem goes well beyond Boris Johnson. They believe scandals like this are undermining faith in democracy itself.

They suggest that people are already disillusioned with the system because of inequalities of wealth and power. According to OxfamAn international charity, originally British, that works to alleviate global poverty., just 26 billionaires own half the world's assets. Big corporations are crushing small businessesPrivately-owned companies with a relatively small number of employees. They are often seen as the backbone of the consumer economy., which still employ around half the workforce. As a result, jobs are becoming increasingly precarious.

And those billionaires are using their wealth to increase their power. Big Tech companies are gaining increasing control of news. Social media sites now determine the flow of internet trafficThe flow of data within the internet, generally following its users' habit., and tech companies like Amazon are buying traditional media outlets. Some think this has undermined the public's faith in the news they read.

They also point out that we have failed to create a future for the young. The rate of home ownership is falling while rents rise. This means young people are effectively shut out of the housing market. 

One poll found two-thirds of people in higher-income countries think the next generation will have a poorer future, while over half of all young people think the world is doomed by global warming.

So the next generation faces fewer employment prospects, more precarious work, low pay and little chance of buying property. For some, this means they have no real stake in the country's future, and not much reason to support the current system.

So when a scandal like this emerges, some fear, it adds to the sense that there is one rule for the powerful and another for the rest of us. And that might cause still more disillusionment with our system.

Yes. Democracy is only as strong as the public's faith in it. If they believe the system is rigged against them, they will stop engaging - or even start to support authoritarianEnforcing strict obedience to authority. alternatives.

No. Governments have been hit by worse scandals before, and gone on to be re-elected. People just expect that politicians are in it for themselves; this is unlikely to change their public image drastically.

Or...? This is not a problem with democracy, it is a problem with Boris Johnson. The Tory Party will let him absorb the public anger and then give him the boot. The system will carry on.