Are politicians public servants?

That is a very big deal. They have the power to do that, and we voters are left on the outer. It is very instructive that they can be totally relaxed about this, comfortable in their own awareness.

Andrew Hornery reported the soon-to-be prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and his soon-to-be deputy, Julie Bishop, had a night out on the town just 48 hours before the coup that put an end to Tony Abbott as prime minister ('Bubbly pair toast of the town as the champagne and gossip flowed' Sydney Morning Herald, 15 September 2015).

Once elected, it is quite possible for politicians to set about serving their own personal interests with little oversight from, or in collusion with, their parties. One only has to look at the roll call of NSW's Independent Commission Against Corruption to see that is so.

Regrettably, there are many sad tales. In the recent past politicians have been fined or jailed for

• Misappropriating public funds
• Rorting travel expenses
• Receiving secret commissions
• Fraud
• Theft
• Accepting bribes
• Death threats
• False statements to ICAC
• Perjury
• Child sex offences
• Drug offences
• Driving under the influence

That list goes to the basic truism of sociology: behind the public face, there is the private reality.

But, in ways, politicians do seem to be answerable to the electorate . We can make appointments to see them if we have a problem, and they might write a letter or make phone calls on our behalf.

However, they are not obliged to do that and their staff often act as gatekeepers to keep citizens away from their bosses as they get on with their political agendas.

While this is not the norm, my local member, who declared herself first up as a committed Christian lady in a public forum with other contenders for election, and who was one of those that betrayed Tony Abbott, moved her office from the main street of town to the industrial area, as far away from her constituents as possible.

The obvious retort to the argument I'm running here is that politicians are responsible to us at elections every three of four years. Yes, we citizens get to put numbers on bits of paper every so often next to names of people we know little about, and who we are unlikely ever to meet.

It's no secret they fight among themselves for the privilege of being elected. The many tales of branch stacking so that one candidate gets preselected ahead of others is truly an untold story. The many savage internecine fights on both sides of politics would make for a fascinating book if it were possible to write it within the existing laws of defamation.

These preselection fights are where most of the well-concealed, occasionally reported, real action usually is. They will pull out all stops to win. The election nights that follow for safe seats, are normally just interesting formalities.