The dumber, more naive, Politicians are as clueless as the average "left leaning" virtue signalling tax tortoise high on cronic self righteousness and licking the boots of the state.
Then there are the ideological sharks - they know very well what's the deal and partake because they see themselves successfully embedded in the power structure. This group often includes the middle class+ wankers who who think they share the bed with the rich and successful.
@be there
the people in the background are just sharing info and having their cakes. But you have to keep in mind that there's a lot of people in the lower ranks who want to "have their say too". As a ruler you have to control them so that they just play the hand they're given while at the same time giving them the feeling of choice. The power structure in itself is compartmentalized so that control is easier from the outside and the various forces within are busy updating their status and "field of view" to formulate new strategies in the hopes of dominance.