One of the easiest ways to bluff your way through the Scottish referendum has been to drop the words anti-politics into conversations. For extra spice you add that a tide of anger is rising against the political classes across Europe. Then, to sound especially wise and clear-sighted, you say that unless politicians deal with this problem, theyll always struggle with insurgent parties.

The problem with diagnosing popular anti-establishment sentiment with truisms like these is it becomes enough just to say them. So after this years European elections, the Westminster party leaders muttered sourly about lessons learnt while Nigel Farage leapt around shouting about political earthquakes. Earthquakes destroy, but the political establishment looks remarkably similar four months on. Will it really ever change?

Its difficult to feel optimistic. Some at the top of the Conservative and Labour parties think anti-politics is simply a media myth. When you go out campaigning, no one talks about anti-politics, one source insists. Meanwhile former Michael Gove aide Dominic Cummings recalls a No 10 session where, he says, it became clear that David Cameron and colleagues thought that public discontent would simply fade away. Others are comforted that Ukip isnt really anti-politics at all, and will only become less so as it becomes more professional and enters Parliament.

Some MPs, however, do realise that public frustration with the political class wont just evaporate. But they are torn over how to respond. Many look with admiration and envy at big beasts such as Boris Johnson, who can take on outsiders and swat them away. But few, if any, have the Mayors confidence and ebullience. Those who proceed as though they can get away with what Boris gets away with quickly learn often to their chagrin that they cant.

So how can established parties show voters theyre changing their ways? Two MPs have been mulling over this question for the past few months and both say theyve found the answer in bingo halls and bars.

Gloria de Piero (Lab, Ashfield) ran a project called Why Do People Hate Me? Instead of waiting for people to pitch up at her constituency surgery or public meeting, she toured aerobics classes, bingo halls and pubs to find normal voters. She even commissioned the pollster YouGov to find out why people loathed politicians. The MP emerged oddly optimistic, believing shed found the answer. Her colleague Alison McGovern (Lab, Wirral South) spent 19 evenings in a pub over the summer asking similar questions, and reached the same conclusion: solving anti-politics is quite simple.

What is this secret solution? Both women claim that it is simply bothering to engage with people who find politics a bore. When I explained my job, people said that sounds really interesting, how do I get into it, says de Piero. That gave me a little bit of hope. Her YouGov poll even revealed that a surprising 24 per cent of voters would consider standing as an MP if someone suggested it. McGovern found the same. When we run surgeries weve got a number of people back-to-back, so we cant just talk about how things are going, and when we go campaigning, we dont tend to knock on the doors of people who dont vote. So we dont engage.

This sounds simple. Far too simple. But perhaps thats what the problem is. Its like those secret of a successful marriage articles which neglect to mention the obvious things like spending time together. If no one bothers just to natter with voters, rather than trying to pin down whether their political preference has shifted since they were last canvassed, then no wonder people feel that the political classes dont speak for them. Perhaps the best thing MPs can do now that the referendum is over is to head down to the pub.

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MPs who want to connect with voters should head down to the pub