I don't often write serious posts. However some of the recent goings on in the world really have tested my ability to sit back and ignore them. I'm not talking about the riot at The Capitol which might well have resulted (and might still result) in the end of democratic rule in the U.S. but in more minor and insidious incidents which gnaw away at the fabric of the Rule of Law which keeps us all in the UK safe.
Anyone who, like I, who worked with politicians all his professional life, knows that politicians are often economical with the truth. In order to save their political skins and jobs some tell downright lies on BIG THINGS as well. They always have done and always will do. On being found out the majority do not survive.
That, however, is becoming a thing of the past.
We now have a Prime Minister who is liar both as a politician and in his previous incarnations as a journalist and editor in our prestigious press. I was going to justify that statement with examples but as a friend said the PM not only doesn't try and defend himself from those incidents but, on occasion, actually boasts about his survival. They are, in any case, very well documented.
The problem is that if the most senior person in the Government is seen to be a liar it gives a blank cheque to everyone else. If he can get away with it why can't I?
In my mid 20s I knew a lady who was a Justice of the Peace (JP, the most junior member of the judiciary). She regarded exceeding the speed limit as breaking the law and therefore if she realised she had knowingly exceeded the speed limit by even a few mph it would have been a resignation issue. Regardless of the legal niceties of breaking the speed limit I know of no one else who has been that extreme.
However, I heard that the Chief Justice in Northern Ireland attended a golf function recently which was illegal under the current regulations in that Country. He accepted that he did it. He said that it was not a resignation matter.
How, I ask, can any member of a country's judiciary never mind the most senior one, make such a statement and then expect anyone to respect him or his decisions ever again.
I'll try not to do this again.
You raise an important issue.
ReplyDeleteHow gray is gray is a gray area requiring more facts than black or white.
I think I followed you, Maywyn.
DeleteIn America, Dick Cheney making an appearance to voice his concerns, I feel, has given many politicians pause to think about who they give their support to.
DeleteI read it Maywyn. I hope you are correct.
DeleteI am sure I am not the first (nor the wisest) to predict that within ten years at most the United States will be an autocratic, fascistic dictatorship with heavy underpinnings of a fanatical theocracy. As for Boris Johnson, I don't follow British politics closely enough to make a cogent comment, except to say that he appears to be a bumbling, two-faced, clownish-looking idiot of the first degree. How some of our politicians ever get elected is beyond my comprehension, but when they get re-elected it really floors me. As for ethics, what a curious concept that is, you silly man. Survival is all that counts!
ReplyDeleteWell, David, I'm obviously not the only one terrified of the US situation. I read one of the generals on why they kept out of the Capitol Riot at first: they were unsure of the pro and against Trump factions in the army ie whose orders would they follow. Now that was something so far removed from my thoughts it took a long time to process.
DeleteI know accountants and lawyers who would be kicked out of their professions for the slightest transgression. Politics is not a profession. It should be.
ReplyDeleteWell, Tasker, I was always told that there were only three really old professions: the Church, the Law and Prostitution. I have a feeling many politicians are already in a profession (and it's the the Law or the Church!).
DeleteDo it again, Graham, whenever you choose. You express very clearly how many of us think. It seems every country has its share of lying leaders and it is a cause for concern because I think it will get worse before it gets better unless something happens to change it. Annual elections to keep them more accountable, perhaps? I know the many arguments against that but how else do we hold the buggers accountable?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pauline. I can see the logic of annual elections but that's when Boris tells his biggest lies and the problem is that people believe him. Well they did. Whether they would now I'm not sure. What really worries me is that the public don't seem to worry about standards in public life any more. They seem to shrug their shoulders and accept it.
DeleteMore and more we live in a cult of celebrity where people don't have to achieve things or be things, they just need to be charismatic ot ell their lies for long enough to convince themselves it is true
ReplyDeleteI really need to proof read better. *charismatic or tell their lies...."
DeleteKylie, I think you are correct and, by the way, perception is a strange thing. I read what you meant to write not what you wrote. I had to go back and see what you were talking about when I read your second comment.
DeleteWhy so many lies , I don't know. There are many other ways to save your skin.
ReplyDeleteRed, there was a time when a politician would just fall on his sword and resign: many did.
DeleteAt least I am not the only one who remembers that BJ was a very nasty bit of work as a journalist, and not much better as Major of London.
ReplyDeletePlease continue to be as serious as you like, as often as you need.
Thank you Jayne. I think many remember but few bother any more.
DeleteAny time a politician seems to regard him/herself above the law is certainly a reason for concern. And it is not the citizens reacting to it that should have to make apologies! What I also find odd is that sometimes very minor things get blown up in the media and cause resignations etc, while more serious matters and repeated mistakes/offences may be brushed aside and ignored for years.
ReplyDeleteMonica, I hadn't really noticed the blowing up of minor things but I suspect if a newspaper or opposition party feels it can inflict damage then it will choose anything.
DeleteGraham, maybe it's a Swedish thing ;) In connection with the recent reforming of our government there were some discussions about what kind of things way back in a person's past should still be held against them many years later (or not).
DeleteStop looking for some President or Prime Minister to come and rescue you.
ReplyDeleteThe process required to reach these positions is built to ensure no one will occupy them who has any desire to rescue anything except their own reputation, legacy and vote count.
Unfortunately, Adrian, I have reached the stage when idealism is long behind me. I agree with you.
DeleteThe majority of people is probably realistic enough not to expect politicians to be saints,
ReplyDeletebut humans like the rest of us. But it is reasonable to expect someone who carries responsibility to act accordingly, with dignity and making a serious effort at doing their best. After all, they are in public service, but that last bit is often conveniently forgotten.
Meike, the whole point is, as you said, public service. If you want to join the public service act accordingly.
DeleteRe resignations of politicians - I am old enough to remember a time when government ministers would automatically resign over transgressions and not take the current "bluff it out" line, and also resign over matters of principle rather than display the current levels of "shiftiness".
ReplyDeleteSo, Unknown, am I old enough to remember those times. The concept of Ministerial responsibility has also been dispensed with.
DeleteThe lying and conspiracy theories have really taken over here in the US. I am so often amazed and astounded at what people will repeat as truth. I wonder at the number of people who seem to have no practical, scientific, or common sense at all! Good post, Graham.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ellen. Conspiracy theorists are beyond my comprehension. I suppose because I like science and facts and, in legal situations, one has to back up everything with credible facts.
DeleteGraham that is a great big Gordian knot of a subject. One could write a dissertation - or several. It will keep political studies departments of Universities in research subjects for decades. I agree that those at the top now have devalued democracy, thumbed noses at the rule of law, and have rent the very fabric of society with their disregard for the roles they should be fulfilling, and the obligations that come with their positions.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tigger. The question is whether there is anyone big enough to be able to tackle the Gordian Knot.
DeleteI am encouraged when I read a post by someone who has earned respect and trust of their followers by displaying strong intellect, good morals and ability to express their thoughts simply and clearly. You are one of these people. We Americans, who care about the hate, strife and what feels like constant upset in our country feel exactly as you do. I keep wanting to have a Pollyanna attitude that it can't be as bad as it seems and that in the end "good" will prevail over evil.
ReplyDeleteBut...as you say, political leaders given free rein to lie constantly, cheat and abuse the people they are there to represent and protect, and display the worst human behaviors, I despair. I wish I didn't.
Please don't stop posting these honest reflections. It means a lot to those of us who agree with you.
Keke, it's very kind of you to describe me as you did although I'm not so sure about the strong intellect. I've always been a Pollyanna but some of our world leaders are displaying behaviour that makes that very difficult.
DeleteJohnson is an expert liar. He's like the little boy who found the strawberry jam in the pantry. The jam is all over his face but he denies that he stole it. Teresa May was a hopeless PM but morally she was a giantess when compared with Johnson.
ReplyDeleteYP, I can't but agree with you that Theresa May was a hopeless leader but few would question her moral fibre. That alone makes her outstanding compared with Johnson.
DeleteI am discouraged at how things are unfolding here. What bothers me the most, I think, is just how willing people are to believe the most blatant lies. The proof is right there before our very eyes, and yet...
ReplyDeleteWhat will become of us? I ask this seriously.
Debby, I think that is a question being asked by a great many people at the moment. Moderates everywhere are on the back foot.
DeleteThe diseased fabric of society grows worse and worse. Politicians are just the pinnacle of the iceberg and unfortunately their lies are accepted by a public who are no better than they are. Sometimes I feel we are witnessing (and caught up in) the ultimate downfall of Western Civilization.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, it would seem that a quite a few of us feel similarly.
DeleteI'm completely in agreement with you on this, I have never felt so ashamed of the so-called leaders of our country. Johnson's freedom from the truth was well established long before he became prime minister and I cannot understand why anyone wanted to vote him into office. The sooner he goes the better.
ReplyDeleteWell, Rosemary, I think his position is becoming less and less tenable.
Delete