Two days, two great examples of why the electorate will remain apathetic and disillusioned – no matter how many politicians start blogging.
Today saw the announcement that no-one will face charges in the loans for peerages ‘scandal’.
I put scandal in inverted commas because it has been largely par for the course in British politics that a donor gives a million quid (or less) and gets made a peer.
However. the whole case has thrown light on a dimly-lit and sordid part of the British political scene and given the chaotic investiagtion I was surpirsed to see the man at the centre of the controversy, Lord Levy, appear in the media beaming like a kid in a sweetshop.
Given anyone with half a brain understands that the case was wound up probably due to a technicality or lack of evidence rather than any inherent wrong-doing, it seems a bit churlish to gloat about your ‘innocence’.
Conversely, yesterday saw the admssion by four of Gordon Brown’s cabinet, including Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith (above), that they had smoked cannabis in the past.
For me this a shot in the arm for politics. Having politicians bold enough to own up to something a majority of people (surely?) would think doesn’t make someone unfit to be a politician is an important step to make politics relevant and accountable.
The point I’m making is: double-standards.
In a society where more and more individuals want honesty and respect from their brands, surely politicians need to start adapting their behaviour and policies to this shift in values as well.
On one hand, Lord Levy cracks a repugnant smile that says “everyone knows we did things that were morally dubious if technically legal” while Jacqui Smith says “Yeah. Most students have dabbled at some point in their lives and I’m only human”.
Which one would trust more?
Technorati tags: cash+for+peerages; Lord+Levy; cannabis; Jacqui+Smith; trust; politics
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