I'm not sure why I have been silent in this blog and on Twitter about the recent shameful behaviour of politicians at every level of government and across party lines. Perhaps it is because all of us have been inundated by media coverage of allegedly naughty Rob Ford and undoubtedly naughty Mike Duffy. We could toss some other senators into the mix, our Prime Minister, provincial Liberal politicians...the list goes on and on.
What strikes me is that there is a concerted effort to "out" the transgressions of these "alleged" leaders (where is the evidence they are leadership material/) but not much discussion of the morality of what may have transpired. To me this is more than violation of the rules of the senate or the house. It's more than what constitutes fraud or laws on drug use. I want my government leaders to demonstrate integrity and that they have a moral compass which informs their personal and political lives. Is this too much to ask?
In both Bowmanville and Belleville I have resided in Conservative ridings, so I should be cautious in my comments, but I have to say that I am repeatedly underwhelmed by Prime Minister Harper's response to the unethical behaviour of cabinet ministers and party hacks he has appointed to the senate he promised to reform.
It's tempting to say that politics have always been this way, but I do expect more. I want leaders to govern, not just hold power. I want them to be people I can admire. Where is a Stanley Knowles, or a Bill Blaikie, both United Church ministers who entered politics and were admired across party lines?
Am I naïve folks? Should we expect our leaders to be ethical and admirable?
5 comments:
I think the 'morality piece' is implicit within the witch hunts that have results from Ford's and Duffy's and Wallin's and everyone else's actions.
The media have pounced with unrelenting pressure on these people because of the shamefulness of their actions. They really are getting what they deserve for abusing the public trust.
And I hear you on the leadership front. How 'bout guys like Bob Stanfield, or Mitchell Sharp? Who else would you add to the list?
I am afraid I am one who is almost completely disillusioned with political leaders - when I see cuts to health and education and social programs, and then hear of these abuses by the people in power, I almost think there is no use in voting - they are almost ALL bad!
There aren't enough blood pressure pills on the planet to keep my readings below 200/130, thanks to these moronic politicians.
There are so many of these goofballs to name, but Bev Oda figures prominently. And Duffy, the guy who went after politicians before he became a Senator....what a joke.
I lambasted a newspaper editor who chose to publish a flattering article of Oda a few months ago. We emailed each other several times, and he really could not justify why he chose such a poor example. I concluded he was probably her friend, or that money was being exchanged.
He could have picked almost anyone to write about rather than her.
Amen to David's blog and Ian's comments.
A few months ago I would have hollered Amen! and threw in a comment or two about how all politicians were crooks or too egocentric to do right by their constituents. I now have a different understanding of what it means to be an elected official and the responsibilities that come with that. So now I will say more than ever, Amen to holding the crooks accountable and to reminding them that they have not been given a free pass. But I do see that we are in a different time; with social media, the media's role in witch-hunting, partisan politics and a CYOA (cover your own 'butt') culture that has fostered a system where the greater good is often forgotten because of all of these other distractions. I just don't know if I have complete faith that we can ever have a leader that can be as inspired/inspiring as those great leaders you have mentioned of times past.
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