Editorial - On Modern Politics

Every parent sooner or later tells every child that politics is a dirty business, a rough business, a nasty business. Your dad told you. My dad told me - and we accept that as though it makes sense, as though it’s normal and right and proper.

But it’s not.

Politics is just the way we govern the country, pass the laws we all have to follow, levy taxes. These are important things. But at the same time we accept people into that system whom we would not willingly invite into our homes, whom we would not trust to baby-sit our children.

Doesn't this strike you as just a little odd ?

We allow people into the political system who routinely distort facts, who twist laws in order to suit patrons who give them campaign money or donate to their Party. People who routinely indulge in expense fraud. Some of whom just plain lie right to our faces.

And we accept this.

The people in the media accept it a normal. You would not accept that sort of behavior in your own profession, would you? Or in medicine, or in science, or in business, or in law enforcement?

There’s something deeply wrong here. This is our country we’re talking about, and the standards of behavior we demand of our representatives shouldn’t be lower - they should be higher.

We should demand intelligence and integrity. 

And we're not getting it. Not even close.