OF COURSE I think it is disgraceful that Boris Johnson broke his own lockdown rules and then lied to Parliament about doing so. And for what it’s worth, although I suspect the majority of the British public may have moved on, I still think that the prime minister should resign.
But for context – and this is emphatically not to excuse Johnson – just take a look at India and the composition of Narendra Modi’s cabinet. As of July 2021, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) reported that of Modi’s 78 ministers, 33 of them – some 42% – had declared that they were the subjects of criminal cases.
Of these:
24 ministers had declared cases against themselves relating to murder, attempt to murder, and robbery
4 ministers had declared cases against themselves relating to attempted murder
1 minister had declared a case against himself relating to murder
5 ministers had declared cases relating to ‘promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony’
7 ministers had declared cases relating to ‘illegal payments in connection with an election’
As I make that a total of 41, I can only assume that some of these charmers were or are potentially guilty of multiple serious offences. The announcement by the ADR can be found here. What is unclear is whether any of the ministers broke any of their country’s Covid regulations…
At this time we cannot have our PM resign over breaking the law in lockdown: Ukraine's severe situation demands his full attention and he is giving it his. MSM Lefties are pressing every button, scratching in anything to find something to scream about they can for him to quit office, Sunak too and ultimately a change of government and having Labour in power with all their corrupt MPs and thank goodness Corbyn & his rabble are not in No10. Politics is rife with corruption, always has been, and anyone in power be it at the top level down to the lowest office has probably had their hands in the till of one sort or another. Power corrupts especially the highest levels when there is so much to grab let alone feed massive egos, and too many think they are above the law until found out. They all ride their gravy trains until it derails. 'twas ever thus.
I understand your sentiment Angela, however all this behaviour moves the boundaries and at the end of the day and makes it just that little bit harder for the next guy of whatever political persuasion to get on and do the job just because of the cynicism. He has also misled the Commons which is a big no-no.
I yearn for a time when politicians of all colours acted with a shred of integrity. Sadly though I think those days are gone. Our system is based on personal integrity with very minimal checks and balances. If a chap no longer ‘does the decent thing’ how can he be challenged and held accountable war or no war?
Now and then there have been some good hardworking politicians much loved by those they serve for many many years and some leave with a gong, or go into the Lords to fade away there, or quit when the tide isn't running in their favour to make interesting post-MP careers, or in some cases die too young. I have been involved with politics since I was 14 on the voluntary side and my husband to a much greater degree. Now aged 70 and 79 respectively, we've taken to be less involved now having served decades working voluntarily for MPs and MEPs and an interesting number of men and women from every walk of life: pleasant and downright ghastly, truthful mostly or some glaringly economical with the truth... I have accepted there is no such person as an MP who has a perfect CV before entering Parliament or during it and I prefer an MP to have worked before being elected to have some experience outside the House. But I'd rather the democracy we have to elect our politicians with all its imperfections and the assortment who stand for election than that system and ideologies now running Russia, China, North Korea and many more nations.
Of course Modi is no Saint either. Look at the way he treats his wife. Denies her very existence, keeps her effectively as a prisoner, denies her a passport and maintains a police presence around her for her "protection". Her "protection detail" spy on her and report to Modi.
Now, where do I start? India is not the UK. A major part of their politics is based upon parties of different religious or cast backgrounds. Imagine Northern Ireland with millions of citizens. That has led, since 1947, since partition, to a political system which tolerates, or ignores, violence and corruption as a means to securing power. So far, the UK only has a political system which tolerates corruption (on all sides) to secure power. Not a particularly powerful analogy. But I know where you are coming from. 👍
At this time we cannot have our PM resign over breaking the law in lockdown: Ukraine's severe situation demands his full attention and he is giving it his. MSM Lefties are pressing every button, scratching in anything to find something to scream about they can for him to quit office, Sunak too and ultimately a change of government and having Labour in power with all their corrupt MPs and thank goodness Corbyn & his rabble are not in No10. Politics is rife with corruption, always has been, and anyone in power be it at the top level down to the lowest office has probably had their hands in the till of one sort or another. Power corrupts especially the highest levels when there is so much to grab let alone feed massive egos, and too many think they are above the law until found out. They all ride their gravy trains until it derails. 'twas ever thus.
I understand your sentiment Angela, however all this behaviour moves the boundaries and at the end of the day and makes it just that little bit harder for the next guy of whatever political persuasion to get on and do the job just because of the cynicism. He has also misled the Commons which is a big no-no.
I yearn for a time when politicians of all colours acted with a shred of integrity. Sadly though I think those days are gone. Our system is based on personal integrity with very minimal checks and balances. If a chap no longer ‘does the decent thing’ how can he be challenged and held accountable war or no war?
Now and then there have been some good hardworking politicians much loved by those they serve for many many years and some leave with a gong, or go into the Lords to fade away there, or quit when the tide isn't running in their favour to make interesting post-MP careers, or in some cases die too young. I have been involved with politics since I was 14 on the voluntary side and my husband to a much greater degree. Now aged 70 and 79 respectively, we've taken to be less involved now having served decades working voluntarily for MPs and MEPs and an interesting number of men and women from every walk of life: pleasant and downright ghastly, truthful mostly or some glaringly economical with the truth... I have accepted there is no such person as an MP who has a perfect CV before entering Parliament or during it and I prefer an MP to have worked before being elected to have some experience outside the House. But I'd rather the democracy we have to elect our politicians with all its imperfections and the assortment who stand for election than that system and ideologies now running Russia, China, North Korea and many more nations.
Of course Modi is no Saint either. Look at the way he treats his wife. Denies her very existence, keeps her effectively as a prisoner, denies her a passport and maintains a police presence around her for her "protection". Her "protection detail" spy on her and report to Modi.
Now, where do I start? India is not the UK. A major part of their politics is based upon parties of different religious or cast backgrounds. Imagine Northern Ireland with millions of citizens. That has led, since 1947, since partition, to a political system which tolerates, or ignores, violence and corruption as a means to securing power. So far, the UK only has a political system which tolerates corruption (on all sides) to secure power. Not a particularly powerful analogy. But I know where you are coming from. 👍