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You can always trust a politician (to Lie)

by Simon Longstaff

It is only a few days since a friend observed that if there were a course of study for aspiring politicians, then it would have just one, compulsory subject at its core - "Lying 101".

The person behind this comment wasn't joking. She had passed the point of wry humour; she had even passed beyond indifference. Like so many others within the community, she now believes a life in politics to be essentially shabby and dishonourable.

Was it ever so? If not, then what has generated the deep cynicism that infects so much popular discussion of politics across Australian society?

I suppose that there is always a temptation to 'romanticise' the past - to long for a lost, 'golden age' in which virtue reigned unimpeded. We all know that there never was such a time. As with every other arena of human endeavour, human frailty has been at the heart of some of the greatest dramas in political life. Yet, for all this, it does feel to me as if we have moved beyond the usual ebb and flow of trust in politicians.

This is puzzling. The majority of today's politicians are as idealistic as those that went before them. The majority wish to serve the community and to contribute to the task of building a better society. So, what has changed? One explanation is to suggest that the power of modern communications technology and an inquisitive media have combined to ensure that ordinary people know far more about the occasional misdeeds of politicians than ever would have been the case in the past.

At the same time, there would seem to have been a decline in popular understanding of the political process and how it works - both in theory and practice. Without the benefit of a proper understanding of the workings of our political system, it becomes difficult for people to judge the context within which political behaviour occurs. Given this, popular stereotypes take root in our minds and feed on whatever prejudices already exist. Or so the argument goes. There is probably something in this - but not enough to explain the current level of dissatisfaction.

Instead, I think that the move beyond mere cynicism to justified scepticism can be traced to four significant changes in the way politics is practised at present. First, there seems to have been a wholesale abandonment of the principle of Ministerial responsibility. Second, there has been a progressive corruption of the notion of 'public interest' so that it now means little more than the interests of the party in power and with that, a politicisation of the public service. Third, there has been a loss of faith in the possibility that power can be won and held without having to sacrifice one's commitment to a guiding set of core values and principles.

The fourth change is, however, the most significant. I believe that the decline in the standing of politicians is directly linked to the perception that they have given up on the challenge of appealing to the good that is within us, as a people. Instead, the current fashion has been to play on our greed, our fears and our prejudices. Some politicians reject such tactics. Many more acquiesce in their use. They do this in the belief that the ends justify the means, that politics is pointless without power - often without a moment's reflection about the effect of such tactics on the soul of the nation.

Of course, we could refuse to be bought or bullied into surrendering our vote. But in many cases, we don't. Either way, respect and trust for politicians goes into a steep decline once this pattern of politics becomes established. Those of us who resist such tactics end up despising the politicians who are prepared to use them. Ironically, those of us who succumb to their siren song end up loathing the politicians for seducing us with such ease, and for making us confront that part of ourselves that it suits us to deny.

For all the talk about a ‘tall poppy syndrome’, I believe that Australians want leaders who they can look up to and trust. We want leaders who can shape a vision of Australia that is worth striving for. We want leaders who have the moral courage to take responsibility for their decisions and actions. We want politicians who see engagement in public life as a vocation and not just a game. We want politicians who will speak the truth - even when it harms them to do so. We want politicians who respect us as citizens and not just as voters.

There is no simple solution to the task of rebuilding trust in the institutions of government and our political class. It is a complex task but one that I am convinced can be achieved - but only when real leadership replaces the counterfeit version that often masquerades in its place.

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