British politics has become so tribal and so polarised that the following thought experiment will be very difficult for most people but please try it:-

Imagine Mr Johnson’s government asks you for a list of policies that it should pursue. You provide that list and the government immediately agrees to pursue all the policies on your list and that existing policies will be abandoned if they contradict your list. Would this government’s methods of governing be acceptable if it was pursuing your chosen policies?

My answer to that is a clear “NO”. No matter what the merits of one’s chosen policies might be, the collateral damage Mr Johnson’s method of governing is inflicting is too great.  Here are some examples;-

● The Government is using ‘Downing Street Sources’ to spread lies and smears. Read this article https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/british-journalists-have-become-part-of-johnsons-fake-news-machine/ which gives specific examples. (This is not only an unwise way of doing business: it is also short sighted.  What happens if we get so used to hearing lies and misrepresentations from the media and politicians that even when they tell the truth we won’t believe them?)

● The Government refuses to use moderate language and is content to inflame tensions by inflammatory and aggressive language. Mr Johnson knows how to use words: journalism was his trade. The frequent use of images and language of war is not just distasteful: it is a step towards inciting violence. 

 

● If the Government perceives a short term gain is to be had, it does not shrink from adopting questionable methods to obtain that gain. Unlawfully advising the Queen to prorogue Parliament is a case in point. Treating the judiciary, parliament itself and MPs with disrespect are further examples.

The Government is acting as if the end justifies the means. It doesn’t.  If the ends justifies the means for a government why should not the same be true for others– no matter how far right, far left or extreme?

I emphasise that I am not making any point about the merits or otherwise of the Government’s aims and policies. My point is that HMG’s method of speaking and acting is objectionable and is doing harm that will take a long time to repair, if it can be repaired at all.

Nearly everyone approves of democracy and democratic institutions but this government’s way of governing assumes that democratic institutions are self-healing and everlasting. History shows that they are not. They can decay from the inside. The Government’s methods are causing such decay at a rapid pace. 

When democracy dies democratic institutions lose substance even whilst preserving the appearance of not having changed.  Thus there may still be Courts that sit with Judges who have the same robes but if judicial independence is lost or if the courts are too expensive or inaccessible (because the decisions are made by the home office and no effective review available) true justice fades.  Parliament may still meet in the iconic building of Westminster but if capable and diligent people are unwilling to serve as MPs because of the abuse that would go with the job what then?  If there is no easily available way of obtaining reliable news what chance of reasoned debate or meaningful choices without which democracy becomes impossible?

Read The Windrush Betrayal and you encounter a tyranny of the bureaucracy against defenceless innocent people. Read Refugee Tales III and you encounter similar bureaucratic tryanny against refugees.  Try telling them that they have the right to protection from the Court.

If you can stand the painful shame of it, watch the evidence given to the Public Accounts Committee in December 2018 by a Windrush victim and you will catch a glimpse of how rights can become hollow once decency and civility are eroded.

Decency and civility are being replaced by a very different and brutal way of governing and its not clear how this can be stopped.  There is a common thread that runs through the Grenfell tragedy, the Windrush betrayal and the marginalisation of many needing state assistance: that thread is an uncaring, even brutal, way of governing that fails to listen to cries for help.

A general election is coming but a change of government would not necessarily repair the damage that is now being done. The government’s methods, along with other factors beyond the government’s control, are poisoning the wells.  A new ‘normal’ is being established which is far from normal. This is easiest to see by considering the same phenomenon in the USA where Trump’s behaviour now has to be shocking to a degree before it even registers as unusual. What once would have caused outrage now causes barely a comment of disapproval.

Please use the comment facility or the email link on the left to suggest:-

  • How can we encourage our politicians to work in ways that build up trust and mutual respect?
  • How can we persuade our politicians that using language that promotes goodwill and compromise is something we respect and value?
  • How do we get the message across that the end does not justify the means?