I posted a series of comments on Twitter this morning with a common theme, as seems to be my habit these days. On this occasion I think there were no changes between my drafts and those that actually went out, so I will share them as drafted. The lines are in the drafting: they break the thread into roughly 280 character segments, but each has to also to some degree stand in its own right.<\/i><\/p>\n
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I have spent my life trying to create things. Things that I have hoped would be of value. Our government does not do that. It wants to win by destroying things of value until we\u2019re confused enough to give it what it wants, which is control despite the cost to us of doing so.<\/p>\n
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Normal arguments don\u2019t work with this government. They know they\u2019re no good. And they know they can\u2019t deliver what\u2019s needed. But they don\u2019t care because they\u2019ve got power, and that\u2019s all they need for what they want, which is enrichment for them and their friends.<\/p>\n
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We are used to political incompetence in the UK. But what we\u2019re not used to is corrupt government. In the UK we believe government is about using power for the common good. In that case using the power of government for self-interest is corrupt. And that\u2019s what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n
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How do we deal with having a corrupt government in the UK? The first thing to do is name it. Don\u2019t say it is hopeless, or incompetent, or gaff-prone, because it is none of those things. It\u2019s corruptly using power to advance the self-interest of those running it. It is corrupt.<\/p>\n
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I have spent many years working with those who address government corruption, mainly in developing countries. It\u2019s made me aware of the warning signs. And now we have them in the UK. Brexit and the pandemic have let this government grab the power that permits corruption in the UK.<\/p>\n
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The idea that we have a corrupt government in the UK, seeking only to perpetuate its power to benefit a few of its friends, is shocking. Shocking enough that as yet the ideas required to oppose it hardly exist, but that\u2019s exactly what they\u2019re exploiting to consolidate their power.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s always our right to decide how we will look at things. So we have the right to decide whether we have a government that has failed the standards we expect, and so is corrupt. We can also decide that Opposition politicians should be saying this, and to demand that they do.<\/p>\n
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As the UK descends into chaos this autumn, with unemployment and company failure becoming commonplace, remember this won\u2019t be by chance. This is the government\u2019s plan, from which they intend to profit. Say so. Call them out. Get angry. We have the right to make them accountable.<\/p>\n
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In the face of corruption - of a government working for the self interest of those within it and their friends - we have to be accountable. We must respond to the havoc they desire by demanding order, accountability and ethical conduct. We must live by the standard we demand.<\/p>\n
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Just for the record, I don\u2019t think tackling a corrupt government in the UK will be easy. But we have a choice. We tackle it, name it, and confront it. Or we give in to the consequences of giving a clique the power to govern us corruptly. It\u2019s not a choice really, is it?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"