It’s only partly lack of achievement that offends me about what will be fourteen years of Tory rule. In my lifetime I’ve been there before (1951-1964, 1979-1996) calamitous periods in office both. It’s what they do. But no it’s not political failure that offends me it’s the mendacity. True the Art of politics can be the Art of hiding or distorting the truth – they all do it. But post 2010 the Prine Ministers and their acolytes in office seem never to tell the truth.
It’s wearying isn’t it to have people we are supposed to respect constantly telling untruths ? And they are far from all “ white” lies either. True Brexit took dishonesty to a new low (they’re still at it). But in virtually every policy area we are told porkies to the extent that we can’t believe anything they say. Books listing Boris Johnson’s lies were best sellers and he was the maestro of dishonesty. But they were all at it.
Bismarck said that politics is the “Art of the Possible” – it’s a truism that should keep Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwartang awake at night. But I doubt that it does. Their self justification is lying under another name. Positively Trumpian and it doesn’t get worse than that. And if you’re not an instinctive liar (I don’t think Theresa May is) then you’ll be brought down by those who are. It’s happening again with Sunak it seems.
Paddy’s Blogs in a crazy world 
Politics it seems to me is similar to those Russian dolls. When you remove one another lies underneath equal if not quite the same. The art of smoke and mirrors? No matter how many dolls you remove they remain the same. The trick is to constantly remove the dolls whilst at the same time convincing the public how competent they are.
I have just finished reading Jeremy Bowen’s superb book ‘The Making of the Modern Middle East’. If you seek to understand the mendacity of politicians and their long generational impact on world history look no further.
The only power we as ordinary humans have against their behaviour is to vote them out and never allow them to return. The trouble is voters never seem to learn. If they did democracy I believe would not exist.
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