>What we see is that a system, without norms, is wide open for abuse. Today only the moral awareness of Conservative MPs can defend a nation from a prime minister determined to stay in office come what may, no matter what he says or does.
>Leadership without purpose, other than satisfying the ego, is likely to founder. Governance rules are in place, in business and the rest of society, to try to prevent immoral leaders driving their organisations into the ground. As scandals continued to break, this government’s flagship policy to “level up” more deprived regions was rushed out, apparently before it was ready, as part of the bid to distract attention away from one man and his mistakes.
>The true legacy of the Johnson premiership will probably be a growing demand for the hitherto unspoken norms of government to be more formally codified, even put into law. And the two-word verdict on allowing such a person to take charge in Number 10 will be stark and clear: never again.
This is a good article from a business orientated viewpoint, not an overtly political one. Boris reveals just how open to abuse the current British system is. There is a dire need for checks and balances.
Exceptional insight. However, I have to say, even in constitutional democracies, written norms do not protect against brazen lying by leaders. Your article got me thinking. They should enter into a contract with the Parliament as representatives of the sovereign people when they accede to power. It is possible to think of penalties for breach of contract. Many will cry foul, but ordinary citizens and companies sign contracts all the time and accept responsibility. The best of us should have no hesitations to sign a contract to fulfill their own promisses. Just saying.
>but, unlike countries such as the US, the UK has no single document or “written constitution” which sets out the limits on behaviour.
The authot makes it sound as if the US is fairly unique in having a written constitution.
3 comments
>What we see is that a system, without norms, is wide open for abuse. Today only the moral awareness of Conservative MPs can defend a nation from a prime minister determined to stay in office come what may, no matter what he says or does.
>Leadership without purpose, other than satisfying the ego, is likely to founder. Governance rules are in place, in business and the rest of society, to try to prevent immoral leaders driving their organisations into the ground. As scandals continued to break, this government’s flagship policy to “level up” more deprived regions was rushed out, apparently before it was ready, as part of the bid to distract attention away from one man and his mistakes.
>The true legacy of the Johnson premiership will probably be a growing demand for the hitherto unspoken norms of government to be more formally codified, even put into law. And the two-word verdict on allowing such a person to take charge in Number 10 will be stark and clear: never again.
This is a good article from a business orientated viewpoint, not an overtly political one. Boris reveals just how open to abuse the current British system is. There is a dire need for checks and balances.
Exceptional insight. However, I have to say, even in constitutional democracies, written norms do not protect against brazen lying by leaders. Your article got me thinking. They should enter into a contract with the Parliament as representatives of the sovereign people when they accede to power. It is possible to think of penalties for breach of contract. Many will cry foul, but ordinary citizens and companies sign contracts all the time and accept responsibility. The best of us should have no hesitations to sign a contract to fulfill their own promisses. Just saying.
>but, unlike countries such as the US, the UK has no single document or “written constitution” which sets out the limits on behaviour.
The authot makes it sound as if the US is fairly unique in having a written constitution.