Is hypocrisy always part of politics? Furious critics last night accused Boris Johnson of preaching one thing and doing the opposite. Former leader Theresa May led the attack.
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Johnson future now in hands of the police
Is hypocrisy always part of politics? Furious critics last night accused Boris Johnson of preaching one thing and doing the opposite. Former leader Theresa May led the attack.
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Is hypocrisy always part of politics?
Yes: Politicians get elected by championing certain ideals, but when they get into power they can only implement their policies by compromising with people of other views. Hypocrisy is baked into politics.
No: If politicians are hypocritical, people lose faith in the political process, and democracy suffers. We should expect the very highest standards of personal integrity and honesty.
Or... Politicians will probably always lie and bend rules. For as long as this helps get stuff done, we should tolerate it, but we should also crack down hard on those who go too far.
Keywords
Sue Gray - A senior civil servant who entered the public eye for the first time when she was tasked with investigating lockdown breaches in government. In 2024, she was briefly Keir Starmer's chief of staff.
Partygate - Nickname given to the controversy over a series of illegal gatherings hosted in 10 Downing Street, Johnson's office and home, during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Ministerial Code - A code of conduct that applies to ministers. They are supposed to resign if they break it, but they cannot be forced to do so, and it is administered by the prime minister themself.
David Runciman - A professor of politics at Cambridge University and prominent public intellectual.
2019 - At the general election in 2019 the Conservatives won their biggest majority since 1987.
Hillsborough disaster - A fatal crush during a football match in Sheffield, England in 1989. It killed 97 people.
Johnson future now in hands of the police
Glossary
Sue Gray - A senior civil servant who entered the public eye for the first time when she was tasked with investigating lockdown breaches in government. In 2024, she was briefly Keir Starmer's chief of staff.
Partygate - Nickname given to the controversy over a series of illegal gatherings hosted in 10 Downing Street, Johnson’s office and home, during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Ministerial Code - A code of conduct that applies to ministers. They are supposed to resign if they break it, but they cannot be forced to do so, and it is administered by the prime minister themself.
David Runciman - A professor of politics at Cambridge University and prominent public intellectual.
2019 - At the general election in 2019 the Conservatives won their biggest majority since 1987.
Hillsborough disaster - A fatal crush during a football match in Sheffield, England in 1989. It killed 97 people.