Art from Georges Prosper Remi
"On the whole, British political culture has not been corrupt, and I don't believe it is now; but when the electorate starts to worry that a culture of corruption is creeping in, then a government is in trouble. If, as now seems likely, a general and false belief is taking hold that politicians are as bad as each other, and are all in it out of self-interest, then trust has broken down, and the consequences for civic life will be a catastrophe on a Sicilian scale.
The principle of "Caesar's wife" is absolutely vital for any government seeking to uphold public rectitude; what may carry more direct weight is the consideration that it is also vital for a government seeking re-election. Nobody wants to make it easier for a paper, on an idle day, to hound innocent ministers out, but there is a simple rule that ought to apply without exception; that if questions of conduct lead to the case being referred to the Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards, in no circumstances may the minister remain in office.
That may seem hard if the accusations come to nothing, but governments must accept that the appearance of corruption can be as damaging as the reality, and that the insistence on quite irrelevant legal principles is apt only to increase cynicism and disenchantment among the people it is meant to reassure."
From Like Caesar's wife, a politician should be above suspicion
By Philip Hensher
Friday, 23 March 2001, The Independent
The principle of "Caesar's wife" is absolutely vital for any government seeking to uphold public rectitude; what may carry more direct weight is the consideration that it is also vital for a government seeking re-election. Nobody wants to make it easier for a paper, on an idle day, to hound innocent ministers out, but there is a simple rule that ought to apply without exception; that if questions of conduct lead to the case being referred to the Commissioner for Parliamentary Standards, in no circumstances may the minister remain in office.
That may seem hard if the accusations come to nothing, but governments must accept that the appearance of corruption can be as damaging as the reality, and that the insistence on quite irrelevant legal principles is apt only to increase cynicism and disenchantment among the people it is meant to reassure."
From Like Caesar's wife, a politician should be above suspicion
By Philip Hensher
Friday, 23 March 2001, The Independent
Há sete anos atrás este foi um dos temas quentes em Inglaterra. Por cá, obviamente este tipo de questões, nem se põem.
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