Ask yourself this simple question: How many of your friends, colleagues and/or employees are criminals? Use your fingers to count them if needs be. Unless you indulge in crime yourself it is unlikely you will need both hands. Now discount the ones who have never been - and are unlikely to ever be - in jail, and those whose convictions are minor and do not involve victims, deception, fraud or collusion. Chances are you no longer even need one hand - unless of course you are near, or at, the top of politics.
With Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce facing sentencing today, one might reasonably imagine that the self-styled Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, would want to publically distance himself from them. But this is to overlook his boss’s willingness to employ Andy Coulson after he resigned from his position as News of the World editor in 2007 following the conviction of one of his charges for illegal phone-hacking, or Cameron’s equally crass cavorting with the multi-arrested, husband-beating Rebekah Brooks, herself awaiting trial on numerous, serious charges.
Indeed, rather than distance himself from Huhne, Clegg has spent the weekend telling anyone who would listen what an ‘effective and outstanding’ politician the proven and self-confessed liar Chris Huhne is. Putting aside the cost to the public purse of the disgraced former MP’s dishonesty (more than £100,000 so far, the cost of his incarceration still to come) it does not take a genius to work out the values Nick Clegg - no doubt influenced by his boss - holds dear to his heart.
As children our parents warn us about hanging around with the naughty kids at school. Our judgement may not be totally sound and we may find ourselves attracted to the thrill of doing what we know to be wrong or encouraging our peers in their pursuit of rule-breaking. But when we mature we are expected to be able to recognise and act upon the lessons and counsel of our youth and make stable judgements for ourselves. How can it be then that we are genuinely expected to elect to office politicians with zero credibility, who clearly have no concept of right and wrong? How are these people still allowed to stand?
With Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce facing sentencing today, one might reasonably imagine that the self-styled Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, would want to publically distance himself from them. But this is to overlook his boss’s willingness to employ Andy Coulson after he resigned from his position as News of the World editor in 2007 following the conviction of one of his charges for illegal phone-hacking, or Cameron’s equally crass cavorting with the multi-arrested, husband-beating Rebekah Brooks, herself awaiting trial on numerous, serious charges.
Indeed, rather than distance himself from Huhne, Clegg has spent the weekend telling anyone who would listen what an ‘effective and outstanding’ politician the proven and self-confessed liar Chris Huhne is. Putting aside the cost to the public purse of the disgraced former MP’s dishonesty (more than £100,000 so far, the cost of his incarceration still to come) it does not take a genius to work out the values Nick Clegg - no doubt influenced by his boss - holds dear to his heart.
As children our parents warn us about hanging around with the naughty kids at school. Our judgement may not be totally sound and we may find ourselves attracted to the thrill of doing what we know to be wrong or encouraging our peers in their pursuit of rule-breaking. But when we mature we are expected to be able to recognise and act upon the lessons and counsel of our youth and make stable judgements for ourselves. How can it be then that we are genuinely expected to elect to office politicians with zero credibility, who clearly have no concept of right and wrong? How are these people still allowed to stand?
