{"id":4520,"date":"2018-05-12T23:00:46","date_gmt":"2018-05-12T23:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/imjussayin.com\/blog\/?p=4520"},"modified":"2018-05-12T23:01:20","modified_gmt":"2018-05-12T23:01:20","slug":"whatever-happened-personal-responsibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imjussayin.com\/blog\/whatever-happened-personal-responsibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Whatever Happened To Personal Responsibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"responsibility<\/a>
\nLeadership without accountability is poor practice. So, put your hand up if you have heard a politician taking responsibility for their bad decision making? \u00a0It does not happen. \u00a0Well not since Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington in 1982 for neglecting the Falkland’s defences. Carrington was the last politician to admit he made a mistake and put principle ahead of career.\u00a0 Amber Rudd<\/a> like John\u00a0Profumo<\/a> in 1963 resigned for lying.\u00a0 In today\u2019s politics, the fault is always somewhere else for which the politician will apologise. \u00a0However, the politician’s resignation will not follow the apology. \u00a0If as a society, we are to raise our children to have personal responsibility for their actions, then so must all leaders. And that will not happen unless we press for change.<\/p>\n

Personal Ambition Over Responsibility\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

There is no shortage of Tories vying for number 10. \u00a0But too many politicians are career minded and unaccountable to the people who elected them. \u00a0Boris Johnson, a dishonest politician deliberately misled the public on Brexit and NHS funding. \u00a0He was then promoted to Foreign Secretary. \u00a0And Foreign Secretary Johnson\u00a0endangered the life of a British citizen <\/a>(it would not be the first time). \u00a0Johnson apologised and remains in post.<\/p>\n

Theresa May former Home Secretary dishonestly claimed that a cat prevented the deportation of an undocumented migrant. And in the words of May, \u2018I kid you not\u2019. Even so, May became Prime Minister and remains so despite the Windrush Scandal. \u00a0But, racism may be a requirement of being a Tory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Grenfell was a social housing disaster waiting to happen. \u00a0An all-party parliamentary group was pushing for a review of fire-related building regulations since 2013.\u00a0 Successive housing ministers promised a review<\/a> but did not hold one. Ministers included Gavin Barwell, <\/a>May\u2019s current chief of staff. \u00a0Despite the Grenfell tragedy, Barwell remains in post. \u00a0And when Johnson was London Mayor he told the London Fire Safety Panel to \u2018Get stuffed\u2019 over fire station closures. He is now Foreign Secretary.<\/p>\n

The British government has had to apologise to Abdel-Hakim Belhaj & Fatima Boudchar<\/a> for our role in their torture.\u00a0 But the government is not holding then-Foreign Secretary Jack Straw<\/a> or MI6 officer Mark Allen personally responsible for their role in flouting international law.<\/p>\n

Avoiding Legal Responsibility<\/span><\/h2>\n

The lack of personal responsibility came in with neo-liberalism and the era of Thatcher, Reagan and Gordon Geko<\/a>. So, rarely do we see leaders held accountable for deliberate violations of the laws that govern them. \u00a0No RBS bankers have been jailed for swindling customers<\/a>\u00a0or HSBC bankers for money laundering<\/a>. \u00a0But\u00a0Establishment<\/a> is very keen to hold all other citizens responsible for obeying the law and paying taxes. \u00a0Therefore, the\u00a0prison population\u00a0of\u00a0England\u00a0& Wales rose by about 90% between 1990 and 2016<\/a>, an average\u00a0rise<\/strong>\u00a0of 3.5% per annum.<\/p>\n

\"responsibiliy<\/a><\/p>\n

Direct Responsibility Direct Democracy<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

So, leaders should also be responsible for their actions. In order to break the trend of non-accountability Citizens have to engage in direct democracy<\/a>. \u00a0Zak Goldsmith wanted to adopt the Californian model of recalling elected representatives<\/a>. \u00a0So, where a public representative is failing to perform, like not prosecuting bankers<\/a>, the public\u00a0would have a right of recall.\u00a0 And the right to remove a failing representative.<\/p>\n

However, when the politicians had the opportunity to introduce it, they voted it down as an \u2018Intrinsic corruption of our democracy<\/a>.\u2019 But it is this form of direct democracy that will make politics more transparent and hold power to account.<\/p>\n

Connect with me on Twitter<\/a> and FB<\/a>
\nCatch-up radio shows on Mixcloud<\/a>
\nEditorial Policy:\u00a0Use quotations from this article subject to a full credit of the source and a direct link to the article on imjussayin.com<\/p>\n

Audioblog<\/span><\/h2>\n