The Mendacious Colours of Democracy by Alex Rubner

Author:Alex Rubner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Politics, democracy, lying, election, democratic system, politicians, honesty, dishonesty, philosophy, morality, economics, mendacity, mendacious, altruism, passive lying, electorate
ISBN: 9781845404994
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited 2013
Published: 2013-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

A politician with ministerial responsibilities must deport himself as a compassionate person. It is a difficult challenge to ministers who must be seen in this light when a disaster, say a burst dam or a fatal train collision, grips the public’s attention. By immediately rushing to the scene, they are of course guaranteed wide media coverage though they do not help meaningfully with the rescue operations. The opposite is more often true for they invariably take up the time of the top officials who are actually dealing with the emergency. Ministers (and the leaders of opposition parties) have been mauled in the press because they were accused of having visited the scene with a self-seeking motive. Yet, what if the minister with pertinent departmental responsibility does not fly by helicopter to view in person the tragedy? He runs the risk of being denounced on TV for his failure to turn up, a clear proof that he is not a ‘caring’ politician. It is hard for those who reside in illuminated glasshouses to discern wisely what course is likely to earn them the approbation of the censorious public. PR specialists offer degrading but sound advice: far better to do something which per se is not exemplary but earns publicity than to labour hard and produce beneficial results in the national interest that are not reported in the press. Parliamentarians are well aware that pollsters regularly survey the electorate in Western democracies for the purpose of preparing tables of famous politicians. How is their fame evaluated? Certainly not by their political deeds. The top of the tables are reserved for those politicians whose names and faces - but not necessarily their portfolios - are recognized by the largest number of polled citizens. In other comparative surveys the pollsters ask which politician was the most outstanding in a given number of fields. Research findings, published in the Chicago Tribune, exemplified how populist images in the US are heavily influenced by the impact of youthfulness, good looks and bearing. The respondents had to rate the political performances of nine American presidents (from Roosevelt to Reagan) and also choose the ‘most appealing personality’. Kennedy did not excel in the various political domains but 60% of the questioned people made him the outstanding victor in the non-political sphere. The runner-up was Roosevelt with 11% and Johnson came last with 1%.

It seems to be an established fact that the photogenic looks and demeanours of public figures on the TV screens often matter more than what they are saying or have achieved. There is also another adjunct that is electorally significant, namely the apparent physical stamina of the politician, as portrayed in the media. Because of bad weather, an aeroplane, returning Prime Minister Harold Wilson from Washington, was once diverted from London to Manchester. The cameras were on the spot to interview live the prime minister. Viewers heard the BBC journalist apologizing politely for troubling him at a time when he was surely tired and probably jet-lagged. Wilson, the experienced political fox, replied with indignation.

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