Politics Lost: Virtue, Morality and Corruption

Whatever has happened to virtue and morality in politics? The cynic reading this may wish to point out that there has never been a relationship! Others may wish to contend that these were long lost from the political landscape of what used to be “Great Britain” - the paragon of democratic ideals and morality. One would be excused for arriving at the politically incorrect and stereotypical conclusion that all the news about corruption, lobbying for a price, and using one’s access to privilege and inside information were what should be associated, with Yam, Banana, Casino and Sugar Cane Republics. At least here in the UK, the offenders have been suspended from the parliamentary labour party, that is, with their pockets filled and not necessarily changing the fact of their continuing access to the halls of power. Sleaze is not biodegradable – it is politically toxic and it may be that many more institutions here have been contaminated!!!

Corruption has politics in a vice-like grasp as the influence of money, earned without restraint in our so-called wild roaming market, together with a propensity to be greedy, have seriously undermined our political life. Money talks, seldom gives itself away freely, and always has strings attached to it - leading to someone or some group. So no matter how much a former politician may try to rationalise how he/she has earned such large sums(in a day) in honest endeavours – selling their skills and expertise and trading inside knowledge to corporations - the reality is that greed and corrosion of character have taken a firm hold. This is also evident from the flack of any form of apology rolling out from these forked-tongues. The irony is that one can reasonably wonder about the expertise they are actually selling given that little of it (in terms of transformation and well-being in society) was evident when they were in office.

And lest we are too quick to take any form of a high moral ground, we need to note that a fundamental flaw is with any of the economic models we opt to work with: greed will always be present. Greed drives economic progress, if this is what we are all about. Perhaps, we would do exactly as the politicians presently in the news did. As consumers we already display many of the traits. As moral beings we try to live justly when it comes to ethical shopping, investing and travelling. Yet, at the same time we go full out for the best deals and rarely bother to track our own Carbon footprints. Market desires always conflict with our moral commitments. Yet, if there is no sense of balance in terms of morality how do we go about enabling the work of moralising this and next generation. What kind of world are we living in? What kind of world are we prepared to create for future generations?

Last year I came across a Christian Aid advertisement using two hands. On the one hand was the statement: “The World is too corrupt to end Poverty”. On the other hand the organisation listed ten reasons to counter the statement. What caught my eye is how much of this applies not to developing countries (where Christian Aid works) but more to the UK.

For instance, among the ten we read: “We fund projects that promote transparency and accountability”; “World leaders are closing tax havens, because they hide the proceeds of corruption”; “There are proven ways to counter corruption”; and “We educate people about their rights and this stops corruption”. Well, I am sorry to say that all these apply to our government right here at home. Perhaps, Christian Aid can start fund raising to do some serious work at home and get some of the ideas (“the proven ways”), from the developing countries they are working with to end help end corruption here!

Our political life needs to be delivered from the default and arrogant view premised on the false idea that we have inherited virtues and moral values that make us "the" examples of democracy, transparency and accountability for the rest of the world. On the contrary, the continuing saga of banks/bankers and politics/politicians reveal that behind the facade lie some disturbing truths about ourselves that we are yet to reflect on.

It is time to wake-up! Or to pick up one of the mantras: "what are the lessons to be learned? and who are actually learning anything?" It may be that a new day is about to dawn!

copyright March 30, 2010

A City Dreaming as Potholes Multiply

Birmingham (UK) looks tired. This is not only about run-down buildings in need of some urgent “facelift”. I am talking about reservoirs, waterways/ and drains littered with plastic bags and bottles and roads filled with potholes. Some of these potholes demand numerous manoeuvres to avoid breaking some part of your vehicle or just getting stuck and blocking up the rest of the traffic. Others are so huge and deep that one can make a case for rearing trouts in them. And, do not allow me to start on the matter of rats scurrying around. Soon we shall be recruiting the Pied Piper of the Bullring to lead battalions of rats along potholes littered roads to drown in our canals.

And given that much of the City’s money got lost or more correctly frozen in the ice of Iceland, with not the slightest hint that even a thawing out from a recent volcanic eruption would reveal where the missing sums were stashed away - I do not see much hope for the infrastructure to change for the best. Yet, the City Council’s publication (Forward), bombards us with some ludicrous claims from the Council executives about the greatness of the city.

Hence, the New Library to be built by the Centenary Square (2013) is presented “as the most advanced learning and cultural centre of its kind in the world. Yes, not only in the UK or even Europe - it is the whole world. And only God knows what the 2014 New Railway station at New Street will be billed as! Have any of these bureaucrats making the claim, ever travelled beyond the Midlands? Or have they arrived to such mind-boggling conclusions after a search on our internet services, maybe the best in the world? Or is it that their idea of the whole world (starting right here in the UK) is wholly different from mine? The Birmingham City Council’s obsession with being the first and the best in ways too many to count or list in this blog may reveal more about the insularity of these bureaucrats than anything else.

In the meantime, I will continue to be thankful for the numerous small wonders, gracious people, hospitable friends and countless surprising discoveries, I have made while residing in Birmingham for the last eleven years. Home for us, being part of a Diaspora, has been further enlarged and given added complexity by this fact. It is the longest we have stayed in one place as a family – meaning that there must be more to Birmingham than the many wonders the city council would have us to believe. It is a pity that these bureaucrats of the city council are unable to connect with these.

In the meantime, if you are planning a visit to Birmingham (beyond its city centre), set out well in advance, be sure to have handy remedies for headaches, and you will need a lot of patience. And if your are walking tread carefully! In any case you will meet some very friendly and helpful Brummies, full of good tips on reaching your destination safely.

© copyright March 26, 2010

Living Faithfully with Money

I often wonder about the line from the group Abba: “Money, money, money/ Must be funny/ In the Rich Man’s world." For the poor farmer who interrupted me during worship so that I could explain why the returns from rice production continued to drop while the output had increased and more rice was then exported than any other time, it was not funny. If money was funny in this situation, it was when people had to purchase tyres with a rice bag full of the local currency. Money was worthless and scarce for the many living in penury. Yet, among these very poor people much joy and happiness overflowed. I am struck how little I thought then of pension, owing a property and other material provisions. In my present context anxiety has taken over with numerous bills to pay and a cash machine that informs me that I may need an overdraft. And do not even bother to mention all those things one is led to believe that one needs, and at the same time having to listen and read from the media about the latest mind-boggling payout to some!

Money may be “funny” for some people. For others, they just want to strike it rich. Just check out the percentage of people who will play the lottery with the hope of making money or more money! We all wish we had more money than we presently have: for more money means freedom or independence or self worth; it will open the world, remove anxieties and will make us happier. So we are led to believe. It may not be wise to ask the rich whether this is true – as becoming rich is no guarantee that the desire for more ends there. Personal happiness has become big business in spite of wealth. Which is the world’s happiest country, do you think?

The borderland between faith and money has not been a comfortable place to live: mammon still competes with the Divine for the loyalty of even the most devout. The message from religious institutions, that "the love of money" distracts the faithful from what is most important, while administering millions of pounds can sound hypocritical. Talk about money is easily “dumbed down”, except "give us some of yours." Many will agree that our society is heavily materialistic, valuing products more than people and that “greed is still a distortion of the ways of God”. Yet, only a few of us seem able to decide when enough is enough. Greed may be a distortion, but how often do we see that it is wrong to want more money than we need.

The prevailing culture wants us to believe that money is value free. Even if money is a neutral medium of exchange it does become something morally positive or negative, and something spiritually liberating or destructive because of the ways we use and misuse it. We need to make the connections between our faith, moral choices and the implications for our economic life - the whole of life. Then faith ought to make a difference to the ways in which we conduct our financial affairs. For, the bottom line is: where our treasure is, there will our heart be also.”

© copyright March 12, 2010