Chickens Home to Roost

Photo by Rose Davies at Flickr

(Photo by Rose Davies at Flickr)

It is still far too soon to be sure the chickens are coming home to roost for the worst of the wave of bad politicians both of my countries have had at the top in recent years, but this week has encouraged my hope of seeing those roosting chickens.

Both the UK and especially the USA have populations that are not all alike. The glue that holds these countries together is the belief that we share a set of core values. In theory, we can be purple with long green tails and still be equal to the next person as long as we all adhere to those core values and the rules that define them. We don’t match the theory yet, but we try.

It’s toxic to society when people at the top brazenly disregard that, using their power to do whatever they want without consequences.

It seeps down into smaller organizations. This week I’ve been writing preparatory notes for an upcoming interview with Veteran Feminists of America. Revisiting old memories of activist years brought back the strong sense that national factions and fights echo all the way down.

I kept seeing echoes of national political splits and methods in state and local groups. I still do. The purported reasons for the arguments and methods differ, but you could turn the sound off and the show would look the same.

In the USA, the wheels of justice are turning very slowly, but at least they are turning. I hope this time we will have enough sense for the Department of Justice not to strike a deal like they did with Spiro Agnew, or let a preemptive pardon stop us from confronting what we’ve allowed as we did with Richard Nixon.

In the UK, no criminal case is at stake. When someone on high is found doing something wrong, such as getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar, the routine is for them to apologize, maybe pay a token amount of money, say that lessons will be learned (which they don’t mean) and then go merrily on their way. (This is why the head of BP was so woefully out of his depth when the USA didn’t meekly accept that as enough after the disaster at Deepwater Horizon.)

It's harder to impose meaningful consequences here than it is in the USA, but not impossible.

When the Parliamentary enquiry into Partygate issued its report, it turned out that the committee included last-minute changes to give Boris Johnson some consequences for his Trump-like explosion late last week. They had intended to recommend a 20 day suspension from Parliament, enough to open the door for his constituents to petition for a by-election. They upped that to 90 days. He resigned last week to avoid facing the suspension and possible by-election, so this was only symbolic, showing the committee’s opinion of his tantrum and his attempts to pressure them. But they went on to recommend that he not be given the pass allowing access to Westminster that former Members of Parliament traditionally get.

He loves prestige and perquisites. He loves glad-handing with powerful people. Denying him access to the biggest concentration of that in the UK hits something he cares about.

It’s a small chicken that came home to roost.

May there be many more on both sides of the Pond for those who have done so much to undermine civilized society in both of my countries.

I want the examples that seep down through society to become much better than they’ve recently been.