Preston Manning gave Canadian politicians a wakeup call on the weekend. His strong advocacy of integrity in politics was underlined by the discouraging results of a poll done for his Manning Centre for Building Democracy.
That poll showed that seven in 10 Canadians would describe politicians as dishonest. When asked the slightly more nuanced question about whether our elected people are truthful, the negative number was even higher.
Manning argued that lying undermines the democratic process and public trust in all parties. The public holds politicians in "virtual contempt," Manning said.
It's not fair to say that most politicians lie all the time, but too many have become accustomed to giving the public only bits and pieces of the truth, the ones that serve them the best.
The robocall controversy is only the latest example of public skepticism about political statements. Despite all they have been told, in another poll three-quarters of the public say they want a public inquiry so they can see for themselves what went on.
It's actually encouraging that the public says the truth still matters. The Manning poll asked what trait a politician must have to win public trust. "Honest, truthful, genuine, open and credible" drew the support of 58 per cent of respondents. Altruistic was next at six per cent. The must-have quality of charisma was important to only three per cent of those polled.
The political truth deficit is a real problem, not just a perception.
Politicians' willingness to bend or limit the truth for their own ends and the resultant public cynicism eat away at the respect that our elected leaders need to do their jobs.
The widespread belief that politicians don't tell the truth makes it difficult to have informed debates on public issues. If no one is telling the truth, how can a voter weigh opposing positions?
The solution seems simple. Tell the truth.
Unfortunately, the truth is seldom black and white. And how will the public know when they are being told the truth? There are so many contentions masquerading as facts in the media and on the web that truth can be difficult to discern.
Nevertheless, the public says that the truth-telling is the most important quality in a politician. That means it must be the most important quality for a politician, too, not an inconvenience to be worked around with talking points.
Preston Manning's comments about the importance of truth should be endorsed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and every other major Canadian political leader. Even if people didn't believe them, it would be a start.
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: --
That poll showed that seven in 10 Canadians would describe politicians as dishonest. When asked the slightly more nuanced question about whether our elected people are truthful, the negative number was even higher.
Manning argued that lying undermines the democratic process and public trust in all parties. The public holds politicians in "virtual contempt," Manning said.
It's not fair to say that most politicians lie all the time, but too many have become accustomed to giving the public only bits and pieces of the truth, the ones that serve them the best.
The robocall controversy is only the latest example of public skepticism about political statements. Despite all they have been told, in another poll three-quarters of the public say they want a public inquiry so they can see for themselves what went on.
It's actually encouraging that the public says the truth still matters. The Manning poll asked what trait a politician must have to win public trust. "Honest, truthful, genuine, open and credible" drew the support of 58 per cent of respondents. Altruistic was next at six per cent. The must-have quality of charisma was important to only three per cent of those polled.
The political truth deficit is a real problem, not just a perception.
Politicians' willingness to bend or limit the truth for their own ends and the resultant public cynicism eat away at the respect that our elected leaders need to do their jobs.
The widespread belief that politicians don't tell the truth makes it difficult to have informed debates on public issues. If no one is telling the truth, how can a voter weigh opposing positions?
The solution seems simple. Tell the truth.
Unfortunately, the truth is seldom black and white. And how will the public know when they are being told the truth? There are so many contentions masquerading as facts in the media and on the web that truth can be difficult to discern.
Nevertheless, the public says that the truth-telling is the most important quality in a politician. That means it must be the most important quality for a politician, too, not an inconvenience to be worked around with talking points.
Preston Manning's comments about the importance of truth should be endorsed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and every other major Canadian political leader. Even if people didn't believe them, it would be a start.
Original Article
Source: ottawa citizen
Author: --
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