Editorial - Tuesday December 31, 2013

Peter Jackson, editor, The Northland Age

Given that they seem to be a higher form of life, we probably shouldn't expect those who govern us, at national or local level, to bother with humdrum New Year's resolutions like giving up smoking or losing a few kilos. They will hopefully set loftier goals, like conducting themselves according to a set of standards that most would regard as honourable, and the lowest benchmark for life as a politician. Or, given that some seem to have real difficulty knowing how to behave without being specifically instructed, perhaps someone will draw up a new set of commandments, although there's nothing wrong with the old ones.

It might not be fair to expect adherence to the entire original decalogue, but some of them remain as relevant today, if we are to call ourselves a civil society, as they were when they were carved on the stone tablets. And it wouldn't do our politicians any harm to familiarise themselves with them.

In view of the mix of ethnicities, creeds and cultures now found in New Zealand it might be unrealistic to everyone in public office to worship no other God than He who dictated the commandments for the Children of Israel, but in His place we could perhaps insert 'constituents.' It would do no elected member harm to ask themselves if their deeds and actions are in the best interests of those who they volunteered to serve. And if that principle is followed the rest will fall into place.

Graven images probably aren't as common as they once were, but most politicians should get the drift, and it isn't hard to see the baubles of office, as some refer to them when they haven't got any, as taking their place as banned.

Obviously they should honour their mothers and fathers. That alone might change the behaviour of some. The writer's generation grew up at a time when mothers and fathers had much more clout than they seem to now, and when a good family name was treasured. Perhaps if our politicians gauged their actions in terms of what their parents would think of them they would behave differently.

Adultery is one of the biggies. The Old Testament can generally be taken as not in favour of extra-marital relationships, and for good reason. As many New Zealanders will remember, the nuclear family was once the bedrock of our society. Not any more, sadly, and we are paying the price for that in all sorts of ways, not least a social welfare bill that is about to bankrupt us, no doubt leading to a level of social dysfunction that we cannot comprehend, and a generation or more of children who do not have the roots that parents once gave their offspring without even thinking about it.

It goes without saying that an undiscovered adulter, and there is probably no other kind in public life, can be accused with some confidence of displaying a lack of judgement, a callous disregard for the emotions of others and a degree of self-indulgence that renders them unfit for public duty. Not to mention placing themselves in jeopardy of blackmail, which could open the door to all manner of undesirable repercussions, like corruption. A penchant for adultery should rule our any would-be politician, and instantly end the career of those who only come to light after election.

Of course politicians shouldn't steal, whether that be shoplifting from The Warehouse, charging a bottle of wine to the taxpayer or letting ratepayers meet the cost of phone calls and texts to one's adulterous lover. All are theft, and are treated as such by most employers, one suspects, apart from us ratepayers and taxpayers. Try slipping a few costs to your corporate boss and see how you get on.

Not bearing false witness will be tough, given that politicians do so almost on a daily basis, but they're not the only ones. How often do we hear a sportsman/coach denying rumours that they are leaving one team to join another, then find a few days later that they were indeed planning to jump ship? The commandment is not to bear false witness, not to forgo lying unless it is not convenient to tell the truth just now.

And coveting thy neighbour's ass. The original version also covered the neighbour's house, man or maidservant, ox and anything else said neighbour might have. Coveting might not be as easy to identify as some other breaches of the commandments, given that these days anyone can have anything they want if someone will lend them the money, and you don't see a lot of asses or servants, men or maids, any more. Some of the household names of 2013 have more than the odd covetous bone in their bodies though, as we now know.

One does not have to be a committed church-going Christian to recognise the value of the 10 Commandments in the 21st Century. We would all be much better off if we followed them. There would still be plenty of latitude for human frailty - no 'Thou shalt not smoke dope,' 'Thou shalt not drink thyself into oblivion every week until the money runs out,' 'Thou shalt feed thy children,' or 'Thou shalt not beat thy wife and children.' Burglary clearly comes under stealing and coveting.

As a set of rules by which the Children of Israel, and later Christians, were and are expected to live their lives the commandments are not especially onerous, which is all the more reason to bemoan the fact that so many of those we elect fall short.

Some commentator said the other day that if Auckland Mayor Len Brown was to resign because of his character flaws then half our MPs would have to go too. So?

Hopefully 2014 will see a return to some basic principles, with those who lead us doing so by example. Any politician, current or prospective, who needs to be told how to behave should be looking for another line of work. And please, let us never again hear that the rules are a little vague, or unknown to the transgressor.

And can we please see an end to those who bay for blood, and are then revealed as not being without sin, claiming to be the victim of a ratepayer-funded smear campaign as Auckland councillor Cameron Brewer did when it was suggested that he had not declared a four-day freebie on the Gold Coast.

It subsequently transpired that he had declared it, sort of, albeit after a reminder from the council and a question from a journalist. The time line isn't clear, but people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. And if they do, they shouldn't cry when a few rocks come hurtling back in their direction.

Fact is, we seem to be surrounded by leaders who don't know the rules, don't care about the rules, or are prepared to take the risk of flouting them.

Plenty of room then for New Year's resolutions in high places. Not that many are likely to be made.

It might be more realistic to devote ourselves to insisting that those who do not meet an acceptable standard are dispensed with forthwith. Not only if they can be spared from the House, and not only if they are so embarrassed that they feel compelled to leave the Town Hall. Let's see some very basic, very understandable Thou shalt nots in public life, and some real consequences for those who do.