I despair. I despair.
The words “race to the bottom” were coined by Justice Louis Brandeis in 1933 to describe the behaviour of large US corporations who would behave as badly as they could, within the parameters of what was permissible.
We need to revive the concept.
We have a Prime Minister, and I know some of you find this boring but please do not normalise this because this is what he wants, who has:
1) fathered an unknown number of illegitimate children, by some mothers who did not want necessarily to be pregnant.
2) conspired to have a fellow journalist beaten up or worse with a fellow old Etonian, subsequently done for fraud.
3) been fired for laziness and dishonesty from at least two employers. (One my former employer.)
4) had £126,000 of public money diverted to a business run by a former lover.
5) lied persistently, shamelessly and obviously. Not even seen as a problem any more. Just normal.
6) taken a Caribbean holiday off an unknown benefactor, lied about his or her identity. Value an estimated £25,000 to £30,000. We do not know to this day where the money came from. A Russian oligarch? Those are who his friends are. We know this. What favours were awarded in return?
7) that Jenrick/Desmond affair. Money to the Tories in return for planning favours?
8) the biggest cash donor to the Tories is the wife of Putin’s former finance chief. She funnels the money legally because she is established as a UK citizen. Why? What in return?
9) the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, lied on camera on her stance on capital punishment within several days of taking office. These lies were never challenged. And other lies by Gove, Hancock – who claimed lockdown started on March 16. On the record, he said it. It is out there. Look at your diaries.
10) the latest awards of political honours. Peerages for a Russian oligarch, just days after a formal report suggested Russian oligarchs had too much influence over our political system. Someone Johnson has taken favours from. And for an IRA apologist. And forJohnson’s brother. Why?
11) a Brexit fanatical loyalist, and we all know
who it is, do we not, is accused of rape. The defences circle around. No whip withdrawn because he is a Brexit loyalist. Get sacked, though, for standing up to Johnson on anything.
12) and where is the lying charlatan? Been seen recently?
We just shrug, don’t we? It is just the way it is. What do you expect? It is just Boris being Boris. It’s just Trump being Trump.
This is how democracy dies.
It is the race to the bottom. How badly can we behave, and get away with it?
Tom Paines Bones 