And another thing

4 October 2008

From Hadrian to Gordon: sublime to ridiculous

Since then, all has turned to ashes in his greedy mouth. Everything has gone wrong for him and his party and of course for the country too. He has been relentlessly revealed as a pitiful failure quite unsuited for his office, a person who will go down in the remorseless records as among our worse prime ministers. Yet still he clings on. And it all shows in his face. The gargoyle has become daily more grotesque. The forced, coffin-plated smiles, the infinitely weary waves of cheer, the glutinous, tortured words of false optimism his speechwriters gum together for him, all leave their marks. This moral disintegration before our eyes, as day by day we watch his inevitable self-destruction, gives one a disgust for the whole business of power-seeking and exercise. Of course he will have to go in the end, probably quite soon. But before that how many more indignities and humiliations will be his portion? We should be spared such agonies.

However, I shall end this painful sermon on power and its futilities on a positive note. Despite its penalties, the exercise of public responsibilities offers moral rewards too. Someone has to rule, and we should not hurry to criticise those who take on the job, whose motives may be decent and pure. After all, God has to rule the universe. He can’t leave it just to nature, and He therefore has some sympathy for any altruist who does it on earth. So should we, provided they know when to go. It is the final mark of a good ruler. Only God has to stay for ever.