Ancient & Modern

23 May 2009

The general public, never having felt politicians can be wholly trusted, already believe any discreditable rumour about them that comes their way.

The general public, never having felt politicians can be wholly trusted, already believe any discreditable rumour about them that comes their way. Even though the recent expenses scandal has fingered fewer than 10 per cent of MPs, the situation will become far worse, as the Romans knew. The historian Cassius Dio argued that, under the Roman republic, the political system was broadly open: all decisions were taken by the Senatus Populusque Romanus, and made a matter of public record. But under the emperors, there was dramatic change: ‘Even though some things were made public by chance, they were not believed because they could not be verified. People suspected that things were said and done in accordance with the wishes of the men in power and their associates. As a result, much that was false became common currency, and much that was true hidden from sight.’

This came about because the emperor took all decisions within the confines of his own cabal of trusted advisers, including freedmen and slaves (loyalty guaranteed because they owed their status entirely to him). For example, in his will the first emperor Augustus left a full account of the military and financial state of the empire. At the end ‘he added the names of the freedmen and slaves from whom details could be obtained’. The Senate, in other words, did not know. But if only the cabal knew what was going on, where did the people, let alone historians, get their information from? Rumour and gossip are the answer. Tacitus and Suetonius are full of it, and very poisonous much of it is.

From his behaviour at the Treasury, Brown had already emerged as cabal man personified. Now we hear stories of his rages, his abuse of staff and much else. We are told that, when challenged on his expenses, he spent the whole weekend furiously constructing a defence, oblivious to the chaos enveloping government.

So with Brown bunkered and government rudderless, the rumour-mill will grind even more destructively than before. No MP, however blameless, will escape. Who will restore trust?

We must. MPs’ perks must be revised, and not just overseen by a quango, but also published online, every week, and let the people decide, as they did in ancient Athens. For the first time in 2,500 years, a little real democracy might be welcome.

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