��ѿ��ý

Available for over a year

Good morning. I suspect that some of us are temperamentally inclined to think that everything has gone to the dogs, and standards of behaviour have fallen, whilst others look to the great progress that has been made on issues of social morality. R.H. Tawney, the leading economic historian and Christian Socialist of his generation, might have been though to belong to the latter category, but when he was asked if he had noted any progress in the world in his lifetime, he replied laconically, “Yes, in the deportment of dogs. Dogs today seem much better behaved than the unruly creatures I knew in my boyhood.” This week the House of Lords debated the latest report on standards in public life. The good news is that we still expect those in public life to adhere to the seven key principles, such as honesty, integrity, and a concern for the wider good, not just their own interests. The less than good news is that our perceptions of how well they conform to those principles has gone down. In 2004 only 11% thought that their conduct was quite or very low. In 2012 this had risen to 28%. This perceived fall in standards does of course have much to do with the scandals concerning MP’s expenses and phone hacking by newspapers, but the report makes the important point that if standards can fall, they can also rise again. Public expectations and public pressure can change things for the better. I have been amazed recently by the power of public pressure when exercised through digital communication. A petition on an issue being debated by parliament a few days ago gathered 160, 000 signatures in 4 days, and one group, which is prepared to campaign on a range of topics, depending on what is voted for, has more than 2 million supporters. Politics is no longer just for politicians. We all have a voice and can bring it to bear in unprecedented ways. An issue can lie dormant for some time and then suddenly take off, like the campaign begun this week properly to enforce the law against Female Genital Mutilation, which is being spearheaded by a 17 year old girl. Change can come, and now we can all be part of a force for good against the many evils of our own time. So, as far as the standards of those in public life are concerned, this too could take a turn for the better. If we wanted a campaign slogan what about the words of Jesus? From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. (Luke 12, 48)