No. 204 - And did we Hear a Squeak from you James?
Dear James,
Thanks for yesterday’s letter. No James, a three-dimensional person is not one who listens to me but one who is willing to risk their career for matters of principle rather than just toeing the party line. I have no reason not to applaud you for doing your day job but the list of your busy life is what one would expect from an MP in your position. Some may do it better than others. I certainly have no reason not to believe that you just may be one of the better ones.
But I am afraid I expect a bit more from my MP. Let me first flesh out what I mean by a three-dimensional politician. Such a person for me is someone who can express the deepest aspects of their individual experience and personality in whatever capacity they serve without fear or favour from their masters. For example, a good doctor may be good technically. A very good doctor must not only be technically excellent, he or she must also have empathy and compassion for those under their care. He or she must also be ready to call out errors in the system despite group pressure to desist from such a course of action, commonly known as whistleblowing. Likewise, a good soldier must be willing to follow orders to the best of his ability. A brilliant soldier is one who will lay down his life to save his comrades. In other words being good at your job is not enough. You have to be willing and able to sacrifice that job if you perceive an injustice. I remember in my own business career being threatened by a large European financial institution with losing all our training business with them unless we accepted, despite the contract we had both solemnly signed, that they had a right to steal our copyright on publications we had created for them. My wife, a fellow director in our company, had a powerful sense of right and wrong. At first I hesitated but she stiffened my spine. We dug in and refused to kowtow to the mighty goliath whose only principle was ‘might is right'. We kept our copyright but lost all their business. But we salved our consciences. We stuck by our principles. T he inner reward for that is indescribable.
In your case, you have travelled from supporting Cameron in 2015, to backing Mrs May in 2016, to standing behind Jeremy Hunt in the 2019 leadership race to supporting Boris today. In that period the Tory party has gone through a series of political earthquakes which have swung it towards Mr Farage’s far right community to pick up his votes and in so doing transformed itself from being a party of honour and respect for the law and the constitution to one that will do virtually anything to get its way including threatening to break international law. Yet did we hear a squeak from you James? Of course not. And when Boris Johnson tore up the profound promises made by countless previous Tory Ministers and put a border in the Irish Sea, did we hear a squeak from you? Of course, not. Johnson is a man without principle other than ‘the end justifies the means’. He wanted a hard Brexit and ditching Northern Ireland was the way to get it. Johnson has no honour and he betrayed the DUP and many in Northern Ireland. Yet did we hear a squeak from you James? Of course not. You have followed the party line like a cowboy on the back of a bucking bronco!
A three dimensional person has, amongst many other qualities separate from their occupational needs, a thing called a conscience. Conscience sometimes means personal sacrifice. One dimensional men have only jobs. Let me congratulate you on the list of actions which you cite in your letter as reasons of which to be proud. I just wish there was the slightest evidence of a deeper conscience at work beneath the surface other than that which demands utter loyalty to party no matter what.
James, a three dimensional politician is one who stands up for a higher standard of personal behaviours than those required by a job function alone. Such standards are clearly absent from today’s Conservative Party. After listening to Dominic Cumming’s testimony today, it would seem that Mr Johnson is being found out at last. That will be the subject of my next letter.For now though, you have no problem James. Hold fast to the bucking bronco of the Conservative Party and your future is assured!
Kind regards,
BH - Your Concerned Constituent.