Honesty and Integrity in UK Politics

Peter Morris and Kevan James

September 28, 2025

Peter Morris asks the most relevant political questions of the era:

Seems to me pretty much everyone hated and despised the Tory party, and desperately wanted to get rid of them.

All this while taking their eye off the ball in terms of the sleaze, corruption and dodgy goings on within the Labour Party right under everybody's noses and only now coming to light. Their depths of depravity dwarfs anything previously known; the bribery beyond anything ever envisaged, and by a massive margin.

1: How can the meagre number of votes and tiny margin they got in the election, resulting in a massive and crushing majority in the House of Commons, have happened? I’m frankly staggered and bewildered.

Especially, as seemingly, we can do nothing about it for five years, and then only elect another bunch of clowns, who will will no doubt be the same. The whole system is bent as a nine bob note.

2: Is there anyone with honesty and integrity in this country who we can ever trust?

Kevan James attempts to find an answer:

Regarding votes, the answer is the number of people who did not vote.

For years now I have made the point that bad governments are elected by those who do not vote. My comment is paraphrased from George Jean Nathan's original and his was preceded by Thomas Jefferson, the third US President, who said, “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.”

Nathan was an American drama critic and magazine editor. His original comment, "Bad officials are the ones elected by good citizens who do not vote," has been said to mean that apathy would damage democracy by bringing the country down because, by people not caring to vote, those who do not deserve power will end up with that power, taking advantage and doing whatever they please for their own personal gain.

That is more true now than ever before, as we are graphically seeing in the UK. It has been true since at least 1997.

Labour gained their House of Commons majority because so many people in every constituency did not vote. At all, for anybody. The net result is that a minority of people voted - not a majority - but as Jefferson pointed out, a majority who actually participated.

Is it the voting system or simply not enough people using it?

Decide for yourself but whatever system is used, it matters not one whit if only a minority participate in it.

As to Peter's second question, the answer is no.

At least not currently.

Too many Members of Parliament, including those who lost seats at the last general election, are and have been compromised in one way or another, if only by utilising the way we do things in the UK to their advantage. The expenses scandal of some years ago is a classic example.

Is there a path of redemption for any existing MPs?

Yes. But it will take a huge effort on their part to do so. Things however will not change unless a significant majority start, as Thomas Jefferson suggested, participating.

Say nothing, do nothing, nothing changes.

Over to you citizens.

© Peter Morris/Kevan James 2024

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