6.3.3.3  Political Integrity                                           

(This is an archived extract from the book Patterns of Power: Edition 2)

Integrity is a fundamental requirement for all politicians:

·      At the most basic level it includes trying to keep promises made, and providing a full explanation for any deviations.

·      If a politician has declared adherence to an ideology or political approach (6.2.1), people are entitled to expect that this will be brought to bear in all that individual's dealings.  If someone is overruled in a negotiation, as happened in Britain’s coalition in 2010 for example,[1] that would not constitute a lack of integrity but it would require an explanation to be published.

·      People are entitled to expect their politicians to obey the law.

·      Politicians should not claim unnecessary or fictitious expenses. 

The grossest failure of integrity – corruption – is dealt with in the next chapter (7.2.5).

© PatternsofPower.org, 2014