The governance of a country is often likened to the command of a ship. Plato used this metaphor in The Republic when he argued that the only people fit to be captains of the ship of state are philosopher kings, benevolent men with absolute power. The democratic system of government, of course, provides for a different route to becoming a captain or a crew member of the ship of state.
Some Western major democracies are experiencing incidents where past political captains turn against the current captains and the crew steering their country’s ship of state.
The UK parliamentary system has often been seen as a model of good governance. Still, recent incidents indicate that HMS Westminster is facing a mutiny as present and past crew members exchange blows leaving many ordinary people utterly frustrated by their political leaders’ misbehaviour.
Former prime minister Boris Johnson has been found by a Commons Privileges Committee inquiry that he lied to parliament during the Partygate saga when COVID spread like wildfire. He resigned in anger, not wanting to be humiliated while still an MP. Staunch allies MP Nadine Dorries says she will resign, while MP Nigel Adams has already done so.
In a 1,000-word resignation statement, Johnson took a swipe at present Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying that the Conservative majority he won in 2019 was “clearly at risk” under his successor. He also accused Sunak that he was “talking nonsense” when in a TV interview, he confirmed that he did not accede to the former prime minister’s request to appoint Dorries to the House of Lords.
Like most politicians, Johnson invested in building his brand to win over the electorate’s trust and serve him to reinvent himself when he left politics. Disgraced politicians resent anything that threatens to devalue their brand when it is time for them to leave politics.
In his resignation letter, Johnson stated: “I have been an MP since 2001. I take my responsibilities seriously. I did not lie, and I believe that in their hearts, the Committee know it. But they have wilfully chosen to ignore the truth or genuinely to understand what was in my mind when I spoke in the Commons.”
Some Western major democracies are experiencing incidents where past political captains turn against the current captains and the crew steering their country’s ship of state
The UK ship of state is not the only one to have suffered from mutiny led by former captains. In Italy, former prime minister Matteo Renzi was disowned by voters and his own Partito Democratico after a humiliating electoral defeat. He soon formed a new splinter party to try and perpetuate his existence in politics.
He also took on some controversial consultancy roles in the not-so-democratic Middle Eastern states. He is now criticising the present PD leader Elly Schlein for driving the party to the far left, taunting her that she will only become credible when she emulates his 42 per cent electoral share when he was at his peak of popularity.
Another former Italian prime minister, Massimo D’Alema, is being investigated for alleged corruption involving the sale of military planes, ships and submarines to Colombia. D’Alema described himself as an “informal mediator” in an attempt to sell Italian-made military ships and aircraft to the Colombian government. There has been no explanation on D’Alema’s part on how he became an expert in the sale of military equipment.
Germany’s former prime minister Gerhard Schröder lost some of his post-office privileges after failing to cut his links with Russian energy companies over the Ukraine war. The Bundestag’s budgetary committee, with the support of his own Social Democratic Party, decided that Schröder, who was German head of government from 1998 to 2005, would be stripped of his office and staff, which cost about €419,000 in taxpayers’ money in 2021. The Hanover-based politician has come across as unrepentant, however. “I don’t do mea culpa,” Schröder told The New York Times. “It’s not my thing.”
The US Republican Party is not in command of the ship of state even if it controls the House of Representatives. But mutiny is also very evident. Like other failed politicians, former president Donald Trump claims that his adversaries are persecuting him as he faces more criminal charges. His rivals for the nomination in next year’s presidential election frequently stab him in the back as notorious pirates often do. Vice President Mike Pence described Trump as “unfit to be president”.
Unsurprisingly, in some countries the ship of state resembles more a pirates’ galleon than a love boat. It may be time for current captains to read the Riot Act to their crew.