Politicians, Plumbers & Plato

Does anyone say: “all plumbers are the same”; “you can’t trust any of them”; “plumbers are clueless”; “we don’t need them”?

Most likely, people will agree that we can’t build reliable houses without the input from a good plumber. And plumbers are certainly not all the same – some are dedicated experts, some are mostly helpful but difficult to get in an emergency, and some are actually con merchants.

The same is true of politicians.  It would be unwise to brush them all aside as equally incompetent or corrupt, when in fact how well (or badly) society functions depends on what politicians are in office.  The more we allow those who only care about enriching themselves or advancing fundamentalist causes to take power, the more we will suffer.  If we are to get better public services, more fairness in human relations, safer communities, a stronger economy, and real sustainability, we need to get more sensible, strategic, public-spirited politicians elected.

But what makes a good politician?  Plato misled generations into thinking the key qualification to be a political leader is to have the unquestionable ability to know what should be done for society. But there can be no such ability, because what should be done for society depends on a wide range of factors – including crucially the deliberative explorations by members of the society in question – that no individual can know without engaging with others on an ongoing basis.  

Only a dictator would claim to know what should be done irrespective of what others might have to say.  While Plato was fine with that so long as the dictator subscribes to Plato’s philosophy, history has taught us that we must guard against authoritarian rule at all times.

To tell what would make a good politician as opposed to a bad one, we should look to three qualities:

[1] Character of integrity

We want political leaders who are honest and respectful.  Many people who enter politics are kind and decent. But there are also those who are hypocrites, cheat in their private dealings, bully those who work for them, and couldn’t care less about those less fortunate than themselves. When we read about them in news reports, we must highlight who they are and the political party that gives them a home, and not slide into the absurd censure of “all politicians are dreadful”.

[2] Public-spirit

One’s career before turning to politics can tell us a lot about a person’s suitability for public office.  Some have dedicated themselves to helping others, through public service or a voluntary organisation.  Others have concentrated on making money through financial speculation or defending clients who try to get round the law for their personal gains. The former have shown consistently their concern with advancing the common good.  The latter type treat politics as a means to build influence and contacts to help their eventual return to their private career for money-making.

[3] Readiness to learn

Good politicians are well disposed to learn from others – be they experts in particular fields, colleagues with greater experience in certain policy areas, groups with serious concerns that have not been addressed, or the public in general about issues that affect their lives.  Unlike demagogues who would arrogantly pretend to have the answers when mired in ignorance, they would prioritise cooperative learning to guide their policy decisions.

There are other important skills such as resilience, persuasiveness, leadership that politicians ought to possess.  But these skills may be displayed by people who lack the three vital qualities we mentioned above, and without them we are more likely to get a manipulative authoritarian steering us to ever more disasters, than to receive sound political stewardship.

Politicians should not be backed on the basis of their photogenic smiles or clever jokes.  But like plumbers, they should be chosen for the qualities that really matter.