Of crooks and liars

All politicians are crooks and liars.

This must by now be a proven scientific fact. It can be heard enunciated, or slurred, in any bar and pub in almost any town in the Western world.

So sure are we of this maxim that out of the mouths of children and babes it is heard with monotonous regularity.

Yes, yes, I know we could all give enough tawdry examples to fill a dumpster. I myself have been shafted a couple of times in the halls of power with such practiced dexterity that  it almost didn’t hurt a bit. But so what?

What are we to do?

Well the first thing we could do is assume that the proportion of crooks, liars and incompetent, knuckle-dragging idiots amongst politicians is probably about the same as it is in the gen pop.

Then we could assume that there might be similar proportions of enlightened geniuses as amongst the rest of us and we should not be surprised if we don’t meet too many in the big house either.

The sad truth of it is, is that politicians are pretty much just like the people who elect them. Yes, we would like them to talk straight to us on the odd occasion. Yes, we would prefer it if they didn’t do much more rorting of the system than nicking a couple of stamps and a pencil sharpener or two and yes, we would love it if they could get us out of the messes we have gotten ourselves into but they probably won’t and maybe they can’t but as the great Sir Winston is often quoted as possibly having said at some point in a long champagne-swilling, kipper-chewing, cigar-waving breakfast; democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others.