About Accountability
The Harper government announced it's new government accountability legislation today. Some good some bad. Incidentally, faithful readers, you will notice that the Nine Inch Column reserves the right to bounce between personal announcements, international news, and editorial pieces with complete abandon.
But back to the issue at hand. One of the proposed rules bans Cabinet ministers and senior ministerial staff from becoming registered lobbyists for five years. On the surface, a harmless precaution designed to preserve the public trust, but in truth, I think it misses the point.
First, one of the commonly held truths in politics is that anyone good at their job could make more money doing something similar in the private sector. The government, ergo, pays a good wage, but arguably not an outrageous one, to attract qualified people. It's also understood that politics is a temporary gig, subject to renewal the next time we go to the polls, and that qualified public servants are required to put other careers on hold while they serve their country. This measure would seem to give qualified candidates (especially for non-elected positions) pause before taking a job in the public service if they're significantly handcuffed after the next election.
Secondly, this measure seems to strip the sitting government and its staff of their responsibility to the public trust as apparently they can't be trusted to comprehend the motives or political baggage of someone not yet five years out of a government job. If new Cabinet ministers or their staff can't be trusted to handle ex-government lobbyists without succumbing to some undue influence, how can they be trusted to deal effectively with other lobbyists from industry or special interest groups that may actually hold sway over significant blocks of voters. We should be electing people that can review all the information, wherever it comes from, and make the best decision for the long run. That's true accountability.
Third, this measure seems to reinforce the negative image that may exist that politicians and bureaucrats, whether still in office or not, simply cannot be trusted. and the truth is, for those who do have personal gain in mind, there will still be ways to beat the system. It's the honest ones who will have second thoughts.
Finally, it just seems illogical. We trust these people with the public good and state secrets of the highest order one day, and then the next we don't want to let them near the new people with the same jobs. If these people were truly interested in the public good they would continue to serve it, but carry a new business card. And if they weren't, they shouldnt have been in government in the first place.
That's where we should identify the bad apples - before they get in. We shouldn't assume that the system inevitably creates them.
But back to the issue at hand. One of the proposed rules bans Cabinet ministers and senior ministerial staff from becoming registered lobbyists for five years. On the surface, a harmless precaution designed to preserve the public trust, but in truth, I think it misses the point.
First, one of the commonly held truths in politics is that anyone good at their job could make more money doing something similar in the private sector. The government, ergo, pays a good wage, but arguably not an outrageous one, to attract qualified people. It's also understood that politics is a temporary gig, subject to renewal the next time we go to the polls, and that qualified public servants are required to put other careers on hold while they serve their country. This measure would seem to give qualified candidates (especially for non-elected positions) pause before taking a job in the public service if they're significantly handcuffed after the next election.
Secondly, this measure seems to strip the sitting government and its staff of their responsibility to the public trust as apparently they can't be trusted to comprehend the motives or political baggage of someone not yet five years out of a government job. If new Cabinet ministers or their staff can't be trusted to handle ex-government lobbyists without succumbing to some undue influence, how can they be trusted to deal effectively with other lobbyists from industry or special interest groups that may actually hold sway over significant blocks of voters. We should be electing people that can review all the information, wherever it comes from, and make the best decision for the long run. That's true accountability.
Third, this measure seems to reinforce the negative image that may exist that politicians and bureaucrats, whether still in office or not, simply cannot be trusted. and the truth is, for those who do have personal gain in mind, there will still be ways to beat the system. It's the honest ones who will have second thoughts.
Finally, it just seems illogical. We trust these people with the public good and state secrets of the highest order one day, and then the next we don't want to let them near the new people with the same jobs. If these people were truly interested in the public good they would continue to serve it, but carry a new business card. And if they weren't, they shouldnt have been in government in the first place.
That's where we should identify the bad apples - before they get in. We shouldn't assume that the system inevitably creates them.
posted by Benjamin Thornton at 8:41 p.m.
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