Truth in Politics: Does it Exist?

In answer to this question, many people might be tempted to say ’No’, judging by their negative or disappointing experience of politics, and the number of politicians who have lost credibility trying to deliver that truth and have been found wanting, or were proven to be blatant liars - like the empty promise of £millions to the NHS (on the side of a bus) to emotionally move people to vote for Brexit! 

The surprising fact is that truth does exist in politics, but it is often lost along the way for one main reason: politics operate on two levels - INTENTION and REALITY - and truth is often lurking somewhere between them, which makes it difficult to find.

No doubt every politician starts out with the intention of being truthful. They are often guided by ideals of truth, by principles that enable truth, and the determination to deliver their truth. In fact, it seems that the goal of every politician, especially the new ones, is to ensure that voters recognise their singular commitment to truth and transparency in office. Fine so far. Except that reality has a way of intruding at some point and obscuring that truth, due to the fact that it is very difficult to ever please a large number of people, no matter how truthful one is, because of the vested interests that prevent that truth from prevailing. 

It is no easy task pleasing a few people, let alone millions, especially when voters are so diverse in ethnicity, needs, desires, aspirations and allegiances, and are keen to protect their interests.

At such times, truth in politics will depend on two things:

1. How many voters align with a politician's truth, find it relevant to them and their needs, accept that truth as possible, and have the faith in the politician to deliver the truth for them.
2. The capacity of the politician, when in office, to match 'truthful' promises to the realty of governing, and realising that truth for all to see.

New politicians, in particular, are at the mercy of enabling their truth after they are elected because their inexperienced perception of what they can do in office is often at odds with what they can actually achieve when elected. This is the time when the vast chasm between intention and reality becomes really obvious. Unfortunately, they find that out only too late when reality gradually kicks in. 

Image by Capcut

For example, if the resources are not there for action, the red tape is tying them in knots, too many power brokers prefer the status quo and they have to prioritise delivery. This means many voters will be disappointed. Soon they get disillusioned as their aspirations (their personal truths and reasons for voting) fall by the wayside, while the politicians, too, begin to feel impotent, lose their enthusiasm and settle into the status quo. From then on, everything will appear superficial and expedient to the voters, a 'truth' obviously designed to get the politician elected.

Sir Keir Starmer, for example, in his intention to be a different kind of leader, seems to be at the mercy of his truth being scuppered by the reality of his situation; one that has been ravaged by Brexit; one dominated by differing expectations across the country, differing perceptions of what should be his priority, and powerful forces guarding the status quo, not to mention the rivalry for his position. His truth would be hostage to all those factors, making it very difficult to bring his intentions to fruition.

It seems that truth in politics operates at the lowest, local level where only a few people share both the truth and the expectation around that truth. In these local situations truth has a better chance of being visible as everyone will be working closer together to enable its reality. Once millions of people are involved, they become more detached from the action, and too many 'truths' vie for position, making truth in politics more difficult to achieve  - not because politicians are not actually telling the truth, but because the version of the truth they are trying to convey will be sabotaged by the reality of the numerous unforeseen obstacles barring that truth from being delivered to the millions of disparate expectations. 

A near impossible task, with so many voters to convince of their intention, when the ensuing reality is suggesting something entirely different.