‽istis reclaims
the Nolan principles (weekending April 17th
2021)
In
a week when the column inches and airwaves have been so full of reflections on
the long life of a ‘liege man of life and limb’, a ‘strength and stay’[i], a
very public figure for decades; when the Commons vote in relation to an inquiry
into lobbying and the contacts between
government and Greensill Capital and the role of a one-time Prime Minister; when
a senior adviser to Boris Johnson, Samuel Kasuma, resigns and concerns are
expressed about the process and findings of the Government’s Independent report
of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities[ii]…
…‽istis
turned to ‘the Nolan principles’ set out originally in the first report of the
Committee on Standards in Public Life in 1995[iii].
The principles are said to provide ‘the basis of the ethical standards expected
of public office holders and those working in the public sector’:
‽ selflessness: acting solely in the public
interest
‽ integrity: avoiding being placed under any obligation to people or organisations that might try
inappropriately to influence; not acting or taking decisions to gain financial
or other material benefits; declaring and resolving any interests and
relationships.
‽ objectivity: acting
and taking decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence
and without discrimination or bias.
‽ accountability: being accountable to the public for their decisions and actions
and submitting to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.
‽ openness: acting
and taking decisions in an open and transparent manner with information should
not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for
so doing.
‽ honesty: being truthful
‽ leadership: exhibiting
these principles in personal behaviour; actively promoting and robustly supporting
the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.
And
‽istis wondered what anarchy and perhaps corruption reigned before 1995!?, what
principles might apply outside of the public sector, in the private sector and
for private office holders both then and now?
‽istis
wonders whether the following alternative Nolan principles, mottos and lessons for
life from the lyrics of the songs of the Nolan sisters[iv] might also describe some apparent attitudes of recent years?:
·
‘And I'll tell you honestly I closed my eyes I didn't
want to see’ (from
‘A Simple Case of Loving You’)
·
‘Nothin' can last forever’ (from
‘All the King’s Horses’)
·
‘It ain't no good, 'cause I just can't get enough’ (from
‘Attention to Me’)
·
‘I was the one who played the fool, played off beat
and out of time. Way out of tune, stepped out of line’ (from
‘Better Late than Never’)
·
‘But I've been hearing stories all over town how you've
been cheating… can I believe them?’ (from ‘Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know’)
·
‘If you feel uneasy, and you can't trust me, and you
don't believe me… please don't, don't make waves’ (from
‘Don’t Make Waves’)
·
‘I always took it for granted that I could take
whatever you gave me’ (from ‘How Do I Survive’)
·
‘No I don't want much, just a guarantee’ (from
‘Spirit, Body and Soul’)
·
‘Nanananananana’ (from ‘So What?’)
…as
always, you might like to add your own!
This
week, ‽istis again somehow seeks to imagine and hope that things could be
different…‽
©
Pistis
NB: further reflections and comments linked to
this week’s theme and past blog
entries to be found on Twitter: replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily
indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’:
@Pistis_wonders
[i] https://metro.co.uk/2021/04/10/prince-philip-royal-family-shares-moving-quote-from-queen-about-the-duke-14388278/
[ii] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-adviser-race-report-resign-b1825404.html
and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-report-of-the-commission-on-race-and-ethnic-disparities
and https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/apr/11/downing-street-rewrote-independent-report-on-race-experts-claim
[iv]
From the work of the Nolan sisters, a popular singing group with seven
international hits UK hits from 1979 - 1982 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nolans#:~:text=Between%201979%20and%201982%2C%20the,world%27s%20biggest%20selling%20girl%20groups.
Video clips are available on YouTube and other video streaming services.
