SCHOLARS tell us that empires move through five stages: rise, growth, maturity, corruption and decline, then finally, collapse. Where is Britain on this scale? Many would say it is moving irresistibly from corruption to collapse.

Regular readers of this column will know that we have called out UK Government corruption for some time. Now The Guardian has declared: “When secret coronavirus contracts are awarded without competition, it’s deadly serious.”

They highlight the case of a company called Public First. “It involves a contract to test the effectiveness of coronavirus messaging, worth £840,000. It was issued by the Cabinet Office, run by Michael Gove. The deal appears to have been struck on March 3, but the only written record in the public domain is a letter dated June 5, retrospectively offering the contract that had already been granted. There was no advertisement for the work, and no competition. No official notice of the award has yet been published. The deal appears to have been done with a handshake and a slap on the back.”

This contract joins a growing list of dodgy deals by the UK Government. Remember, this is your money. Or borrowed on your behalf, to be repaid by you.

Now governments have often been accused of dodgy transactions. But this is markedly different. It is now being done shamelessly. At a time when the exchequer is overstretched and with the huge costs of Brexit looming.

More importantly, trust is being lost. Money can be made up over time. Trust can’t. It can take decades to restore trust in an institution. The UK does not have this time.

When people lose trust in their government it is calamitous. People react when bad behaviour avoids punishment and, in some celebrated cases, is rewarded. How they react depends, to a degree, on their ethos or culture.

Scots in particular do not like cheats. The strong commitment in this country to the common good provokes an especially tough reaction to those who behave greedily. This emotion is intensified when the wrongdoer shows no contrition.

People want to trust their governors. So, it is no surprise that the Scots government is well liked. This regard for the Scottish administration stands it in good stead, as shown by the high compliance to the face covering instruction. Compliance is an expected outcome when people trust their governors. Of course, the opposite also applies.

The principal reason the UK state operates with few principles is because it has no written, codified constitution.

In fact, the British constitution stated simply is whatever the government of the day, with a working majority, says it is. This is no way to run a bingo club, never mind a state.

It means an unscrupulous administration can, literally, behave as it likes. Each contested decision has to be challenged in the courts. This is a long drawn-out process, available only to those with deep pockets, or effective crowdfunding resources. Meanwhile the government is free to indulge in further excesses, with impunity.

A firm constitution could have prevented this maladministration through placing clear limits on executive power. It could have required, for instance, that the ministerial code not be airily set aside. It could have insisted that the Nolan Principles of Public Life be obeyed.

These state that all holders of public office in the UK, including elected officials, must show:

  • Selflessness – by acting solely in the public interest;
  • Integrity – by avoiding placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships;
  • Objectivity – by acting and taking decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias;
  • Accountability – by being accountable to the public, and submiting to scrutiny to ensure this;
  • Openness – by taking decisions transparently;
  • Honesty – by being truthful;
  • Leadership – by exhibiting these principles in their own behaviour, and challenging poor behaviour.

Instead, we have behaviour by the UK Government that honours these principles more in the breach rather than the observance.

This is not sustainable. A society can be cohesive only when its people share moral principles that are observed. Without recourse to force, a society bereft of a solid moral base has a limited lifespan.

Scotland needs to distance itself from this moral morass by stating its principles clearly and for all to see. Let’s not repeat the blunders of the UK. Let’s get a Scottish constitution in place now.

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