Integrity in Politics - who had it / does anyone still have it / did it ever exist?

[Mrsmunchofmunchington]

Irrespective of party who do you think was or is a politician of genuine convictions and honesty, prepared to stand up for what they believe in for the benefit of the country rather than say anything to get the ultimate job as either a minister or PM?

Much as l loathed her Margaret Thatcher. Also Theresa May and Gordon Brown

Die hard socialist here.

Dennis Skinner, Margaret Thatcher.

Also Jeremy Corbyn.

Jeremy Corbyn. His views are genuine, and he hasn’t changed then in 40 years. And I say that as a Blairite centrist who refused to vote Labour during his leadership.

Ed Miliband. Whatever you think about the net zero policies he is enacting, it’s what he genuinely believes in

Nigel Lawson. A genuine low tax free marketeer who as Chancellor in the 1980s pushed through massive structural reforms to deregulate markets & the economy, cut many taxes and abolished other taxes.

This. I hate everything Thatcher did and what she stood for. But she wouldn’t have been having Covid parties. Or shilly shallying with Trump.

Also, Tony Benn.

Thatcher
Benn
Corbyn
Lawson
Mowlam

Definitely Nigel Lawson, the last decent Chancellor this country had, in my opinion.

I can’t stand the other two you mention, but you are correct about them standing firm in their beliefs. I also have a respect for Robin Cook these days that I didn’t use to have, and I liked Norman Tebbit too.

The politicians of 20-30 years ago were a completely different calibre of person from the current rabble, in my view. I think fewer were career politicians and more had been successful in other areas prior to becoming MPs, something which I think should be made a requirement, along with a minimum age for standing.

The stand out in the integrity stakes for me is Major. Thoroughly decent and did the hard yards for no credit to bring peace in Northern Ireland. I have no idea why he was a Tory.

I can't really think of any current MPs that strike me as having the the integrity of Thatcher - the current calibre of our politicians has never been so low. Just look at the candidates for Deputy Prime Minister. What a bunch of forgettable lightweights.

I think there's probably loads but they're on the back benches so you don't hear too much about them. They often stay there because they are genuine constituency MPs.

Of the big names, Gordon Brown, Clare Short, Mo Mowlam, Robin Cook, John Smith.

I agree with most of the names already mentioned.

I'd add Ken Clark.

Totally agree that the calibre of politicians has plummeted in the last couple of decades. And here we are with a hot mess to show for it.

John Smith. Had the pleasure of escorting him around a factory for half a day. Genuine man of the people, believer in citizen voice and the driving force behind the national minimum wage.

In order to improve the quality of our elected representatives - we've got to make it more attractive to people with integrity to put themselves forward for election. I totally understand why people do not want to put themselves forward - i disagreed with the GreenPeace stunt at Rishi's private residence
If we want quality candidates to put themselves forward we've got to protect them. Otherwise we're going to get more of the same low calibre.

Shirley Williams.
Barbara Castle

Of all the PMs in my lifetime, Major is the one whose reputation has risen furthest since he left office. When he was PM he was widely seen as a weak, ineffectual politician doing a bad job of leading a divided party which had been in power too long, had run out of ideas and was engaged in a civil war over Europe. His time at Number 10 then ended in a catastrophic defeat in 1997.

Now, he is widely viewed as a decent, honourable man and a competent PM who, as you rightly point out, did a lot of the hard work on peace in NI, negotiated an excellent deal for the UK at Maastricht which kept us in the EU but out of the Euro, delivered consistent economic growth in the mid 90s and was on the right side of history about Brexit. Strange how perceptions can change.

I had no idea that Thatcher was thought of as having integrity. All I've heard is people say how much they hated her. Apart from DM - she loved her. Maybe I should have listened!

For me I'd say Gordon Brown. The thing I remember at the time was how everyone said he was boring, not great on TV etc. Like...is that important? Apparently it was as he didn't last long.

I wonder if the thing has been that boring politicians just don't garner media attention...the media loves controversial figures.

I've always disliked it when anyone has what seems like 'cult like' status - I just don't think it's normal or healthy.

I hated her. HATED her.

But she wasn’t doing backhanders or other stuff. She always stuck to her principles ‘The lady is not for turning’

Same.

You make an interesting point about history being kind @SpottyAardvark. I’d have speculated it might happen to Starmer in time but those free glasses will always come back to bite him.

I agree with many of the names but Thatcher’s actions regarding the miners puts her beyond the pale for me.
Using such violence on our own people and covering it up does not equal integrity. Neither does refusing the most basic help for their families to feed children or indeed bury them.

But this isn't a discussion about who was wrong/right, it's about who had integrity ie stuck to their principles. You can't argue that she didn't do that. Whether you agree/disagree with her is irrelevant, she stuck to her beliefs and dod have integrity. She wouldn't have been bought off with concert tickets!

Integrity isn’t only sticking to your principles. It is how you get there.
Thatcher could have limited police violence, been honest about it afterwards, and allowed the most basic help for children but she didn’t.
She could have still achieved her aim of limiting trades unions power and closing pits without such cruelty and dishonesty.

I (astonishingly!) agree with you. I absolutely detested just about everything she did - and we’re still paying the price for some of it - but did what she considered right and never veered away from her principles. Any of her ministers who strayed from her standards was summarily sacked.

I am astonished

The current lot are probably no worse than the politicians who came before, it's just that social media, the plethora of news outlets, wider and less respectful reporting and so on show how silly and incompetent they are in a way that wouldn't have been done say 30 years ago.