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Pee Kay
No Minister
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a 17th century Swiss writer and philosopher, wrote: “Those who desire to treat politics and morals separately will never understand anything of either.”
You would have to agree wouldn’t you? The practice of politics must be reconciled with the imperatives of honesty and integrity. But is that possible in today’s political world?
Rousseau’s ideas were a huge spark for the Enlightenment, a movement that basically took over Europe in the 1600s and 1700s. It was all about using logic and real-world evidence to chase after happiness and knowledge. Think of it as the era that put big concepts like freedom, progress, and just government on the map.
But what is honesty or dishonesty to a politician? Is it possible for a politician to be honest at all?
That question goes to the heart of democracy.
Research suggests many politicians may naturally have honest personality traits, but the high-stakes environment of a campaign trail often shapes them into using ‘strategic falsehoods’ to enhance their image or undermine opponents. Using a specific lens or ‘spin’ to distort the understanding of an issue, such as redefining what counts as ‘employment’ to make economic figures look better.
Geoff Parker in his article linked below uses the phrase, “An election year is when politicians pay attention. Not to noise – but to patterns.”
To me this phrase highlights the ‘elasticity’ of politicians and how a fundamental shift in political strategy during campaign periods can be brought about. While public life is filled with “noise” – isolated complaints, fleeting social media trends, or one-off protests – politicians habitually view these as manageable distractions.
However, politicians are acutely sensitive to patterns. Bombarded with a steady, consistent stream of communication from various demographics saying the same thing is what gets campaign managers attention and that attention is disseminated to the politician.
Patterns represent voting blocs and emerging mandates that can determine an election’s outcome. By focusing on these reliable trends rather than chaotic “noise”, politicians identify which issues have enough sustained pressure to require legislative action or policy shifts to secure victory.
The toughest test of an honest politician comes when he or she must defend ideas that are unpopular but truthful.
This exactly where I think Chris Luxon finds himself right now. Especially in regards to race relations.
Not every politician passes such a test, particularly when elections are approaching. However, only the dishonest politician equates politics exclusively with popularity.
How many voted party voted for National because we believed Luxon when he asserted “We are one country; we deliver our public services to people on the basis of need, not ethnicity”?
Geoff Parker is correct when saying – “An election year is when politicians pay attention.” “Not to noise – but to patterns.”
https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2026/04/geoff-parker-when-did-consultation.html
This article was originally published by No Minister.
