That Unethical Game

Little wonder politics give people the impression that there is skulduggery in the works. It's a matter of greasing palms to obtain favours. Not quite in the way that developing countries engage in where everyone is corrupt, with hand out for baksheesh before anything can be accomplished, where people are held to virtual ransom before they are permitted to get on with their daily lives, and where such practises are customary, anticipated, and drearily part of the 'culture'.

And that begs a question. What makes a crime a crime? How unethical are certain behaviours? If you take something that someone carelessly has left lying around, and no one is there to observe you lifting it, does that make you a criminal? Is the making off of something that doesn't really belong to you theft if it's an inconsequential item? Is that comparable to grand larceny, when the avails of crime are really notable?

If you slap someone across the face, is that considered an assault in the same manner that a hideous beating at the hands of a psychopath is? It's all a matter of degrees, isn't it? There's a little bit of a liar, a bully and a self-enabler verging on the criminally illicit in all of us. Discipline, self-respect, and the fear of being revealed as a social deviant keeps most of us in line.

Strictly speaking, a theft is a theft. But there are laws that recognize the necessity of outlining levels of seriousness, and which result in criminal prosecution reflective of the damage done to society. When it comes to politics we're talking of public trust being betrayed by politicos who present as trustworthy and reliable but who so very often practise an underhanded game of self-availment.

The thing of it is, politics just seems to lend itself to calling in favours, and extending favours so that at some future date they can be depended on for help when it's needed. Politicians have a habit of privileging their friends and colleagues, giving them various patronage posts as rewards for their support. That includes lobbyists and influence peddlers. The favour-trading that takes place in politics is endemic. And it is clearly unethical.

That Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien has been exonerated of the influence-peddling charges brought against him, when he attempted to dissuade candidate Terry Kilrea from challenging for the mayoral election is a disappointment. The judge's finding was that Mayor O'Brien did not violate the Criminal Code, but it is fairly indisputable that he did violate an ethical code of conduct in attempting to persuade another candidate to drop out of a political race.

That persuasion taking the other candidate to a place where he might anticipate a well-paid appointment to the National Parole Board, through Larry O'Brien successfully persuading Terry Kilrea that he had the political connections to make it happen. Illegal activity in the sense that it offends the essence of the Democratic process; breaching public trust, if not the actual law put in place to ensure that such a subversion of the process does not occur.

In essence, the presiding judge generously gave Mayor O'Brien the benefit of the doubt. Preferring, on the evidence given, to believe him rather than his accuser, along with other witnesses whose testimony fairly well supported that of Terry Kilrea. Mr. O'Brien is rather an unsavoury character in any event; ego-driven and loutish. His stint as mayor of Ottawa, with no previous experience at the municipal political level has not benefited the city.

Criminal prosecution aside, Ottawa taxpayers deserve far better, even though a majority voted for the man because of his promise of 'no tax increases'. Ottawans already pay far higher municipal tax rates than elsewhere in the country, by about 40%, and have little to show for it. Property taxes in the city average $3,357 per household, as compared to the national average of $1,937. Mismanagement and a functional inability for the municipality to live within its means has brought in tax increases belying that promise.

Mr. O'Brien has made a dreadful hash of city affairs. With his colleagues at municipal council he has succeeded in mishandling the affairs of the city to a degree not hitherto experienced. That he has been found not guilty as charged may charge up his engine, but it represents a disappointment to those Ottawans who hoped for a opportunity to take him out of municipal office. And more's the pity.