Are politicians held to too high a standard?
Several would-be politicians have come under fire for comments they have made - is it fair to hold them to such a standard?
The 2026 election campaign has barely started and yet several politicians have been called out for various remarks they have made.
For example, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar for example apologised after joking at a press conference that he looked like he had suffered a stroke.
It certainly got people talking, and I was even asked to go onto the radio to discuss the matter as well. The phone-in show’s question posed exactly that - are politicians held to too high a standard?
Then in recent days we have had an apology from Reform UK’s Scottish leader Malcolm Offord after it emerged he had to donate to an LGBT+ organisation for making an offensive joke.
While the details of the joke are circulating online, most media outlets have refused to publish it because it is so crass. Mr Offord has since admitted the joke was “probably” homophobic.
He has had to defend himself multiple times for this, but essentially he says it does not matter as he was a private individual at the time, not a politician.
Mr Offord also conceded that those in public office are held to a higher standard by the people and the media.
Why are such remarks deemed to be (somewhat) acceptable if you are working a normal job, but not if you suddenly become a politician?
This line has been used to defend several candidates hoping to become MSPs on May 7.
There are worries about how toxic this election campaign could become. We saw glimpses of it in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election last year.
Some politicians are already warning of this - Lib Dem MSP Jamie Greene made a very moving last speech in parliament earlier in the week where he encouraged everyone to think about the words they use and what they want to achieve out of public office.
We do need to remember these are normal, ordinary people who have normal, ordinary lives outside the parliamentary debating chamber. There are real emotions - they could be experiencing great joy, heartache, fear, bereavement, love, but as soon as their suits go on all of that is to be left behind.
It is perhaps a shame that we do not see enough of that in our politicians. So often we criticise them for being detached from reality and not understanding the real world, but maybe we would change our minds on that if we were able to see the real person under the politician.
That moves us onto what we do and say in our private lives as well. There are countless private scandals that spill over into the public sphere, and sometimes it seems unfair on the person at the centre of all of this.
However, in suggesting that politicians should not be held to higher standards than civilians, it works both ways. If something is deemed not acceptable in civilian life, no one should be saying it regardless of whether they are a politician or not.
The candidates need to remember this when they are out and about on the campaign trail - be more human, let us see the real person, but remember human decency at the same time.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.