How the Kirk Moderator reminded politicians what their job is actually about
Democracy is ‘a moral enterprise, a shared commitment to seek the common good’
Amid the cut and thrust of political debate – both between and within parties – there is sometimes little room for a step back that provides a broader perspective and a reminder of what democracy is supposed to be about. Fortunately, there are people on hand who can offer non-partisan guidance for those politicians who need it.
At the traditional Kirking of the Parliament ceremony, the Right Reverend Rosie Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, did just that. Speaking to MSPs, religious leaders and other dignitaries at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, she pointed to the words inscribed on the Scottish Parliament’s ceremonial mace, a gift from the late Queen Elizabeth II: “Wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity.”
”These four words are not the possession of any one party,” she said. “They are words for all of you, for all of us. Words of aspiration... We've had an election and, by their very nature, elections are combative – heated battles at the hustings, the fight for votes – and yet as politicians, regardless of party, there is so much that you have in common. Public service is not about personal gain or recognition but about serving the welfare of others.
“The words on the mace... remind you, our MSPs, and all of us, that democracy is more than the counting of votes. It is a moral enterprise, a shared commitment to seek the common good. And a common commitment to service.”
A politician talking about morality might seem out of place in modern politics, even naive. However, excessive cynicism at Westminster and Holyrood is part of the reason why the public has become disenchanted with politics and started looking for answers outside the mainstream parties.
The late Labour Foreign Secretary Robin Cook once stressed the importance of an “ethical foreign policy”. In the end, it didn’t work out well, but that does not mean ethics has no place in politics.
So we hope MSPs listen to the Moderator’s words. For if they can truly act with “wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity”, they might just restore the public’s lost faith and help create a better country, a better world.
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