The concept of honor was once an essential ingredient of the European democratic process. Politicians whose integrity was compromised by failure or scandal generally did the decent thing and resigned their office, at least until their reputation was vindicated by an enquiry. In extreme cases, they even shot themselves.
However when the UK’s Lord Carrington resigned as foreign secretary in 1982 because his department had failed to anticipate the Argentine invasion of the British-held Falkland Islands, there were many who thought the English nobleman was behaving stupidly. The average democratic politician has spent such effort and cunning clambering up the greasy pole of power that once he has attained office, he is not going to give it up so easily. Europeans are thus regularly treated to the unedifying spectacle of their political leaders clinging to their positions, until driven to let go by a tidal wave of protest.
This growing blemish in the democratic process becomes even more serious when political parties win huge majorities for themselves in parliament. Both the Blair government in the UK and the administration of Silvio Berlusconi in Italy enjoy considerable parliamentary dominance, and each has used this to undemocratic ends. Tony Blair took his country into war against Iraq, despite the overwhelming opposition of ordinary Englishmen. No less seriously, Berlusconi has used his parliamentary forces in both chambers of the Italian legislature to award himself immunity from criminal prosecution.
Berlusconi argues that he and his family are the victim of leftist political plots and the target of a media campaign. The Italian premier has refused to accept his brother’s conviction for fraud and has openly lambasted his country’s judiciary. For the executive to attack the judiciary of a democracy ought to be startling stuff, yet the rest of the European Union have demonstrated no unease at these events.
Indeed at last week’s EU summit in Greece, some leaders expressed sympathy, especially over the media campaign. Yet this is nonsense. Berlusconi controls the greater part of Italian state and private television, and after threatening “a final reckoning” with leading newspaper Corriere della Sera, he saw the ousting of its editor Ferruccio de Bortoli.
No citizen, pauper or prime minister, should be above the law. When elected leaders like Berlusconi use their huge majorities to push through legislation that is personally beneficial, and protects them from the rule of law, then that is not democracy. It mocks all the principles by which the Europeans claim to govern themselves.
