Politicians have made an enormous sacrifice to do the jobs they are doing, writes Garry Piggott.

After long, careful and no doubt terribly expensive research, scientists recently announced that at some point in the distant past penguins made an evolutionary choice to give up flight to become the world’s best avian swimmers.

Setting aside researchers’ gift for stating the obvious, I immediately began to wonder what other creatures have made a similar sacrifice of one particular skill for what they saw as an advantage in another field.

In the absence of any predators, for instance, the dodo gave up flight for the rich pickings close to the ground. That didn’t work out so well, did it? And how must ostriches feel about giving up flight as they cross the finish line with a fat human on their back.

Ostrich races must have seemed extremely unlikely millions of years ago. They still seem an unlikely pastime today. But then whales gave up the land to rule the seas. And they’re supposed to be clever.

Sacrifice

But perhaps the greatest sacrifice made is that of our much maligned politicians. After all, they make the ultimate sacrifice, giving up their humanity, integrity, decency, empathy, honesty, all sense of justice and fairness and even the ability to give a straightforward answer to a simple question.

And all they get in return is the standard politician’s three-piece suit of mendacity, venality and corruption. Not much of a deal, really.

Luckily for Dutch politicians there are still few effective predators and the inevitable gross incompetence, corruption and barefaced lies are met with sympathy and understanding among their peers and tolerance from a largely somnolent news media.

Public spirit

Indeed, the vast majority of politicians survive their grueling career in The Hague, and are frequently sought out by corporate players keen to reward their public service. Some may even have enough ‘public spirit’ left in them to accept a mayorship, a spot on a royal commission or a committee or two before they accept party grandee status.

Once truly retired they are free to comment wittily from the sidelines on the amusing foibles of the current denizens of The Hague, or proffer the wisdom of their years spent in servitude to the interests of the Dutch populace.

Crime

Just how great this sacrifice is became all too evident this week, when the members of the (sort of) ruling VVD were forced, no doubt with great reluctance, to decline a motion that would have led to the suspension of any VVD politician suspected of a criminal act.

If a mere criminal act were to lead to suspension and possibly even prosecution, they must have thought, jolly few right-minded people would elect to become a party member, let alone a member of parliament.

Good heavens, they must have said.Integrity was one of the first things we were forced to give up to gain entry into hallowed halls of parliament. How can you possibly expect us to accept that after all our sacrifice we too are subject to the laws of the land, just like any man on the street?

Committee

The party did agree to set up an integrity committee to offer advice to members too dim to distinguish between the right thing to do and a criminal act. Hopefully, this committee will be a shining light to members lost in a sea of tempting offers from the business community and lobby groups keen to win their ears, if not their souls.

Oddly enough, this did not diminish in the slightest the VVD party members’ determination to sign a newly-drafted ‘declaration of integrity’.

‘Integrity is essential for anyone with a position in the public sector,’ said VVD party chairman Benk Korthals, handily sidestepping questions on the recent spate of corruption scandals plaguing his party and the reasons why nearly 90% of his party members are reluctant to suspend members for mere criminal acts, or at least the suspicion thereof.

But thankfully, they will all sign the integrity declaration. That’s all right then.