Since my last visit to the United Kingdom in 2016, I have had an amplified affection for the country that we came from. We spent a lovely three weeks with our dear friends Jeff and Margo. We first became acquainted with our buddies in Southern Illinois. We have been friends for over 50 years. We visited London…but we branched out all the way to Edinburgh as well as York and Leeds and Oxford and Stratford Upon Avon…William Shakespeare home. Traveling through the Mid-Lands of England I saw and learned that all of the UK is not like London…indeed London is as much like the UK as New York City represents the rest of the United States. The United Kingdom is indeed A Good And Pleasant Land. England is full of poor and working-class people. The UK is full of practical people and Our British Friends enjoy their Pubs. Their Parliamentary system of government is fascinating…just watch Prime Ministers’ Questions each Wednesday.

Consensus is vital to successful government…both in the United Kingdom and the United States. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has become an Unpopular Populist. The Prime minister’s assertions seem a bit narcissistic. I am pleased to hear our closest ally concerned about integrity and telling the truth. It seems we have forgotten that principle…at times…in this country. So often I have witnessed leaders…forget the Plot…and equate their staying in power with the success of those who they serve.

Boris has the record for the most ministers quitting in one day… which is 14…while second place occurred in 1932…with 11 resignations. Again refreshing when I think of the almost universal support our former president enjoyed…from his political party… for what now has been revealed as criminal behavior. I experienced the same sycophantic behavior at University when many were more afraid of keeping their job…than telling the truth. Sadly politics in the United States has become a Cushy…Full-Time Career…

Precept Number 1 is that a person who is elected by the people…rather in politics or church government…must be prepared to resign when they can see and it is revealed by their honest truth-telling colleagues…that they are no longer effective.

Honesty…Integrity…Service…is the legs of the table that most hard-working people base their lives upon. The rarefied air of the privileged and protected is not enjoyed by the rest of us. If we lie to our boss…we will be terminated. If we mislead our friends…they will leave our side. We have groceries to put on the table for our hungry kids. We are expected to obey the rules…and to not obfuscate. I personally witnessed a manager lose their position of leadership due to no confidence.

Allegiances based on ‘I will scratch your back and you will scratch mine,’ is a method of accomplishing things in government…it is not ethical or legal or a controlling principle to have political allegiance based on lies and artifice and narcissism. When a leader’s vision of leadership is based on what is best for them with no concern for the welfare of those who sent them to an office of leadership…’The Emperor Has No Clothes…’