Reproduced within the Link-Zone pages with permission

The Call of Political Leadership: Reflections from an experienced politician

Kevin Andrews

September 2010 (Originally published by the Maxim Institute Winter 2010)

Winston Churchill once recalled the time he heard a speaker say that leaders ought to "keep their ears to the ground." Churchill's response was typically droll. "All I can say," he said, "is that the British nation will find it hard to look up to leaders who are detected in that somewhat ungainly posture."

Churchill's acute observations about the problem of populism were made a lifetime ago, before modern communications, 24-hour news cycles, focus groups, and continuous polling. Yet they contain a wisdom that seems missing today.

It is often said we get the politicians we deserve. But the relationship between Members of Parliament and the public is two-way. Members of a legislature are not elected merely to re-mouth the loudest voices they hear, but to explain, calmly and patiently, with perseverance and courage, their considered views about the consequences of policies and proposals, while respectfully listening to and engaging others in the discussion. In other words, if we act out of a profound sense of obligation about the future of the world and its people, with perseverance, courage and humility, we provide a model to the community that we are elected to lead.

Vaclav Havel addressed this notion of political responsibility in a speech to Harvard University. The one-time dissident, and then President of the Czech Republic, said that the "great task ... for people in all forms of public life" is to renew our sense of responsibility. He addressed particular remarks to politicians:

The main task of the present generation of politicians is not, I think, to ingratiate themselves with the public through the decisions they take or their smiles on television. It is not to go on winning elections and ensuring themselves a place in the sun till the end of their days. Their role is something quite different: to assume their share of responsibility for the long-range prospects of our world and thus to set an example for the public in whose sight they work. Their responsibility is to think ahead boldly, not to fear the disfavour of the crowd, to imbue their actions with a spiritual dimension (which of course is not the same thing as ostentatious attendance at religious services), to explain again and again—both to the public and their colleagues—that politics must do far more than reflect the interest of particular groups or lobbies. After all, politics is a matter of serving the community, which means that it is morality in practice.[i]

How can politicians and public officials fulfil these responsibilities? I will seek to answer this question by reference to my own journey in public life. While the views are mine, they have been influenced by friends and colleagues over many years, including an international network of scholars, academic institutions and think tanks—like Maxim Institute and others—whose contributions to the polity are significant.

The choices that my wife Margaret and I have made have been motivated by our values. For many years, we worked voluntarily in the area of marriage and family, conducting marriage education programmes, working on hospital ethics committees, as well as being involved in a myriad of other professional and community activities.

For a long time, I wrestled with the question of whether I could achieve more by continuing these activities, or whether I should seek to influence the direction of the nation from within the political sphere. We wondered what greater good could be done if government lent more support to the activities we were engaged in, including greater funding to many voluntary and charitable groups.

We came to the conclusion that although very valuable practical work could be done outside parliament to address many issues, including strengthening marriage and family life, the law—and the decisions of public officials—has a major, direct and educative impact in shaping the culture in which we live.

My decision to enter parliament reflected a belief that public life is a vocation, not a job. It is an opportunity to use my talents for the good of others, to the best of my ability. Viewing public life in this way leads to important distinctions about the manner in which office is exercised.

Our role in public life is to empower others, not to accumulate and exercise power over them. Wherever possible, our actions should seek to enhance the dignity of the individual and his or her liberty.

Of necessity, empowering the individual limits government, without forgetting that the protection of the poor and the vulnerable are pivotal political challenges. It accepts that government has no powers of its own, except those granted to it by the people.

Recognising different spheres of responsibility for family, education, the market, religion and the state supports a facilitative—rather than a dominating—role for government. It acknowledges the fallibility of decision making, the uncertainty of predicting human behaviour, and the divisions over how to develop, implement and evaluate public policy. It also takes into account the unintended, as well as intended, consequences of every decision.

The view that government exercises power over others is about bureaucracy and control; the alternative is about subsidiarity and opportunity. The first believes that ultimately government knows best; the latter that individuals, families and communities can best determine their future.

If public office is about empowering others, rather than the exercise of power, it involves a different approach. It means looking to the future, identifying the challenges the nation faces, and presenting thoughtful proposals about policy responses, rather than concentrating on the present, obsessing about polls, and responding superficially in a populist manner. It involves responsibility rather than entitlement; action rather than tokenism; persuasion rather than slogans; and leadership rather than celebrity status.

Truly inspiring leadership is about recognising a need or an opportunity to do good for others and applying oneself to the task, regardless of the odds of success or the setbacks from time to time. It arises from an understanding of the challenges facing a nation, and a commitment to working for a better future. It involves continually assessing those challenges and the responses required. It encompasses openness to new ideas and courses of action, and an interest in what is happening elsewhere in the world.

A person who enters public life without knowing what they stand for and what they wish to achieve, will have little lasting impact. They will strut and fret their hour upon the stage, but it will signify nothing of substance. In the end, clear vision, persistent advocacy and dedication and commitment to a cause will trump style and superficial appeal. Like nature, politics abhors a vacuum. Many voices, often shrill and demanding, fill the public square. It is the challenge of public officials to be able to see beyond the immediate and the temporal.

Good leadership acknowledges that virtue is of intrinsic interest to secular society, without which we are incapable of enjoining the cohesion required for stable and civilised communities. If politics is about how we order our lives together, and morality is about the distinction between right and wrong, then the two are intricately linked.

It also means educating the populace about the consequences of decisions, not seeking to excuse them for poor choices. As Edmund Burke once said: "Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgement; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion."[ii] As he said, we need to exercise judgement against the perils of both servile compliance and wild popularity.

Judgement sometimes involves doing things that are unpopular. That is not to say that we shouldn't listen to others and take into account their opinions. Doing the unpopular can be a solitary experience. In the end however, respect is much more enduring than popularity. This is not to say that tough decisions are easy, or that we always get them right. The challenge of politics and the public square is often arduous and tiring. Equally, it is our fate to be judged by outcomes, not intentions.

Political history is replete with people who have confused strength with arrogance. Leadership involves both listening and acting. By recalling our responsibility to empower, we are reminded that the lure of power is seductive, tempting and delusive. The privileges of public office are a gift from others, not an entitlement to be retained forever. Those who are captured by the charms of power will find it illusory and treacherous.

To those who only see politics and the public square as populated by loud people with base motives, let me return to the words of Havel:

"If you are modest and you do not lust after power, you are not only suited to politics, you absolutely belong there. ... It is not true that only the unfeeling cynics, the vain, the brash, and the vulgar can succeed in politics: such people, it is true, are drawn to politics, but in the end, decorum and good taste will always count for more."[iii]

Public officials are role models. Thoughtfulness, self-awareness, civility, sincerity and consistent beliefs are the hallmarks of leadership. The role we choose, reflecting a master or a servant approach, not only reflects our own values; it influences the type of society we contribute to, and how we live together.

The Hon Kevin Andrews MP was first elected to the Australian Parliament in 1991. He served as a Cabinet Minister in the previous Liberal-National Government, and currently is the Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services. He and his wife Margaret have five children.

ENDNOTES

[i] V. Havel, "The Politics of Responsibility," Harvard Commencement Address, Harvard University, 8 June 1995, http://www.ceptualinstitute.com/genre/havel/havelharvard.htm (accessed 12 July 2010).
[ii] E. Burke, "Speech to the Electors of Bristol," in The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854), 446-448.
[iii] V. Havel, Summer Meditations (New York: Knopf, 1992).

Maxim Institute is an independent research and public policy think tank. They are committed to the people, land, history and culture of New Zealand. Their mission is to foster ideas and leadership that enable freedom, justice and compassion to flourish in New Zealand