The prime minister’s defiance over partygate fines threatens the values that govern our democracy, writes Colin Montgomery. Plus letters from Alex Orr, Nigel Morris and Chris Lakin
I’ve followed British politics since I was first able to vote in 1990. At that time, I was a student, full of fiery idealism but understanding of the need to accept and engage with a spectrum of opinions – the hallmark of a healthy, pluralistic democracy. Sure, my picks at the ballot box didn’t always win, and there were scandals, and politicians made mistakes or behaved dishonourably. But despite all that, it still felt like a system worth defending, worth believing in, worth promoting even.
More than three decades later, and after a truly torrid period that has exposed a deep rot at the heart of power, I feel nothing but resignation, despair and a nihilistic desire to disengage permanently. What point is there in any of this if those making the laws break those laws or find ways around them and yet still cling to power (Boris Johnson defies calls to quit after he and Rishi Sunak fined, 12 April)?
