On the balance of things

There is a quickly growing consensus that the Mahon Tribunal will be little more than a footnote - albeit a very unsightly one - in Bertie Ahern’s legacy.

However while there is little doubt that Ahern has done the State enough service to be remembered fondly, his most loyal supporters worryingly seem to believe that this positive work can be traded off against any possible moral wrong-doing committed by the Taoiseach.

The talk of legacy is par for the course when a high-profile politician reaches the end of his or her career, no matter what the motivation for this end may be. In the process of this appraisal it is the norm for politicians and commentators to take the highs and lows of the individual’s time in office and weigh them against each other - as we saw on Wednesday and are likely to continue to see this week.

Under this test history is likely to look on Ahern favourably - be it as a result of his talents, good timing or a mixture of both. Disturbingly, however, many of his supporters - such as Willie O’Dea on last night’s Prime Time - are using that positive assessment as a way to try to offset the negative connotations of questions still surrounding Ahern’s personal finances; thus muddying the waters between political policy with political integrity.

The reality that seems to have been overlooked by this attempt is that integrity is not a policy with which one can do well or badly at while in office but rather a prerequisite to the attainment of that office in the first place.

There is a world of difference between enacting a bad policy and breaking a rule or law; and a success cannot be cashed-in to cancel out a bad deed, big or small. It should not be the case that a politician must resign the minute they make the slightest wrong - it does, however, mean that they should deal with the situation as its own issue rather than try to brush it off in the context of past actions.

Just like a charity worker is still liable if caught speeding, a successful politician is still liable if caught cheating and in both cases their respective good deeds cannot be used to overturn the rules. Regardless of what a politician does in their career - even if it is universally hailed as an unflinching success - there is no achievement that can counter-weight or excuse a lack of honesty or integrity, should such be found.

To suggest otherwise is to do little else than encourage a disregard for the rules amongst even remotely successful politicians and would enhance the immature ‘Chancerism’ that has blighted, and still blights, Irish politics. Not to mention the cheapening-effect it would have on the successes themselves.