AT those times when the world feels threatened by impending war or economic calamity we begin to see the best of humanity … and the worst. Very often, the noblest responses are evident in the deeds of ordinary people while callousness is practised by those we choose to lead us.

Rarely has this been more starkly portrayed than in attitudes to the refugee crisis engulfing Ukraine. As thousands of people across the UK immediately signalled their willingness to share their homes for these poor people, the UK Government’s instinctive response was to stand firm in its refusal to relax the world’s most merciless refugee policy.

We’ll leave aside for now any discussion on why it took Vladimir Putin’s murderous assault to highlight the essential cruelty of Priti Patel’s Nationality and Borders policy. This disgusting piece of legislation effectively made the UK a pariah state in its attitude to the poorest and most defenceless people on the planet. As well as requiring the Royal Navy to throw migrants, refugees and all those fleeing terror back into the sea like discarded fish it criminalised kindness and compassion. Anyone caught aiding these people would face prosecution.

Part of the intent behind this was even more insidious: to exploit popular ignorance of the circumstances of these people’s flight from their homelands by spreading fear and suspicion and inciting racism. This became apparent in some of the abuse faced by the RNLI when it insisted on holding firm to its sacred calling of unconditionally coming to the aid of people in mortal peril.

The UK Conservatives’ immediate response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine was to hold firm to its inhumane policies, no doubt hoping that the conflagration would quickly burn itself out. As countries much poorer than the UK threw open their borders to fleeing families the UK continued to shut its doors to all but the merest trickle. It was shamed into relaxing its attitudes.

Politicians are also alive to the possibility of using global catastrophe as opportunities to bury bad news. And if they’re not doing this they’ll exploit it in other ways. In 2001 the Labour advisor, Jo Moore openly embraced this opportunism by sending a memo informing her bosses that the 9/11 attacks on New York would be a good time to conceal controversy. I retain a degree of sympathy for Ms Moore.

As the New Labour project proceeded we began to see the ruthlessness at its heart as careers and lives were ruined by the threat and intimidation of departmental advisors eager to find favour with Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. Advisors like Jo Moore had simply become corrupted by the over-arching ambition and power-games of those we thought were leading us on a sacred journey.

In 2008, as the UK economy began to wobble following the global financial crisis banking bosses viewed it as opportunity to collapse small companies by stiffening their overdraft facilities and then helping themselves to what was left at a knock-down price. Rich entrepreneurs routinely began citing "the global banking crisis" for years afterwards to avoid paying debts; liquidating their companies and re-forming them under different names. Those whose greed and corruption had exacerbated the crisis all escaped scrutiny and in a few years were able to resume their careers while pocketing their obscene bonuses.

Within a few months of the Covid-19 pandemic it became clear that the UK Government had exploited the country’s grief and misery by helping their friends and family to billions in PPE contracts. I’m still astonished that those involved in this mafia enterprise appear to have escaped any punishment for their actions. You’re left to conclude that the country was too exhausted after two years of enduring this lethal contagion that they simply didn’t have the stomach for pursuing matters arising from it any further. And you’re also left to conclude that government ministers and their advisers were banking on this.

The essential decency of ordinary people is always liable to be exploited and manipulated by the political classes in times of mortal peril. It’s as though, having sold their souls in exchange for power they feed on the virtue of the majority who still retain something of their humanity to think beyond themselves and reach out to others.

At a basic level this proceeds on the general assumption that the populace will readily forget the malfeasances and iniquities of our political leaders as we face a common foe. Already, the corruption that’s hollowed out the black heart of the UK Government has been quickly consigned to history. This was epitomised by Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives opting to withdraw his letter of no-confidence in Boris Johnson occasioned by his lies and general conduct about the Downing Street Covid parties.

As with Jo Moore in 2001 the Ukrainian crisis will provide cover for many other seedy acts of government. What better time to award Gavin Williamson, perhaps the most incompetent and ridiculous cabinet minister in modern times, with a knighthood. And in Scotland is there a better time than this for a broken-down government to proceed with its sinister proposals in the Gender Recognition Act as it ruthlessly dismantles the basic, sex-based human rights of women?

At any other time the position of Shona Robison, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government would be untenable following her callous and absurd insistence that “there is no evidence that predatory and abusive men have ever had to pretend to be anything else to carry out abusive and predatory behaviour”.

Last week Patrick Harvie, leader of the Scottish Greens, milked his ridiculous ministerial status by pontificating about the likelihood of a referendum on Scottish independence. He said that the parliamentary majority “was elected between SNP and Greens who stood on a promise of delivering that and intend to do so”. Except that neither Mr Harvie nor anyone else in his party has ever won a single seat in any election since his party was formed.

It was a stark reminder that at times of global jeopardy when authentic and selfless leadership is expected by the country, we find ourselves guided by cranks and performance artists who somehow rise to prominence in all political parties.

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