I can’t remember an actual case of nepotism – strictly offering a leg-up to one’s nephew – but the spirit of nepotism lives on. The word was coined to refer to the practice of mediaeval popes when they appointed family members, usually nephews, as cardinals. It is used more broadly today to include family members and friends, although cronyism is a variant that specifically refers to friends and associates.
Donald Trump famously practiced the art and gave White House and advisory posts to members of his own wider family (although he actually denied his nephew essential medical care).
Is there a word for favouring one’s father? Not paternalism, which refers to a benign form of dictatorship. Can we invent one, as it seems to be a thing? Maybe paterism?
Anyone in public office who offers jobs or awards to people close to them can expect to be ridiculed and criticised. This is true even where the recipient genuinely deserves the honour – those decisions should be left to others.
As a councillor I was well versed in the need to declare an interest when a proposal was being discussed. That would certainly have included instances when members of my family or close friends would have been affected, for better or worse, by the outcome. If in doubt we were encouraged to take advice, if necessary from the Council’s Monitoring Officer (usually the Head of Legal Services). If the interest was substantial or pecuniary then I would remove myself from the debate and not vote. This is standard practice in local government.
I was reported to the Standards Committee once for not declaring that I was the Friend of Kingston Theatre – a project that was being led by the Council. As it happens a large number, if not the majority, of councillors were also Friends (and not declaring it either). So following the ruling we had to start any meeting that had the Theatre on the agenda with a long list of declarations, even though the interest was not deemed to be substantial.
In Westminster MPs have similar obligations, including formally registering financial interests and declaring these and other personal interests when speaking.
Which brings us to the point of this post. In what universe is it deemed appropriate to bestow a knighthood on one’s own father? Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick certainly doesn’t think it is. And don’t forget that Johnson had already put his own brother in the House of Lords.
The alleged proposal to honour Stanley Johnson puts Rishi Sunak in an impossible position, no doubt to Boris Johnson’s glee. If Sunak blocks the appointment then the battle between him and Johnson will be ramped up several notches; if he doesn’t then he will muddy the clear waters that he has been trying to open up between himself and his predecessor.
I suppose Johnson (and Sunak) could argue that the Resignation Honours List is not formally covered by MP’s Guidance. Well, it certainly is covered by most people’s ethical expectations.
And, whilst pondering on this latest scandal we should not forget the Jennifer Acuri affair.
* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.
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14 Comments
Might the appointment of Prince Edward as Duke of Edinburgh be an example of nepotism?
On nepotism: in 1902, the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury was suceeded as PM by his nephew, Arthur Balfour. Nothing really wrong with that: Balfour was highly thought of, even by his opponents, and remained a fixture of later governments long after he lost the premiership in the Liberal landslide election.
As long as we tolerate the personal patronage associated with political honours, these scandals are inevitable. Of course Boris Johnson’s choices are outrageous (don’t forget he already ennobled his brother and nobody batted an eyelid), but it’s not just the Conservatives, all the parties have use honours to reward friends and followers. Including the Liberal Democrats There is no way you can objectively justify any of this stuff and you can bet your bottom dollar it will be abused again and again in the future. If you don’t want to be outraged, argue for ending the system and in the meantime, don’t participate.
Nepotism is a form of favouritism. It is an act of using power or influence to get unfair advantages for your group.
Might the B. B. C.’s treatment of Mr. Lineker and Mr. Attenborough be free-speech harming examples of nepotism to the advantage of the current government?
Attached is some more information of the treatment of Mr. Lineker and Mr. Attenborough by the B. B. C.
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/
David Cameron’s dishing out of titles was one of the worst.. It resembled a medieval court. His wife’s diary girl got gong – as did his tennis buddy . They have no shame.
@ Steve. Nepotism is very specifically: ‘the act of using your power or influence to get good jobs or unfair advantages for members of your own family’.
So the BBC thing, in a word: no.
As for the Duke of Edinburgh – it’s basically an honorary title that can only be bestowed on members of the royal family. It can’t be given to anyone but a relative, and is is neither a job nor an unfair advantage.
@ Ian Sanderson ” Balfour was highly thought of, even by his opponents”.
I hope Ian won’t mind over much if (as someone who, incidentally, lives five miles from Balfour’s former stately home), I disagree with his conclusions. First, Balfour was made to step down as Tory Leader in 1911 by what we now term as ‘the men in grey suits’.
Second, in 1907 Balfour got very short shrift from the new Liberal PM, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, when C.B. said of him,
‘”the right hon. gentleman (Balfour) is like the Bourbons. He has learned nothing. He comes back to this new House of Commons with the same airy graces – the same subtle dialectics – and the same light and frivolous way of dealing with the great questions. He little knows the temper of the new House of Commons if he thinks those methods will prevail here…[his questions are] utterly futile, nonsensical and misleading. They are invented by the right hon. gentleman for the purpose of occupying time in this debate. I say, enough of this foolery…Move your amendments and let us get to business”. (Hansard)
Liberals need to be a bit careful about accusations of nepotism. David Lloyd George’s son and daughter were MPs at one stage. I’m sure they were both selected on merit, but can we deny that the family name was a consideration?
In more recent times, a young Nick Clegg got a job working with then EU Commissioner Leon Brittain on the reccommendation of his father.
We may now be in the situation where the British electorate is up for some serious reform of a dodgy political system that revolves around patronage and sloppy procedure. As a party member of over fifty years there was a time I would have thought this was our moment. Sadly, it looks like we are going to let it slip by and hand that moment to Reform UK. After all, rather like the Tories’ ‘get Brexit done’ they’ve got a powerful slogan and this time it will be on the ballot paper!
@Steve Comer
As I understand it Nick Clegg was already working for the European Commission before Leon Brittain offered him a job.
And on your wider point – are you implying that no-one should be allowed to be an MP if there is any hint of nepotism, irrespective of their suitability for the role?
Isn’t the issue really in general about conducting unbiased job selections – whatever the job?
Mary
Absolutely spot on.
Stephen
Macclesfield
@ Steve Comer, Steve, minor nepotism is the very least thing that “Liberals need to be a bit careful about”, when it comes to David Lloyd George.
It is now generally accepted that LLG had accumulated a fund under his personal control of over £ 4 million (equivalent to £ 180 million today) from the sale of Honours by the time he was ejected from Downing Street by the Tories in October, 1922. His principal agents were Sir William Sutherland MP (MP for Argyllshire, 1918-24) – known as ‘Bronco Bill. Another agent was Maundy Gregory.
If you want a scholarly chapter and verse on this I can recommend Professor Geoffrey Searle’s book, ‘Corruption in British Politics,1895-1930, pub. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1987’. in particular Chapter 16, Removing the ‘Coalition Stain’, 1922-1931 pp 379-411.
Professor Martin Pugh has also written in depth on the matter, and there are biographies of Maundy Gregory.
Lloyd George literally got away with murder with his use of paramilitaries in Ireland. His financial dealings, extra-marital affairs and his break with Asquith (a major element in the decline of the Liberal party) would have seen him torn apart by today’s investigative political journalists.
Another greatly respected politician that comes to mind is JFK, who is said to have told Harold MacMillan that if he did not get laid every three days or so he would get terrible headaches. He appointed his very able brother, Robert Kennedy as attorney general. much to the chagrin of J. Edgar Hoover at the FBI.
Stanley Johnson seems like the type of fellow that could be put up for an honour. He has done some good work on environmentalism and his other children, Rachel, Jo and
Leo seem to be rather better balanced than Boris.
A more astute or honorable politician would have avoided being seen to favour family members, but Boris Johnson has never exhibited respect for the office to which he was formerly elected.