David P. Shugarman

Paul Rynard

David Shugarman

The essays in this book deal with the appropriateness of "dirty hands" in politics, the widely held view that politics is a dirty business and those who engage in it can't help but get their hands dirty--Oliver North's self-defense in the aftermath of the Iran-Contra affair is a good example. The book explores the meaning of the term and its implications; whether dirty hands is useful as a description of the way public figures actually behave in crisis and whether it is acceptable as a model for guiding ethical and efficacious conduct. Contributing authors present differing appreciations both of the extent to which there are dirty hands in political decision-making and actions, and of the justifiability of such conduct if and when it presents itself. Defenders of dirty hands make the argument (in various ways) that sometimes cruelty and/or deception are necessary means to achieve a desirable end. The desirable goal may be advancing the greater good or it may mean preventing a considerable evil. On the other hand, there are a variety of strong arguments for rejecting the practice as well as the theoretical justifications of dirty-handed activity. The book presents arguments and analyses pro and con for using normally repugnant methods to advance worthy ends. The dirty hands problem sets ethicists, political theorists, and social philosophers against one another on empirical, logical, and normative grounds, leaving it to readers to form their own views. However, the debate about dirty hands is also directly relevant to the consideration of ethical problems in a more general sense because its ultimate concern--how to act rightly when moral rules point in contradictory directions--can come to the fore in many circumstances in social life. Accordingly, several of the essays address broad moral questions beyond the dilemmas faced by political leaders.

The Controversy Over Dirty Hands in Politics

Cruelty and Deception

Ian Greene

For many, honest politics is an oxymoron. Yet there have been enormous changes in Canadian public life in the past two decades to identify and address expectations that politicians and officials will act honestly and in the public interest. Using high-profile political scandals as case studies, this book explores the standards of accountability to which Canadian politicians are now being held. Among the case studies addressed are the gas plant scandal in Ontario, the "Railgate" scandal in B.C., the Robocalls affair, the "sponsorship scandal", Stephen Harper's attack on the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the saga of Rob Ford. This book critically analyzes changes introduced and implemented over the last twenty years intended to deal with ethical issues in politics, including the boom of independent ethics commissioners, the regulation of lobbyists in Canada, and federal efforts to protect whistle-blowers. Contributors to the book include experts in all these areas, drawn from across the country.

David P. Shugarman

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