Traditionally, animals have not been thought of in terms of emotion or morals, more in terms of instinctive self preservation and gratification. However, a review of Wild Justice by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce explores the complex world of emotional and moral intelligence in animals
Apparently, animals exhibit behaviours such as: fairness; compassion; empathy; trust; a sense of justice; reciprocity. In other words, a recognisable moral code.
Reviewer Deborah Blum sums it up: “Their definition of morality is a strongly Darwinian one. They see moral actions as dictated by the behavioural code of social species, the communal operating instructions that bond a group safely together, the “social glue” of survival.”
Sound familiar?
I thought so: until I started reviewing the state of parliament and the behaviour of politicians.
What fairness do many politicians show when fiddling millions of tax payers’ pounds, legally (it seems) but unethically? Recent leaked documents are a catalogue of shame for many MPs.
How much compassion has been shown to Gurkhas and their families? Mercenaries or not these soldiers bravely fight and sometimes die for queen and country, ours, not theirs; surely they deserve a pension equal to that of other members of the armed forces. Recompensing themselves doesn’t seem to be problem for MPs.
With their inflated salaries, expense accounts and status how many MPs show genuine empathy towards the wider population of the UK? Career politicians often have no experience at all of ‘real life’ because they have gone from school to university to politics without taking a breather for a glimpse of reality.
Yesterday, a Populus poll for The Times showed a drop in support for the two main political parties. People no longer trust them to be anything more than self-serving.
MPs in the House of Commons, as a group, have overall control over the creation of laws by which the rest of us live. Yet, when it comes to creating the rules by which they are governed, they suit themselves. Where’s the justice in that?
As for reciprocity, what are they giving back? Not a lot at the moment it seems. At least not anything that is quantifiable. The economy is still in a mess; unemployment is rising; national debt is rising; bankruptcy is rising; businesses are failing; the pound is falling.
And politicians? They are getting pay rises and claiming huge expenses.
Apologies from leaders of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties and proposals to change the Second Home and Allowances systems are a step in the right direction. Worrying though, is that these changes have been brought about, not because of any moral code but because of public outrage.
So, Margaret Moran (flipping); David Willetts (Lightbulb replacement); Oliver Letwin (Tennis court pipes); Jacqui Smith (Sister’s bedroom); Ken Clarke (Council tax reduction); et al: The public is watching and waiting to see whether you will continue to focus on your own self preservation and gratification or if you will develop a moral code equal to that of mice, rats and wolves.
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I think you have a good analogy of pack mentality embedded in your article.
After all, teaching about survival of the fittest is a contentious issue even at school level these days.
Many of these people (MPs) will probably claim to be Christian church goers and offer prayers to a God whom they purport to stand for all that is humanitarian, caring, promotes forgiveness as a positive attribute and promotes good will to all men.
So, here we have the crux of what the real issue is and will remain so, one of coinscience, independent thought and willingness to fight for what one believes is “right”. Creationism v Darwinism.
Dog feeds Dog or Dog eats Dog. either way the dogs eat.
“If you want to live like the folks on the hill, you first have to learn how to smile as you kill”. Working Class Hero – John Lennon
“… moral actions as dictated by the behavioural code of social species, the communal operating instructions that bond a group safely together, the “social glue” of survival.”
Well it seems MPs definitely possess the “social glue of survival” with their “communal operating instructions”. It’s a pity they have forgotten their moral code in the process.
I now realise that referring to MPs at rats is insulting to rats.
I know that all morally reprehensible people are not MPs but I believe that many MPs are morally reprehensible.
Fuzzybuns – hear, hear!
Politicians should be trained by bees! …………. Bees are very clever at ensuring that all the lazy bastards who don’t do their share of the graft are pushed to the edge of the hive and are starved to death.
Especially lazy bees are shoved and marched out of the hive altogether.
I bet the current police force would like to see Jacqui Schmidt marched right out of the cosy little hive she still thinks she is the queen of.
Don’t talk to me about bees! A large colony of them has set up home in our chimney and many of them are shirking off from their work by flying into our bedroom via the fireplace. We are keeping the window open and our door shut, sleeping downstairs and hoping they’ll go away because we don’t really want to have them gassed out of existence – bees is precious, is bees.
I bet loads of MPs of all parties are being very busy bees at the moment – checking their past expense forms to see what speeches they should prepare to defend themselves in the next round of published expense claims.
At least these revelations are smoking the rotters out though I wouldn’t advocate gas as a solution.
Well, we’re all waxing lyrical about the MPs and they’ll be going through their expense records with a fine toothed honeycomb, no doubt.
Aaaaaaaagh! Glo! No! ……….. You should see this as a great privilege! Out of all the places they could have chosen ………….. they chose your place. Bees are very selective about the company they keep! I would like you to see this as a message of hope and much abundance brought to you out of Universal love.
They will bring much prosperity in the next few years …………. Just treat them like pets and adopt them as your own until they move out. Try talking to them and whisper gently.
However ……….. Don’t hesitate to have an insect-repellant handy just in case they try to mess about with your cats. But if you have to murder a bee – just make sure that it’s brothers aren’t around when you do it …………. coz they have a gang mentality! They may come and get you when you are least expecting it.
I had to whisper very gently to an army of ants recently ……….. When they ignored me – I waved a tub of ant-killer at them – and I swear they trotted out into the garden the very next day.
Gloria, this is a serious issue (MPs not bees). The stigma of being associated with greedy members must be affecting honest members – Kate Hoey for example, who had to put up with being verbally assaulted by Speaker, Michael Martin when she dared suggest that police investigations would not fix the problem. Mind you, Martin angry was a small but discernable improvement on Martin not angry, his usual drone definitely went up a notch.
And then they will drone on and on until someone decides to open a vote with the rest of the EU countries politicians to decide how best to resolve the issue of expenses and take the sting out of it.
This may be best done using a poll-a-nation…but under the scrutiny of the all seeing eyes at the BBSEE, but only what they what they want to see of course.
Janes …………. Did you know that Kate Hoey was actually called Kate Honey but had a letter removed from her name because it affected her yin and yang?
Thank you for joining the AnnaRaccoon colony Fuzzypuns.
I don’t know why we just don’t return to the days when only the rich could be MPs. Then we don’t have to pay the bastards a salary. After all …………. there is no such thing as true democracy. Never has been and never will be! So what are we actually paying MPs to do?
Why don’t we just grow up and accept that nothing has changed since the industrial revolution and stop all the pretence at making out that there could ever be a point where the working and middle classes are truly represented? They never have been and they never will be.
Those MBs will find out how honest workers really feel about them when swarms of angry voters descend on the Pollen Stations.
If MPs don’t like the basic salary – here’s an idea – they could always choose another career. No-one is forcing them to go into politics.
Maybe nobody is forcing them into poiltics, but they wouldn’t be any use in any other job, except maybe the clergy or acting.
False profits and pretending to be someone looked up to.
Bees are non-aerodynamic, although alot of MPs seem pretty fly.
(I’m Mandy Fly me !) I keep my collection of bugs in a cabinet, just like the PM.
Interesting beehiveiour .
You’ll love this book then:
http://www.amazon.com/Inner-World-Farm-Animals-Intellectual/dp/1584797487
Very good, I thought.
“If you want to live like the folks on the hill, you first have to learn how to smile as you kill”. Working Class Hero – John Lennon
John Lennon: just one amongst the, oh so many, endlessly replaceable, whatabouttheworkerscokesniffinrichhypocrites.
I prefer Denis Healy myself
Looks good mikey.
mikey, have you heard this one? ” “It is a good thing to follow the First Law of Holes: if you are in one, stop digging” Denis Healey. Something our present MPs would be wise to think about.
It really is, janes. Thanks to the kindly attitude of Foyles staff I have managed to read most of it through the last couple of weeks in my lunch hours. I would purchase it but I am as poor as a church mouse…
Perhaps you should ask your MP to buy it for you for Christmas, no doubt he/she could get it on expenses.
janes, I have, me being quite the follower of all things Denis. Well tbh, I can’t wait for labour to perish at the next election but that is for the most part because they no longer have people of honour such as Denis serving them.
My MP is Iain Duncan Smith. Poor Iain is well used to me berating him over all sorts of stuff. In my opinion he is very well read, very knowledgeable and I would hate it if he turns out to be a trougher…he has never struck me as one to be like that. Come election time he and Norm will most likely turn in North Chingford and sigh deeply when they see me coming along the high street.
mikey: he and Norm will most likely turn in North Chingford …
Will Norm be there? Lat I heard he was encouraging everyone to UKIP.
Mikey
Libraries are good. I saw Denis Healey in one once, reading a book about spelling and punctuation.
Not to B sniffed at.
Come election time Norman is always up here. He is a tiny little thing, the elderly bloke you might spot in the corner of a country pub nursing a pint of “best”. I like him, a keen sense of self deprecating humour and always full of great stories. He once pointed to the hall next to the libarary and said ” if I had a speaking engagement there I could fill it with 500 people, couldn’t happen to a politician now of course” back in the day I guess he could. He asked if I would care to join…what? me? a libertarian?
my latest comment is “up there”..why is that? I don’t get the interwibble that well…..
Up where? Mikey, what’s bothering you?
Hi AR, I think mikey means that all the initial comments are invisible and his latest one is appearing first. If you press ‘previous comments’ mikey (just under AR’s comment) you will see the rest.
Thank-you janes, a few teething problems with the upgrade, but nothing that a genius can’t sort out…….
AR, I had to look up how to spell facetious because I suspect that is what you are being!
A bit like many of our MPs.
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