You should not complain about the Prime Minister, I say. My Friend says he is doing a Good Job.

Who is your friend? Asks the Owner.

He is called Make Britannia Great Again, I say.

Nobody is called that, says the Owner.

I have him on my Twitter account, I say, he seems to be a Splendid Fellow. He says we can Rule the World and Everyone will Admire us and Want to Join our Club even if we have Trodden on them in the Past.

Oh Good Heavens, says the Owner, I think you may be Following the Prime Minister.

I Certainly am Not, I say, although there are many contributions from a splendid fellow called Sir Bufftington Tufftington Snufftingon (Conservative) about the need for More Smurfs.

I think he possibly means Serfs, Says the Owner.

Nevertheless, I say, his site is home to Very Important Opinions from Sir Alan Apprentice (Unbiased) regarding the Importance of Important People. He takes the View that one should not question either the Government or Himself at a time of National Crisis, I say. He says that to do so is to express Disunity, Disloyalty and Treason when they are doing their Best, I say.

Doing your Best is Not Morally Enough, says the Owner.

I cannot believe you said that, I say, Generations of Moral Dogs who came Second in the Prettiest Puppy Show have been Heartlessly Misled.

I am a Doctor, says the Owner. If I am Incompetent as a Doctor it is insufficient Moral Justification to say I am doing my Best. If I offered to take your Appendix out But I accidentally removed your Spleen I would still be considered Culpable.  I am judged not only by my Own Standards but by those of the Society that Trusts me.

I do not have an appendix, I say.

It was a Metaphor, says the Owner. There is a Moral Contract of Trust between myself and My Patients, and as a part of that Contract they Expect My Best to be Good Enough. It is the Same for the Government. That is why we must Hold them to Account.

So if the Moral Dog does his best not to Chew the Vet he may still be considered a Bad Dog if any of the Vet’s appendages are Missing after our Encounter?  I ask, as it is useful to be Clear..

Exactly, says the Owner. One’s Personal Best is a mere measure of Personal Effort judged against one’s Prior Achievements. The Moral Dog could entirely Consume the Vet and still claim that he has Done his Best Not To, but that would not make his Action Morally Acceptable.

The Vet is too much for one meal, I say.

That is not the point, says the Owner. The Prime Minister is making Ethical Decisions which must balance many interests. There is no right answer but there are many Moral Perspectives and those of the Prime Minister are formed through one Particular Political Ideology, one which we do not all Share. That is why we must continue to Question how the Decisions are taken and whether all Morally relevant voices are Heard.

I am not sure that you could have done any better, I say.

I do not need to be sure I could have done better in order to question whether the Prime Minister has done enough, says the Owner.

Even at a time of Crisis? I ask.

Especially at a time of Crisis, says the Owner.

Sir Bufftington Tufftington Snufftingon (Conservative) says People did not question the government during the War, I say.

That was a cross-bench government of unity,  says the Owner.  This government has chosen not to form such a cross-bench team. They have chosen to make sure that only their Ethical Judgements Prevail. And Ethical judgements are Political.  They arise from choices between Life and Wealth, Protection and Freedom, the Community and the Individual, the Privileged and the Rest.

Sir Alan Apprentice says such an attitude proves that you are a Remoaner, I say.

However I cast my Vote, says the Owner, I form part of the Electorate that Voted for the Prime Minister. All of us have the right to Question, and none have the right to tell others not to. Doctors are dying. Nurses are Dying. Bus Drivers are Dying. We, the People, have a right to know whether the Ethical decisions that led to this sufficiently achieve the Moral Standards expected by the whole Community.

So you think that the Standards of Sir Bufftington Tufftington Snufftingon (Conservative) and Sir Alan Apprentice (Unbiased) are not the same as those of the Whole Community? I ask.

I have a suspicion, says the Owner.

I sensed that in the place where  my Appendix would be, I say, if I had one, I say. I feel I need to mention this again in case the Owner actually has any plans to try to take it out.

The Moral Dog is Astute to an Extraordinary Degree, says the Owner.

A Stute as well as everything else. It appears that there is no End to the Moral Dog’s abilities.

Categories: dignity dog dog philosophy

Hergest the Hound

I am a dog of many thoughts.