Published October 28, 2022
In democratic politics, there is often a wide chasm between what makes for good campaigning and what makes for good governance. Political hopefuls are tempted to win the allegiance of voters by making outlandish promises, telling voters what they want to hear and vowing to enact policies that sound good in a stump speech, however unrealistic they may be in practice. Once in office, it is reality they have to deal with, not voters, and reality can be rather harder to hoodwink.
The rise and fall of Liz Truss, the shortest-serving Prime Minister in British history, offers a stark object lesson in the need for politicians to be careful what they promise.
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Brad Littlejohn, Ph.D., is a Fellow in EPPC’s Evangelicals in Civic Life Program, where his work focuses on helping public leaders understand the intellectual and historical foundations of our current breakdown of public trust, social cohesion, and sound governance. His research investigates shifting understandings of the nature of freedom and authority, and how a more full-orbed conception of freedom, rooted in the Christian tradition, can inform policy that respects both the dignity of the individual and the urgency of the common good. He also serves as President of the Davenant Institute.
Photo by Mike Petrucci on Unsplash
Brad Littlejohn was a Fellow in EPPC’s Technology and Human Flourishing and Evangelicals in Civic Life programs from 2022-2025. His wide-ranging research and writing encompasses work on the relation of digital technology and embodiment, the appropriate limits of free speech, the nature of freedom and authority in the Christian tradition, and the retrieval of a Protestant natural law ethic.
