Commentators have praised a LAWNLAND politician for admitting he was lying and asking for enough time to make the lie convincing.
The exchange came during a televised debate. A minister claimed household bills had fallen and public services were improving, then used both problems to explain why he needed another five years.
“You’re lying,” his opponent said.
“Yes, but hear me out.”
The moderator thanked him for his candour and restored the time his opponent had wasted on the accusation.
The minister explained that his figures were aspirational, his achievements illustrative and his promise to tell the truth was a broad direction of travel rather than a binding destination.
His opponent protested that admitting a lie did not make it acceptable.
“But you asked for honesty,” the minister replied. “I have been completely honest about how dishonest I am. You are now asking for truth, which is a different service. The manifesto did not include it.”
The audience applauded. Undecided voter Denise Collymore said: “At last, a politician who lies to my face without making me wait six months for his WhatsApp messages to leak.”
Another viewer believed nothing he heard but appreciated the minister consulting him.
Channel Faux replayed the admission under the caption “A rare moment of honesty”, omitting the next four minutes because they complicated the story.
Political analyst Martin Crumb said: “Voters have always known politicians lie. What matters is that he has finally trusted them enough to stop hiding it.”
The opposition demanded an apology. The minister agreed to issue one as soon as his lawyers found wording that protected him from meaning it.
The government has since appointed him to oversee standards. His first act was to classify the standards as aspirational.
