Do you trust us? There’s no reason why you should, as “to err is human”. Sometimes we all say things in good faith that turn out to be misguided. At others we know from the outset we’re being devious, but carry on regardless. Hiding the truth is understandable when you’re a parent reassuring a child in a war zone, but reprehensible if you’re a leader charged with steering an entire country through a crisis.
In this issue of Perspective we look at how the axis between truth and trust affects us all in a myriad of ways, from the political to the personal. It’s a stark fact that many have completely lost faith in politicians after decades of scandals and, in our cover story, Jonathan Lis decries the moral decay that has broken the government’s pact with the people. Simon Heffer’s ire is similarly focused, excoriating the rogue wing of the Conservative Party he once cherished, losing it any shred of credibility with the electorate.
Yet in our main interview Gavin Esler finds that one politician – London Mayor Sadiq Khan – is engaging with the issue of trust in public life. A veteran of the Westminster swamp, Khan revels in the relative freedom that he and other city mayors have to pursue their ideals outside its constraints. Khan’s personal mission to tackle the pressing issue of air pollution in London is far from universally popular, and has met stiff resistance, even in the courts. But rather than lash out at judges as other politicians have done, Khan sees this as a sign of a well-functioning democracy, and the legal process as an opportunity to make his case more clearly.
Other articles look at the wider ways in which our trust is manipulated. Laura Dodsworth became well known during lockdown as a critic of what she saw as the government’s blurring of boundaries between science and propaganda in order to “nudge” us into complying with covid restrictions. As with so much these days, just how far these tactics went depends on which expert you trust. Dodsworth suggests it’s every citizen’s duty to maintain a healthy scepticism of authority and to do their own research. It’s a conclusion shared by both our columnist Peter Lawlor and Jerome Burne in his piece about the commonly available vitamins that could slow down the ravages of Alzheimer’s.
If there’s one area where science seems to be becoming science fiction, it’s AI. Which raises the question: do we trust machines? Leading lawyer Susie Alegre suggests we use the existing legal framework of the Universal Bill of Human Rights to ensure appropriate safeguards.
Trust is, of course, not just a function of public discourse, but an essential element of our private lives and relationships. Róisín Lanigan says dating apps are eroding our faith in lasting love, while Siân Burns warns about the hucksters who prey on the elderly.
Sometimes there’s a fear of digging too deeply, lest we fall down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theory, or what Paul Moss calls the “normalisation of the absurd”. It’s a theme taken up by Boris Starling, who wonders why the US government has started talking about UFOs.
Ultimately, all any of us can do is trust the truth is out there. Somewhere.
Rowan Pelling and Peter Phelps
