The Temptation of Power - Part One: The First Principle — Every Power Will Be Abused

Most political arguments begin by asking what government should do.

I believe they begin with the wrong question.

Before deciding what powers a government should possess, we must first ask a more fundamental question:

What assumptions should we make about power itself?

My answer is simple.

Every power granted by government will create opportunities for abuse.

Notice carefully what I am not saying.

I am not claiming that every public servant is corrupt.

I am not claiming that every government programme is harmful.

Nor am I suggesting that every exercise of governmental authority results in injustice.

Rather, I begin with an observation about human nature.

Human beings are imperfect.

Some are honest.

Some are selfish.

Some are compassionate.

Some are malicious.

Most are simply ordinary people responding to incentives, pressures and opportunities.

Government does not change human nature. It merely places ordinary people in positions where they can exercise extraordinary authority over others.

Likewise, members of the public remain ordinary people. Whenever a government creates a new benefit, a new reporting system, a new regulatory process or a new legal right, some individuals will inevitably attempt to exploit it for their own advantage or to the disadvantage of others.

History provides countless examples.

Benefits intended for those in genuine need are sometimes claimed fraudulently.

Licensing systems designed to protect the public can become barriers that favour established interests.

Anonymous reporting mechanisms intended to expose wrongdoing can, in some circumstances, be misused to settle personal scores through false or malicious allegations.

Regulatory powers granted to protect consumers may be influenced by lobbying or used inconsistently.

None of this necessarily means that the original purpose was wrong.

It simply illustrates an uncomfortable truth.

Every power creates opportunities.

Some opportunities allow good people to help others.

Some opportunities allow dishonest people to exploit the system.

Some opportunities tempt officials to exceed the limits of their authority.

Power itself is morally neutral.

The people who exercise it are not.

This leads to what I regard as the first principle of political philosophy.

The burden of proof should never rest upon those who question the expansion of government.

It should rest upon those who wish to expand it.

Every new law, every new department, every new licence, every new tax, every new criminal offence, every new regulator and every new bureaucracy should be required to justify not only its intended benefits, but also the opportunities for abuse that it inevitably creates.

The question is not whether the policy is well intentioned.

Most are.

The question is whether the benefits outweigh the costs, including the costs that arise when imperfect human beings begin to use the new powers in ways never originally intended.

This principle applies equally to every political party, every ideology and every government.

It assumes neither virtue nor corruption.

It assumes humanity.

Those who believe government should solve every social problem often begin with trust.

I begin with scepticism.

Not because I distrust particular politicians.

Not because I believe governments are uniquely evil.

But because I do not believe political office transforms ordinary human beings into exceptional ones.

If we accept that no person should possess unlimited power over another, then it follows that governments—being composed entirely of people—should also exercise only those powers that can be clearly justified.

Liberty has never depended upon finding perfect rulers.

It has depended upon recognising that perfect rulers do not exist.

This simple principle will serve as the foundation for every article that follows.

Whether discussing welfare, taxation, inflation, justice, education or the changing role of the family, the same question will always remain:

What opportunities for abuse does this power create, and are we willing to accept them?

Only when we begin there can we have an honest discussion about the proper role of government in a free society.