Ex-Moderator slams Stormont’s ‘lack of ethical conduct’ exposed in RHI inquiry
A lack of controls on subsidies for burning biomass meant the costs of the RHI spiralled out of control.
He said: “It was very troubling that by the time the public phase of the Inquiry had ended, no apology had been offered to the government, the taxpayer, or the electorate for the ‘fill your boots, the UK Treasury will pick up the bill’ attitude revealed in the evidence that had been presented.”
Dr Hamilton expressed “great concern that there is almost no public discussion about what constitutes ‘good’ government”.
“Everything seems reduced to political deals, power struggles and protection of the party. The principles of ethical conduct rarely seem to matter very much,” he wrote.
“The petition of concern has been used on a number of occasions to prevent action being taken against an MLA for indulging in what most people would describe as unacceptable behaviour.
“Public ethics not only apply to the behaviour of political leaders, but also to the making of public policy. That makes them very important to ministers, the functioning Executive, the Assembly, civil servants and those who serve on public bodies of all kinds, and the electorate itself.
“The new ministers in the Executive need our support. They will deserve it if they obviously seek the common good, and do not merely serve tribal or sectarian interests. They will not always make good judgments, though none of the rest of us do either, but what they must establish and explain is the ethical basis for the decisions they take, and not merely hide behind financial constraints or political mantras dressed up as ‘red lines’.”
Dr Hamilton called on “the new faces” in the Executive “to actively distance themselves from the very poor ethics of the past”, something that would “require great moral courage and perseverance”.