The position of Home Secretary[1] in UK politics seems to be an enormously corrupting one. Moderate politicians go into the role, and leave in scandal. Nasty politicians soon start to see their objective as bringing to fruition the politics of Orwell's 1984.

Recent comments about the incumbent, Suella Braverman, by senior members of her own party:
"These latest comments are unhinged,"
"The home secretary's awfulness is now a reflection on the prime minister. Keeping her in post is damaging him."
and, her remarks about Northern Ireland are "wholly offensive and ignorant."
(source:BBC)

Reviewing the historical data, it appears that the symptoms become pronounced, and in many cases irreversible after a year in office. I propose a lifetime restriction of 8 months service in this capacity to be on the safe side. Immediately followed by one month's mandatory full-time ethical counselling.

[1] This role's responsibilities have varied over time, but include:
Law enforcement in England and Wales
Matters of national security
Issues concerning immigration
Oversight of the Security Service
-- Loris, Nov 09 2023

I hope it catches on in the US. Do you think it would be valuable to have a month of ethical counseling before they took office as well as the psych debriefing sessions when they leave?
-- minoradjustments, Nov 10 2023


//…but include://

civil registration in England and Wales
passports
administration/protection of the borders
licensing of firearms
regulation of the use of animals in experiments
-- hippo, Nov 10 2023


//…but include://

Yeah, that's not a complete list; the powers of the role are quite wide-ranging.

I did consider removing some of the position's responsibilities, because I think it's probably all those security concerns together which give the tendency towards fascism.
But it wasn't clear to me how to sensibly divide the role up into ethically safe chunks - and in any case it would be politically easy to revert the changes.
-- Loris, Nov 10 2023


A lifetime limit of 8 months... Mandatory assassination seems excessive
-- pocmloc, Nov 10 2023


[8th] is muttering in his grave about "a few good chaps equipped with the water-cooled Vickers .303".

I think that was his favourite water-cooler conversation.
-- pertinax, Nov 11 2023


Braverman was awful before she started though. She hasn't got worse, just bolder.
-- nineteenthly, Nov 13 2023


I agree with nineteenthly. Sunak is the real culprit here. He knew what she was like but put her back in a post she had already been kicked out of once in order to swing the right wing looney vote over to him in order to get the PM job.
-- DrBob, Nov 13 2023


Thanks. I think it might not be a case of derangement so much as people, and I mean home secretaries in general, deciding to do more of what they originally wanted to do anyway. That still means [Loris] is onto something, since that would just mean they should be sacked quickly, or at least moved on.
-- nineteenthly, Nov 13 2023


You are a braver man than I
-- pocmloc, Nov 13 2023



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