When a political leader lies on their CV - can you trust them?

Boris Johnson’s downfall was not actually because of his reputation as a compulsive liar M0nica, it was because he continued to lie and was found out once too often.

Vintagewhine

Unfortunately a monumental ability to tell lies didn't stop Trump and Farage lied about meeting the Russian ambassador, Boris also told a few porkies in his time. Reeves was guilty of embellishing her CV and Badenoch hasn't been honest about her education. Seems dishonesty is widespread. Doesn't make it right though!

Pretty much this.

What is worse is their apologies after the event when they have been found out. They are not sorry for lying, only for not being more careful so that they were not found out.

This 💯 The faux naivety of "it was a genuine oversight, I was only doing what I'd been advised to do" and "now that it's been pointed out to me, I will, of course remedy my mistake". Liars in every political colour. If their lips are moving, they're lying.

LadyGracie

There was no mention of Boris’s CV up thread would you like to pick up on that too?

What are you talking about??

M0nica

The problem particulalry of Polanski is that he is a party leader, not just a member, even a Parliamentary elected member, but a party leader. In his case he is someone who has come from nowhere to somewhere in a very short period.

Polanski's particular weakness is to pretend to be what he is not, to claim experiences he hasn't had, and while there are plenty of criminals and wife beaters among our MPs, there is a particular distaste for those who pretend to be what they are not, to have experience they have not had, it brings them too close to being, in modern terms, scammers, and people who do that tend to find themselves very rapidly on the outside looking in.

I would no more vote for a party led by a Polanski than I would vote for a party led by a Farage. Keir Starmer is, at least, just a plain old fashoned, power grabber and like so many such, he is determined to keep his grasp on power no matter how much his party and the electorate want him to go. With Starmer we know what he is - and he is just one of many similar leaders, Trump, Putin, That bloke in Turkey. Thankfully for us, the means of unwinding those grasping fingers can be done fairly easily in this country, much as they did in Hungary, but a leader who lies continually about his past, claiming expereinces and employers he did not have, a compulsive liar, that is a very different thing, and is always pushed to the margins - except in the Green party.

Badenoch and Ed Davey, as fas I know, they have never claimed to be anything they are not. Nor has any leader of any large party in recent history.

I think, that although I do agree with some of the content of your post, to bracket Starmer as similar to Trump and Putin is simply, not only not true, but really beyond the pale.

LadyGracie

And Starmer and his many lies.

I don’t think Starmer has lied on his CV has he?

MaizieD

^Badenoch and Ed Davey, as fas I know, they have never claimed to be anything they are not.^

Oh, I don't know. Didn't Badenoch claim to be working class because she did a temporary stint in McDonalds?

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Has anyone mentioned Rachel in Accounts and her dodgy CV? Could explain why she's managing the country's finances like she's sat at the kitchen table paying her milk bill.

M0nica

NotSpaghetti

I don't believe he embellished or lied on his CV which is what we are talking about here.
Please explain?
Thanks.

He said he worked for The Red Cross - he didn't

Today we read that he claimed to have worked for the Ministry of Justice - he didn't.

He ran a business based on telling women that they could use hypnotherapy to increase their breast size - they can't and he is clever enough to know himself that it will not work.

I am sure as more stones are lifted more such revelations will be made.

What bothers me is the doubts this casts on the acumen and judgment of those in power in the Green Party and the acumen and judgment of those Green Party members who could have the wool so easily pulled over their eyes and vote for them. Far too much wishful thinking in the Green Party and if you cannot trust the judgment of those running a political party eager for power, do we really want them anywhere near power?

I believe Spaghetti was asking for evidence of "lies and embellishments" on Starmers CV, not that slippery snake Polanski.

I bet if lots of politicians told the truth on their CV's , almost NONE of them would be qualified for the job !

I’d like to see Yvette Cooper get a chance.

No stains on her.

Yes I was butterandjam, but I don't think LadyGracie has come back to the thread about this as yet.

Casdon

Boris Johnson’s downfall was not actually because of his reputation as a compulsive liar M0nica, it was because he continued to lie and was found out once too often.

Well, precisely.

Everything that I hear about Mr Polanski seems to indicate that he is fake, from imaginative descritions of jobs on his CV down to changing his name.

Wyllow3

I’d like to see Yvette Cooper get a chance.

No stains on her.

I agree. She's bright and honest.

I doubt she's got much chance, UK Labour leaders have without exception been white males.

If a Head Teacher lied on his CV, he would be sacked. In fact, when you look at Siôn Jenkins (1997 Billy Joe murder), the beginning of the suspicions by the police was coloured by the lies he had told on his CV. This was enlarged upon by the press who portrayed him as a dishonest and manipulative figure, significantly damaging his reputation and intensifying scrutiny during his trials for the murder of his foster daughter, Billie-Jo. The public were also swayed by this narrative so I don't think they much want a proved "liar" as a leader.

As the OP says (others too), it's all very depressing. Polanski has now been shown to have been avoiding Council Tax, as he's been on a houseboat for 3 years. His (& the party's) excuse is that he previously rented a room, and Council Tax was 'included'. So, that's Ok then, so easy to forget. I'd be more concerned with his stance on the recent attempted murders in Golders Green, when he attacked the police (trying to disarm a terrorist who was still resisting) and spoke of the 'rights' of the criminal.

So, if that had been HIS relatives under attack, he'd have shouted at the attending police "no, stop, don't possibly injure that poor man, getting his machete off him, I'm trying to arrange a therapy session with his mental health counsellors next Thursday afternoon -- can you wait until then"? I think he should confirm this simple point?

Yes, BoJo took the sleaze and crony angles to new extremes, but it seems Labour - quick to criticise those easy targets -- have now got their snouts in a smilar trough. Angela Rayner is now mentioned as a potential replacement for the hapless SKS, and she would bring her own novel interpretation of the tax and property rules for MPs?!

And on that topic, I see that the obnoxious Farrago has gone from defending his miraculous £5 million 'gift' as being "fully within Parliamentary rules" (it wasn't), to NOW claiming that it's a stitch up, his computer was hacked, and someone is "doing a job on him"? BUT -- how could it have been a legit 'gift', and then become this miracle £5 mill that someone planted in his bank a/c to make him look bad??

Can we all get on this list to get hacked for a mysterious £5 mill to get credited?!

As several have said, politicos wonder why the general public have a contemptuous attitude towards them?!

Nearly everybody tweaks their CVs I’ve found. The media are like rats, seeking out nasty little bits of gossip and sometimes misinformation. Remember when they hung Corbyn and Diane Abbott out to dry?

cc

Everything that I hear about Mr Polanski seems to indicate that he is fake, from imaginative descritions of jobs on his CV down to changing his name.

You’re too harsh. Look at the downright lies, deceptions and misinformation put out by Farage and his cronies. Now those are serious.

Furret

Nearly everybody tweaks their CVs I’ve found. The media are like rats, seeking out nasty little bits of gossip and sometimes misinformation. Remember when they hung Corbyn and Diane Abbott out to dry?

What is your definition of a 'tweak'? I have never done it and never would.

I have caught other people out doing it, and they were immediately rejected.

M0nica

Furret

Nearly everybody tweaks their CVs I’ve found. The media are like rats, seeking out nasty little bits of gossip and sometimes misinformation. Remember when they hung Corbyn and Diane Abbott out to dry?

What is your definition of a 'tweak'? I have never done it and never would.

I have caught other people out doing it, and they were immediately rejected.

There is a difference between selling yourself to a prospective employer and outright lying about your roles. If Zack had said that his role for advertising gave him skills which made him man for the job based on what he had seen whilst doing so, that would be one thing but to outright lie, that is more than tweaking.
It's a bit like saying you were a Supervisor instead of saying you had Supervisory skills because there were moments in your role when you might have been overseeing someone.

I heard on the radio that Zak Polenski's name is not his real name.

GrannyGravy13

If a persons career is started by an untruth on a CV, surely it discredits the person and should impact their career path.

Regardless of whether it is a politician, a civil servant or anyone else…

Now seems he can't get his fact straight about paying and owing Council tax either.

Thought he was a bit of a on entity with the personality of a snow drift.

Looks as though he is not that daft after all.

GrannyGravy13

Good and valid points 👏👏👏

(I would let Hugh Grant have a shot at PM 😹😹😹)

Me too 😉