That's exactly the quote I was thinking of when I asked the question

@girlwithsmiles that is crazy that I came across this post today because this morning I was asking a friend if they knew who made this quote

@AmelieMatisse don't think my initial response to you published: Check the source. It may have been Sophocles, Aristotle, or G Dubya.

@Dingodog I shall but I'm sure it isn't Dubya!

@AmelieMatisse I found it...incase you didn't or anyone else is interested: [en.wikipedia.org] it was John Dalberg-Acton or Baron Acton for short He is perhaps best known for the remark in a letter to an Anglican bishop, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men,..." So quite a few people on this page have agreed with him!

@girlwithsmiles Dang, I knew the full quote but I think this guy plagiarized Socrates.

@girlwithsmiles Wow thanks for Googling!

@Dingodog Socrates definitely has some great quotes accredited to him: [goodreads.com]

It would be interesting wouldn't it?

Tell that to the Queen of England

Oh, that's a sad fact. Yes.

Exactly, but I don't think he'd pass a psych test even if he was schooled.

@girlwithsmiles Who would? You would have to be crazy to want that job. ?

@Sticks48 I don't know about that, it would be an honour to serve your Country in that way; and you're not alone, Governments have many excellent and dedicated staff working for them.

@girlwithsmiles Sarcasm doesn't always play well on line, hence the smiley face.

@Sticks48 lols, oh sorry!

I think that we hope the people elected have some knowledge and insight into how to achieve their party's objectives, as well as making a good figurehead for the party and Country.

@girlwithsmiles Sure, but if that's our aim, why not simply factor expert opinion into our voting habits, and skip the chance of them lying about their intent, or changing their position?

@DonThiebaut I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean by factoring in expert opinion? I disagree with direct democracy as I think that most people don't have time to study the relevant issues involved in any given policy, (Some don't even have the capacity or inclination to make any kind of informed decision at all, and others simply follow their peers with no insight into the subject at hand).
The current system creates some great reports,and includes some great researchers; which heads of Government ignore or bias at their peril.
I think the two latter points were covered in my comment about targets and objectives; if they do lie or U turn they should be held accountable and possibly be ousted I'd say.

@girlwithsmiles If people don't have the time to study the issues, they won't vote. That's how it already is. The problem with anything other than direct democracy is, who decides which people should count as experts? Who decides what constitutes lying or backpedalling? Who gets to say who makes informed decisions? When it comes down to it, the answer is always either some subset of the population that doesn't fully represent the people, or the people. If it's not the people, corruption will follow. If it is the people, why the middlemen prone to corruption at all?

@DonThiebaut I wish! Unfortunately they do still vote, which is great every few years and I support proportional representation for that, for several reasons.
An expert is generally someone with a qualification in the field that has studied the subject for years, it's not just someone who turns up claiming to have knowledge on a topic.These experts advise our Politicians and the subdivisions of Government that they are related to on a daily basis.
When a Politician is assigned to a role it is their onus to learn about the decisions made to date, any contentious issues and what their local people think about the subject. THey then have to consider current views of the nation as a whole and those of the opposition, so as to be able to have a good knowledge, this is why they need to have the ability to read research papers as well as be personable enough to talk to their electorate. An ability to be a good speaker helps them represent their case. True it's a lot to ask of one person, but like I said they have a whole team behind them to help, they have access to University Professors, Researchers and classified information. I think having one person make this their full time job is a much better approach than the majority of the population, who quite obviously don't have the time to devote their lives to the subject in this way, voting on the big issues.
I think there are some people more prone to corruption than others, there are some people that will steal from the stationary cupboard in the office and some that won't and that is the difference I'm interested in here as even when it comes to claiming expenses some politicians simply take the mick...but then many people do when claiming tax expenses, maybe it's a societal thing that we all need to realise the knock on effect of these insidious little lies and corruptions .

Perhaps, but people with money are able to bribe too apparently, or perhaps I've just been reading too many Jeffrey Archer novels

So true...I think the 1% are really running the country, but if the other 99%, including myself, would spend their time and more wisely, I think things would get drastically better...not familiar with Jeffrey Archer will have to look him up ???

we have compulsory voting, and every election I am amazed at our collective stupidity.

@Rugglesby
Thank you! I refuse to vote because our ballot is lacking one option. 'None of the above.' I will not choose a lesser shithead above one a bit worse.

@Rugglesby That's one reason I mentioned knowledge before responsibility.

I agree we need more responsible citizenship. The way we spend our money is also a vote, which many people don’t realize or care about.

@Holysocks The lesser of 2 evils is still evil.

@Rugglesby That's why I choose none of the above.

@nadine3478 Totally agree and that's the one place I can (sort of) make a dent.