CHOICES SHAPE YOUR FUTURE
By Judith Ashton
Whilst studying Shakespeare, I was struck by the role of the fool or jester. Protected by humour and wit, jesters criticised people and circumstances without fear of punishment. Their sharp, veiled observations exposed a monarch’s weaknesses, reminded powerful rulers of their limits and expressed truths that advisers often dared not voice. Wise kings accepted such honesty with humility; insecure rulers silenced or banished their fools and governed through fear. Today, satirical comedians often play a similar role; by challenging political power with humour, they risk cancellation or censorship from those they mock. Perhaps times haven’t changed as much as we thought.
It can be very scary to speak the truth if it runs counter to accepted narratives. Many who have shared uncomfortable truths have been imprisoned, harassed or threatened by those in power. We call them “whistleblowers”. There is something both admirable and unsettling about a whistleblower. These are often ordinary people who find themselves in an extraordinary position. They discover something they believe is morally wrong, dangerous or dishonest, and then face a choice: remain silent and protect themselves, or speak out and risk everything.
In recent years, countless famous whistleblowers have reminded us just how difficult that choice can be.
Mr Bates was the whistleblower who exposed the UK Post Office’s systematic dishonesty during the 20-year Horizon scandal. It was the greatest miscarriage of justice in British legal history; hundreds of subpostmasters were wrongly accused of fraud, theft and false accounting. Many were imprisoned, lives were ruined, and some died before their names were cleared. The scandal arose because faults in Horizon, a Japanese IT system, were concealed and the government failed to act on repeated warnings.
Those who challenged the aggressive legal tactics of the Post Office were brave. Legislation was eventually passed to quash convictions and award compensation. The UK Government failed its citizens and conspired to squash the truth.
Where else has the truth been suppressed? Virginia Giuffre was extremely courageous. Her memoir, “Nobody’s Girl”, claimed Epstein trafficked her to the former Prince Andrew, who denied her allegations and sought to discredit her. Giuffre reportedly died by suicide. Epstein was later imprisoned, largely because of survivors such as her, and died in custody by suicide. Really? Millions of files relating to Epstein and his contacts exist. Many powerful figures are trying everything to conceal the full truth.
Whistleblowers exist in every sector of society where cover-ups and corruption are rife.
There are countless government and intelligence whistleblowers who have sacrificed much for the truth: Edward Snowden (revealed vast US government global surveillance programmes); Chelsea Manning (US army analyst) gave WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange information regarding cover-ups of civilian casualties in US wars; Daniel Ellsberg (The Pentagon Papers); Mark Felt (aka Deep Throat), and Woodward and Bernstein (The Watergate scandal); and Frank Serpico, the New York police officer (corruption in the force). All were either imprisoned, fired or exiled. Recent Irish situations include Superintendent O’Reilly’s concerns regarding An Garda Síochána, Wexford GP Billy Ralph, and Prof Angus Dalglish.
Many people regard such whistleblowers as courageous heroes and defenders of the public interest. Often they are vindicated and films are made about them.
Whistleblowers are ordinary people and generally pay a huge personal price. Speaking out can mean losing a career, relationships, friendships, financial security and sometimes one’s freedom. Sarah Wynn-Williams found herself facing powerful corporations, e.g. Meta and Zuckerberg, with teams of lawyers and enormous resources.
A healthy society needs people who are willing to ask difficult questions. We need those who can say, “Something isn’t right here”. We need systems where concerns can be independently investigated without bias, rather than simply covered up, as many have been here in Ireland.
We often say that we want honesty, transparency and accountability. Those qualities are easy to applaud when the truth is comfortable. The real test comes when somebody reveals an uncomfortable truth we would rather not face.
What can whistleblowers teach us? Their concerns deserve thorough investigation, every piece of evidence must be scrutinised, and the truth must never be concealed.
Generally, the person asking the questions is not the person who created the problem; they are simply the one who was brave enough to point it out. Why do I believe we owe many of them a great debt?
Because powerful institutions may conceal inconvenient truths to protect their interests, shouldn’t we always question their claims rather than accept them at face value?
Whistleblowing is ultimately about more than secrets. It is about responsibility. Would you stand up for the truth or opt for a quiet life?
