Of all the Greek thinkers, Socrates was the most interesting for the way he challenged every concept, even the pillars of Greek philosophical thought such as concepts of justice, beauty and friendship. As a true philosopher, he couldn’t help casting doubt on deeply held convictions, on traditional wisdom, on the authority of fathers and the veracity of religious myths, let alone the wisdom of established leaders. As Socrates’ philosophical discussions were felt to have a corrupting effect on young men, his enemies harassed him unmercilessly, leading to his untimely death. When you look today at major countries like China, Russia and Turkey, not much seems to have changed. Thinkers are, of course, inevitably subversive but they can provide valuable allies in the pursuit of wisdom. They should not be confused, however, with gangs of robotic youngsters raging through the streets of Hamburg, their ranks infiltrated by anarchist thugs blinkered by anticapitalist ideology.

At a time when social media invents fake news and politicos bray for resignations in advance of any charges being laid, it’s perhaps unsurprising that few seem to appreciate the past or understand why a little knowledge of Classical Athens might have any relevance to the modern day. You might therefore find it useful, as minister of good governance, to cast an eye over one of the supreme periods in history when philosophers and thinkers were in the forefront of society and developed ideas that still influence thinking today.

For the moment, it’s not obvious that any initiatives ae likely to emanate from your ministry or that any thinking is going on, so how should you proceed? You might do worse than seizing a copy of some of Plato’s dialogues, which record much of Socratic thought – and you know which bright chap in the opposition is bound to have a copy by his bedside. Your predecessor sometimes came out with some good ideas, like banning nou bann associations, but unfortunately his overweening personal ambition casts doubt on what his true motives are. Mind you, it would be good to bring in an anti-racism law – if only you’d dare. In view of his progressive outlook, you could get the president of the Tamil Temples League to help you draft it.

There’s been little news about the commission looking into unexplained wealth. There may be activity going on behind the scenes but where is it leading? A little information might be useful, as it would be about the progress on the freedom of information bill, a more open system for the declaration of MPs’ assets and a private TV channel. It’s no good waiting until the next election campaign to repeat unfulfilled promises that no one will believe.

Of course a lot of energy is being diverted into fighting calls for every Sanjeev, Raouf and Harry to resign. Allegations from criminals may turn out to have some substance but need to be taken with a pinch of salt. It takes a heavy dose of Lethe – the goddess of sweet forgetfulness – for party leaders to demand resignations when they’ve advocated forgetting about past corruption as part of their electoral arrangements or when their supremo has managed to stockpile more money than most people see in several lifetimes. Politicos seem to have one set of morals when in opposition and the opposite when in government, and none of them understands where the moral high ground lies – unless there’s a city to be built there.