The study of political ethics has been a major preoccupation of political thought since ancient times. In recent years, the subject has attracted the attention of more empirically minded scholars, especially those concerned with trying to explain declining levels of support for democratic institutions and actors. As is well known, the liberal democratic form of government spread throughout the late twentieth century, but many liberal democracies, both old and new, found themselves beset by diminishing levels of trust in government during the same period (Flinders 2012). These trends highlight an apparent contradiction in the minds of many electorates. Democracy as a system of government is generally held in high regard, yet elected politicians and the institutions they populate are generally not. Various factors are thought to have contributed to declining trust, ranging from the diminished capacities of governments and diminishing rates of economic growth, through deep-seated generational changes and the rise of ‘critical citizens’ (Norris 1999; 2011), to the very nature of democratic politics, which require consensus and compromise and thus a willingness to accept disappointment. To some extent, therefore, our elected representatives have become the focus of popular disapprobation and distrust for reasons entirely beyond their control. Yet trust is also partly a function of the honesty and integrity of elected representatives and policy-makers. Some politicians undoubtedly behave dishonestly, and a few almost certainly behave corruptly. Such behaviour almost inevitably undermines trust. Whether all politicians everywhere deserve to be tarred with the same brush, however, is obviously another matter.