'I am not getting involved'

One of the biggest problems in our times is the fact that very few respectable people want to get involved in politics or public life in general. And who can blame them? Politics has become an extreme sport suitable only for people with strong stomachs and nerves. In the era of social media, what we used to call a "hot seat" has become a Colosseum. Any notion of privacy has been lost. We witness character assassinations on the internet either because someone ordered them or because spectators want to see some "blood" in the arena.

Anyone who gets involved in politics or public life and makes the mistake of putting his/her signature on a major decision is certain to be caught up in a legal tangle for several years. It is an uneven battle against small and big interests, a slow and dysfunctional justices system, trade unions and unhinged individuals.

Even those who...