"The weather is like the government, always in the wrong"

Jerome K. Jerome draws a witty parallel between two entities often criticized for their unpredictability and perceived inadequacies: the weather and the government. Both are forces that affect daily life profoundly, yet remain largely beyond the individual’s control. People complain about the weather being too hot, too cold, too wet, or too dry, rarely finding it satisfactory. The government, similarly, is habitually accused of mismanaging affairs, making poor decisions, or simply failing to meet the populace’s expectations.

This comparison relies on the idea that both the weather and the government serve as convenient scapegoats. When plans go awry, when comfort is disturbed, the blame is often shifted toward these larger structures, even if the problem is rooted elsewhere. This tendency reflects not only human frustration with external circumstances but also society’s inclination to look outward for causes of personal or communal dissatisfaction. The government becomes a symbol for all societal woes, just as the weather becomes an explanation for a ruined outing or a bad day.

Jerome’s humor highlights a universal sentiment, the eternal discontent that pervades public opinion about institutions and natural forces alike. The joke implies that people will always find fault, regardless of actual performance. Even when the weather is pleasant or the government takes sound action, there is an underlying readiness to point out flaws or anticipate disaster. The phrase suggests a certain resignation, an acknowledgment that perfection is an unrealistic expectation for either the weather or those in power.

The statement also subtly critiques the nature of expectation itself. By grouping weather and government together, Jerome emphasizes how both function as backdrops to daily life, constantly judged, rarely praised. People’s dissatisfaction is less a reflection of the actual behavior of government or weather, and more about the inherent impossibility of pleasing everyone at all times. This wry observation recognizes human nature’s propensity to complain, reminding us that both the weather and governance will always be, in someone’s estimation, “in the wrong.”