I understand the desire for technocratic competence, but we also need good leadership, and personality is an important component of that. The prime minister is supposed to inspire his party and the country so that difficult decisions can be made and followed through with, if not with consensus, then at least with grudging acceptance that…
I understand the desire for technocratic competence, but we also need good leadership, and personality is an important component of that. The prime minister is supposed to inspire his party and the country so that difficult decisions can be made and followed through with, if not with consensus, then at least with grudging acceptance that the policies make sense within the political frame of reference of the party in power. Thatcherite closing of the coal mines, for instance, was something that was conducted unsympathetically and without consensus, but in hindsight was necessary. The Tory government of the past decade cannot even execute policy that makes sense to itself, let alone the country, the crowning example being (of course) Brexit. Tory party leadership is currently a game of deckchair-rearranging on the Titanic.
I understand the desire for technocratic competence, but we also need good leadership, and personality is an important component of that. The prime minister is supposed to inspire his party and the country so that difficult decisions can be made and followed through with, if not with consensus, then at least with grudging acceptance that the policies make sense within the political frame of reference of the party in power. Thatcherite closing of the coal mines, for instance, was something that was conducted unsympathetically and without consensus, but in hindsight was necessary. The Tory government of the past decade cannot even execute policy that makes sense to itself, let alone the country, the crowning example being (of course) Brexit. Tory party leadership is currently a game of deckchair-rearranging on the Titanic.