As the perfect politician would be so excruciatingly annoying as to be unelectable, we try to choose the ones that come off the least worst when set against various scales of sincerity, mental agility, empathy and a whole raft of qualities we would ideally like to see in those appointed to oversee our affairs and intercede where and when necessary. Some glaring flaws may be overlooked if a candidate shines in one particular aspect. Margaret Thatcher may have made a virtue of her lack of empathy, but she had considerable populist and analytical skills and, self-evidently, was a devastatingly successful political operator. Neil Kinnock is a smashing bloke and one of our last conviction politicians. Given the state of the rest of the field, his sincerity was unimpeachable and he had, until one fateful moment, considerable oratory punch. But he had the political skills of a drunk at a wedding. Ultimately, though, each fell to their own shortcomings and will be remembered for little else. Thatcher for denying society's existence, Kinnock for an unnecessary and cringe-worthy celebratory high-fiving at a pre-election rally in 1992 that undoubtedly won the election for John Major, whose blandness was somehow mistaken for reliability.
A weary eye on a weary world.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The Tories 2012: 3rd Movement
Cutting public spending is not a simply a process to the Tories, or even a plan. it is a reflex. It is an end in itself. It is what they do, what they live for. Increasing it has never been on a Tory manifesto, even though, as they never tire of telling us, they have always done just that even when they have been claiming the opposite, just like today, indeed. But this merely emphasises just how ideologically driven this lot are. And by keeping up this pretence for the benefit of nobody other than the hectoring buffoons on their backbenches - stop borrowing tomorrow and the lights will go off the next day as the country gets repossessed - they part company with Thatcher, who made a virtue of her ideological purity. If policy objectives looked like not being met or, as is the case with the Coalition's austerity fetish, demonstrably crashing to ground in a fireball, rather than pretend otherwise, which would have made her look foolish and was best avoided, the responsible minister got well and truly handbagged. George Osbourne would not have been grinning like the goofy imbecile he is under Mrs Thatcher; and he's no Geoffrey Howe, so unless he's got some good pictures of David Cameron in his Eton yearbook, ones that aren't on Facebook, yet, he should watch out.
The Tories 2012: 2nd Movement
The only solutions being espoused just now are short-term and almost invariably revolve around satisfying the self-declared imperatives of one group of people, usually the same group of people; those with their names on the wealth. This is just as it should be for social Darwinists, but no comfort for those about to be evolved into penury.
All the evidence, in the last days of the U.K. at any rate, suggests that our leaders' views of what constitutes recovery and economic well-being are markedly at odds with those of the bulk of the population. A Tory government is testament to the quality not of their politics, but of their own free market propaganda as many who voted for it clearly have no logical reason for doing so if all scores are totted up. This has largely been achieved by the same Public Sector Bad/Private Sector Good mantra beloved of Thatcher and creating, all too successfully, a phoney battle that, quite coincidently, splits opposition down the middle and pits worker against worker.
The Tories 2012: an 7 part symphony: Ist movement
In leiu of a New Year's greeting, I bring you a beginner's assessment of the coming year and an introduction to the political themes I somehow suspect will dominate the coming months. Any inferred inconclusiveness is not so much unintentional as unavoidable and, frankly, expedient; any conclusion that might be relevant today will almost certainly be irrelevant next week.
As keeping this to the 1000 word limit our modren world seems to have imposed is impossible, this has been randomly and retrospectively chopped into eight movements for the benefit of those whose time is already imposed upon more than they would like.
As keeping this to the 1000 word limit our modren world seems to have imposed is impossible, this has been randomly and retrospectively chopped into eight movements for the benefit of those whose time is already imposed upon more than they would like.
I would also like to welcome viewers from Russia and Ukraine who have stumbled into this dusty corner of cyberspace, according to Lord Google. Tell me, how are you finding capitalism? Good, isn't it?