I
ncreasinglyit’sclearthatpoliticiansarenotthebestpeopleto
be left in charge of anything.
The evidence is mounting. Pick a government department
and survey thebrokenstones.Idon’tblamethepoliticians–not
entirely. Within the majority of the departments you find senior
elected representatives placed as figureheads and expected to
understand theterrainandcomplexbriefs,frequentlyatthedropof
a hat. And thenthey’reaskedtomakeinformeddecisionsforthe
good of the nation based on the briefest of bits of knowledge. W hen
you strip it down,thisisacrazywaytodobusiness.
Some aresmartandwillworktofindaway.Butrushingagainst
them are wavesofpartypoliticsandthenecessitytotoethelineif
they value theircareer.Sogoodjudgementisalwayseitherclouded
or diluted.
Then there’stheChrisGrayling-stylepolitician.Thisstyleis
exemplified byChrisGrayling,amanforwhomnomajorofficeof
state is too bigtomessup.Hehadawreckingballapproachtothe
Ministry of Justice–rememberthebanningofbooks,cutstolegal
aid, employmenttribunalfees?Sofar,nineGraylingjusticepolicies
have been ditchedor,inthecaseofthetribunalfees,foundunlawful
in the SupremeCourt.NowGraylingisbringingthesame‘ifitneeds
fixed, break it’approachtohisbriefattheDepartmentofTransport.
He’s not, as he said himself, “a specialist in rail matters”.
Incidentally,justinsertyourownpoliticalbetenoirinplaceof
Grayling andlisttheirfailings.It’safunparlourgame.
We shouldn’ttarallpoliticians.Thereare,ofcourse,manygood
women and men, many of whom are working at a local level to
represent. Therearethosewhodonotletpersonaladvancement
plans obscurethejobinhand–toservethosewhoelectedthem.
As an extrarider,we’refacingadarkcul-de-sacwherethe
greater goodisbeingbarkedoutoftheparkbyabattleforidentity
politics. It’s azero-sumgame–politicsplayedoutbycertain
politicians whodon’tseemtowanttogetanythingdone,ratherto
show their narrow, but intense, allegiances. It also leads to a great
number of peoplebecomingincreasinglyfearfulofsayingwhatthey
believe in case the social media mob labels them unacceptable.
We’re at a standstill.
Is the answertobootpoliticiansoutofpolitics?Useindependent
experts in theirplace?Whiletempting,coupsd’etatarenotknown
for ending well.
Instead, how about a fixed term for senior ministers that insists
on a deep diveintotheirbrief,andadesiretodotherightthing
rather than be beholden to the party.
Prisons MinisterforEnglandandWalesRoryStewarthas
imposed a deadline on himself. An interesting and well-respected
character, StewartisanoldEtonianex-BlackWatchofficerwhoonce
walked 6,000milesthroughIran,Nepal,Pakistan,Afghanistanand
India. WhengiventhebriefinJanuaryhethrewhimselfintoit,
visiting prisonsandtryingtocrackthehardestofnuts–howtobring
order to overcrowding,andwheredoespunishmentstopand
rehabilitation start. Last week he said he’d resign in a year if his
policy to reduce drugs and violence in prisons isn’t successful.
Leaving asidethelegitimacyoftheplan,it’saboldpromise.
Imagine iftheChancellorsaid:“I’vegivenmyselftwoyearsto
bring lastingeconomicgrowth.”OrtheEducationMinistersaid:
“Give me a yearandI’llmaketeachershappy.”OrChrisGrayling,
well... maybesomearebeyonddeadlines.
If deadlines don’t work we could employ another Stewart
approach. Haveseniorpoliticiansheadoutandnotcomeback
until they’vewalked6,000miles.
Paul McNameeiseditorofTheBigIssue @pauldmcnamee
Deadlines, coups
andjusticeforall
THE EDITOR
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