Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Our Roll-Call
He knew the idiosyncrasies of councillors and aldermen in committee; he had learnt more about mankind in the committee-rooms of the old town hall than he could have learnt in ten thousand London clubs. He could divide the city council infallibly into wire-pullers, axe-grinders, vain nincompoops, honest mediocrities, and the handful who combined honesty with sagacity and sagacity with strength.
Arnold Bennett – The Roll-Call (1918)
Things haven’t changed much, our roll-call of the political classes could be similarly divided.
Wire-pullers – yes
Axe-grinders – yes
Vain nincompoops – yes
Honest mediocrities – yes
The handful who combine honesty with sagacity and sagacity with strength – hmm.
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2 comments:
Such people are around, though. You feature them frequently here. That incensed American mother, Jordan Peterson, and loads more. The desperate pity is that they don't go into politics any more. Maybe the rewards are not enough? But my guess is that what passes for politics these days is so transparently futile and frustrating that the good people would give it a wide berth even if there were far greater compensations. Joining a group of mediocrities and then doing routine case-work until you are spotted telling enough ridiculous lies by the mediocrity-in-chief....It doesn't look all that appealing. I think it's a structural thing.
Sam - I agree, the political arena effectively guards itself against rational appraisal by being unattractive to capable people. The permanent administration guards itself by hiding behind political actors. Yes it is structural.
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