If the Lib Dems do well in this election, it will be down to the madness of crowds

24 April 2010

Toby Young suffers from Status Anxiety

From now on, all future party leaders will be selected according to how well they’re likely to perform on this particular version of The X Factor. It won’t be their grasp of the issues that matters, their judgment, their ability to keep their heads in a crisis. It will be their hair and teeth — how ‘authentic’ and ‘likable’ they seem. In short, the decision to hold televised prime ministerial debates will probably prove to be disastrous, not just for David Cameron but for politics in general. Far from having introduced a more serious, discursive tone to the election campaign, they have rendered it even more trivial than usual. There’s no doubt that the British public was already susceptible to snake oil salesman — just look at the success of Tony Blair — but the debates have exacerbated this. And we’re stuck with them from now on. If I were Simon Cowell, I’d be thinking seriously about forming a political party.

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Mr. Green

April 22nd, 2010 12:18pm Report this comment

Or perhaps not, Toby.
The population were certainly hypnotised by the snake oil salesman formally known as Bliar. And if it proves true that Clogg is equally good at selling snake oil, then this may give the great unwashed a sharp wake-up call.
You may find that it has the opposite effect and that the more you look like a gormless wonder, the more willing the electorate will be to give you a chance.

Sir Graphus

April 22nd, 2010 4:38pm Report this comment

You may be right this time. But next time, the public will have had a bit of practise at this. We won't jump in quite so quickly into the deep over a politician who claim to be different, having had our fingers burned.

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