Could Rory Stewart become Mayor of London, disrupt the main political parties and strike a historic blow for humane centrism and political compromise? Possibly the best reason to bet against him is that quite a lot of people like me will be arguing – and hoping – that he can win.
By “people like me” I mean the commentator-class. I know what I am. I run a think-tank at Westminster and I write about politics for newspapers and magazines. I don’t belong to any political party and have voted for at least five of them in my 43 and three-quarter years. I don’t really understand tribal partisanship and I admire politicians who say things and advocate policies that are not immediately popular, and those who are willing to work with – or at least engage with – people who don’t agree with them.
In short, Rory Stewart’s bid to take London could have been tailor-made for me and a fair few others who do this sort of thing for a living.
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