Current MPs in Britain seem, at times, a drab and depressing bunch. ‘The quality of parliamentarian,’ Ann Widdecombe said on a recent podcast, ‘is the lowest I can ever remember.’ It was not just the reluctance most sensible people feel about exposing themselves to such overwhelming and intrusive media focus, she explained, that was putting better candidates off. It was also down to the identity-driven shortlists all three main parties have embraced in the past few decades.
It’s all too easy for ministers to forget what a strong economy, a robust education system, or a love of free speech are actually for
‘They began to select on identity rather than merit,’ Widdecombe pointed out – adding that if you do that ‘for a quarter-century odd, then it’s going to have an impact on the quality of people in parliament.’
As a new political play, the ‘Gang of Three’, opens at the King’s Head theatre in London, about the relationship between Denis Healey, Roy Jenkins and Tony Crosland – three Labour MPs from the past who were anything but dull – the gap between now and then seems painfully wide.
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