There is something called a political antenna.
Don't ask me to define it. It makes no sense trying to do so. In fact, doing so would be a contradictory exercise. Somebody either has it, and uses it without knowing how, or they haven't got it and can never be taught it. That's precisely why definition could not help.
Rishi Sunak has not got a political antenna. There's no point beating bush about that.
If it's any comfort to him, that's largely true of most UK politicians.
There are exceptions. Stephen Flynn clearly is possessed of a political antenna. Caroline Lucas is, too.
There must also be a few others possessed of what is now rare, but which seemed, when I was much younger, to be a lot more commonplace.
Importantly, this issue is not to be confused with having charisma. Indisputably, Boris Johnson was possessed of that. His political antenna was, however, only tuned to his own wavelength.
Why say this? Obviously, I am referring to the massive error of judgement that Rishi Sunak made when leaving the D-Day celebrations to return for an interview with ITN, which will not be broadcast until Wednesday next week. If he had been possessed of a political antenna he would have been aware of what impression this would create. But he clearly was not.
It must also be concluded that the Conservative Party, which let him do this, also now lacks such an antenna. It, apparently, offered this interview slot to ITN knowing it would conflict with the D-Day events, and did nothing to rearrange the interview which must have been possible given that almost any news channel would have worked around a prime minister's arrangements.
The consequence is that we have to conclude that both our Prime Minister and his party have none of the innate political sense required to succeed in the political arena. The basic requirement of political success, which is that they innately understand the rules of the game without ever needing them to be explained, is absent in both cases.
That said, Keir Starmer only succeeds by comparison, and the limit to his antenna and abilities will be cruelly exposed once he is prime minister.
The question in that case is how did we reach this point where those seeking political office seem to be automatons about all else, without the innate understanding of human characteristics and needs which any truly successful politician must possess, but which can never be trained into them?
Could it be that the answer is staring us in the face? It is precisely because neoliberalism has demanded that politics be reduced to this mundane, monochromatic level so that no widescale criticism of the assumptions underpinning it can take place. Unthinking compliance is what is required by this system of thinking, precisely because it will break if over-analysed by those tasked with delivering it.
The result is that the policies of most of our major political parties must be presented by politicians who are recruited precisely because they are both devoid of ideas of their own and are without the political antenna that alerts them to the risk of what they are doing. The consequence is that they do not have the talent to actually be the politicians we need because the very essence of awareness that being a proper politician demands of these people cannot be in their DNA if they are to survive in the neoliberal political world.
Politics is about conviction. When both Labour and the Tories, at least, are now conviction free zones intended solely to serve the interests of wealth of course we end up with politicians like Starmer and Sunak.
The more important question is how do we get rid of this rotten form of politics.
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My impression is that some MPs are raised to ministerial level within a very short period after their initial election – Sunak managed MP to PM in seven years.
I’m sure that was I was younger, MPs seemed to serve in junior roles for several years before getting to run a department.
Maybe the problem is lack of experience of being exposed to political criticism.
“Rishi Sunak has not got a political antenna. There’s no point beating bush about that.”
I do not think lack of experience is the problem; either your have the inborn trait of a political antenna or you do not. Either you can paint like Van Gogh or you cannot. Experience makes no difference in developing a finely tuned political antenna. This is reason a successful pollical parties needs all sorts: experts, deal makers, media whores and good political antenna people. One person cannot be all things a part needs. I doubt Van Gogh would have done well on social media promoting his art.
Rishi Sunak like Hillary Clinton is a managerial technocrat which all political parties and governments need. The difference between Sunak and H. Clinton is that H. Clinton has a thread of a political antenna which was augmented by her husband, “Billy the Clinton” who possesses one on the strongest and greatest political antenna of all time.
Sorry for all the typos!
Typo: “rotten form”, not “rotten firm”.
Good question. I wish I had the answer. Neoliberalism seems to be so embedded that there may not be a crowbar strong enough to dislodge it for some time to come. I am hoping that it will not become a permanent part of our social/cognitive/emotional landscape. I trust I am not hoping in vain.
Corrected. Thanks
I am not at all convinced that neoliberalism is as entrenched as it appears to be. There is an unthinking acceptance of the post-1979 consensus among the establishment, despite its clear shortcomings and failures, just as there was was an unthinking acceptance of the Keynesian post-war consensus before that. The political-economic consensus can change, and there are enough straws in the wind to show that the present dispensation is not accepted by many. Particularly the young. As Max Planck said: “truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it”
I attended a few lectures at the LSE this week on what they are calling cohesive capitalism: Alternatives to neoliberalism, and How to build a cohesive society
https://www.lse.ac.uk/Events/2024/06/202406031830/neoliberalism
https://www.lse.ac.uk/Events/2024/06/202406041830/society
The heterodox can become the orthodox. That is exactly how neoliberalism achieved its dominance. And not by accident but by a long term and well funded programme of engagement with academia, politicians, and the media.
If I did not believe neoliberalism can be dislodged I would be wasting my time…..
A major economic crowbar could be BRICS – talk of 59 members shortly, a SWIFT payments alternative on the way, and the global south keen to escape the kindness of the IMF & co.
Neoliberalism (=theology) & its adherents (=believers) by definition cannot have too much contact with the real world. becuase the real world and events in it destroy the theology. In turn this destroys the foundations on which the believer has constructed his/hers world view. So cognitive dissonance rules. There is no cure for this (neolib/believers) apart from removal @ the ballot box.
The problem in the Uk is that the mian political parties (LINO, Tory, Lib-Dem) are saturated with neo-lib thinking. Sure, at an individual level you will meet people that will agree it is all nonsense. But in public, the show must go on.
Thus substantive change would require some sort of revolution., I’m not suggesting tumbrils but something from the ground up. LINO will win. Thus there needs to be an answer to their brainless neo-lib policies. Perhaps this can come via localism.
I’m afraid that the hegemony identified by Gramsci and the reinforcing institutional manifestations that Foucault put forward are pretty entrenched as regards neoliberal ideology. The impact of corporate power was identified as early as 1940.
I can see no other route to real change than actions required to remediate the climate crisis, which simply has to undermine the dogma of neoliberalism, because business as normal is existentially suicidal. And that is where we are at.
I can’t see it being a revolution, and hope not, as revolutions tend to replace one elite with another without there necessarily being substantive change. The change LINO are proposing is just more of the same, and possibly worse.
As we have very highly centralised political elites, playing power games through authoritarian styles, like SKS, then bottom up, localist solutions of decentralised democracy will not come without civil disobedience, and without withdrawal of consent for the current system. I see little momentum for that just now, but it can happen.
If we continue with the current embedded system, we will fail to address the climate crisis, and merely sustain neoliberalism. On this thread hangs the future.
Agreed
Mr Tony – very good agree.
The indy support group which I & another blog commentator founded – will continue after the election. The aim will be to drive Community XXX, with the XXX being anything from DIY broadband, local energy, transport, pub etc. All already exist – but are frgamented – need to press the loud pedal & in doing so, disintermediate the corporations.
It might even be a little worse than you describe. One of the papers this am pointed out that the D-Day event was the ideal opportunity for Sunak to look ‘statesmanlike’, rubbing shoulders with major world leaders and showing seriousness of purpose. Great ‘optics’. Much could, and should, have been made of it, but instead it’s just a mess.
I think Rishi Sunak just wants to get on a plane with family and get back to California ASAP.
He seems to be counting the days and his face shows it.
Must not think outside the box…All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy…
“The dutiful child of modern civilization is possessed by a fear of departing from the facts which, in the very act of perception, the dominant conventions of science, commerce, and politics—cliché-like—have already molded” – Dialectic of Enlightenment, Adorno & Horkheimer
Provost & Kennard “Silent Coup” lays bare the corruption of life (and the planet) by neoliberal business. In the news, SW Water take a financial stake in a refusal to pay protesters home. They pretend they are a service while polluting the water and overseeing a massive drinking water scandal. Racketeering of a major sort and typical of this country mow.
Arrogance.
Tories have been in power for most of the post war era.
They have forged a media alliance with the oligarchs to influence public opinion and drown out any alternatives.
It’s so easy to win power you don’t need too much capability to win it. You need to be accepted into the club.
The club over time self selects the same automatons from the same background. The media cover lets the dross into No 10.
What do we need to do to break the cycle? Break media control. Move to a form of PR. How? Dont know.
Just my thoughts mostly from reading this blog.
I agree with so much here, though i think the process of “professionalising” politics (especially the use of lashings of donor money) and in particular the current dominance of the uk party system – imho much to do with fptp – has dampened any antenna individuals might have inspite of their initial intentions to participate. An additional downer imho is the apparent widespread use of focus groups…