DEBATE: Will character matter more than policy detail in the Tory leadership contest?
Will character matter more than policy detail in the Tory leadership contest?
Alex Deane, a Conservative commentator, says YES.
Our members aren’t going to cast their votes based on policy minutiae. Plainly, whether or not you think that they should, they’ll be voting on character.
When I say “character”, I don’t mean it in the pearl-clutching, Mary Whitehouse sense. We are electing a new political leader, not a new parish priest. Indeed, an unparalleled paragon of moral virtue was the outcome of the leadership selection process last time, and look how that turned out.
Rather, I mean “character” in two senses: grit, and personality. We need someone with the grit to get through whatever our innately left-of-centre and Remainy media class throws at them, and the personality to punch through the general lack of interest in politics and seize the collective public imagination.
If you’re reading this paper, you’re more interested than the average person. We need a politico who can reach those interested less than the average. And of course, that’s Boris .
John Oxley, an expert in law, history, and Conservative politics, says NO.
The new Prime Minister will inherit a ticking deadline and difficult parliamentary arithmetic on Brexit. He will also inherit a party in flux – lacking a clear narrative to move beyond the cuts of the Cameron era and the outcome of the referendum.
Some may hope that a big personality will cover this, but the glare of government tends to expose those who don’t do their homework.
To govern Britain and to boost the party’s popularity, the new Prime Minister needs policies. Those policies must be sensible, well-funded, and popular. Without a clear platform, the new leader could easily drift into the dustbin of daft ideas, trying to unite a party around porn blocks and the national spare room database.
The membership should look carefully at what the candidates propose. We need answers on how to square the Brexit circle, but also how to seize upon the opportunities it can present. Charisma can take you a long way, but detailed proposals are how you make Britain better.