Endnote: At time of writing a 2022 edition has been recently released, with an update to include the events of the last three years. Comments on the update are welcome. Thus, Her Majesty’s Government is in great chaos. What can be done? The politically disillusioned one will claim that attempting to reform Westminster is similar to that of redecorating a house with damaged plumbing and it is better to gut it out and start over. However, that is not completely true. As a matter of fact, there are various reforms that can lead to a positive change. This is a terrible pity. Politics, and I obviously write with some experience, is a demanding but also a deeply rewarding vocation. The downs can be truly low, but the variety of reward, satisfaction and demand more than amply compensate. Allen is right to describe it as a shared journey into the unknown, but it is a journey I recommend.

Why We Get the Wrong Politicians by Isabel Hardman | Goodreads Why We Get the Wrong Politicians by Isabel Hardman | Goodreads

The UK political system doesn’t appreciate gifted legislators and MPs are like every other human being too. They are determined and want to gain a lot of success and credit for their skills. Additionally, the best method of attaining this is by becoming a government department as a minister. I’ve sat down with dozens of fellow researchers who study distinct pieces of this complex puzzle: neuroscientists who run experiments on what power does to your brain chemistry; evolutionary biologists who explore why humans are so often drawn to the wrong kinds of leader; psychologists who can’t get enough of narcissistic psychopaths. We love to hate our leaders. They often deserve our loathing. Boris Johnson, who seems determined to provide a fresh meaning to the words “political party”, is no exception. While the rest of us followed the rules he set, he brazenly broke them . Even with the best reforms, there’s no silver bullet. Bad, power-hungry people will end up in charge. To help guide them to better behaviour, we should use a process called sortition — random selection of citizens for leadership, a bit like jury duty for politics — to create better oversight.If these changes can be done, the UK politicians will be representative of their country, concentrating on their duties in fulfilling them. Theresa May’s own MPs tabled a motion of no confidence in Theresa May last week. She won it though, two thirds of her party supported her. (I wonder if Donald Trump would win a vote of no confidence amongst Republican senators?)

Why We Get the Wrong Politicians (Paperback) - Jarrold Why We Get the Wrong Politicians (Paperback) - Jarrold

the enormous size of our executive branch (over 100 MPs are on the government payroll, essentially binding them to vote with the government and preventing them from exercising any kind of legislative scrutiny)This leads to an appreciation, at a personal level, for politicians, but severe disappointment at their achievements. Her conclusions are pithy, and largely damning, she writes the political career “is characterised by dysfunction, from the selection process that decides who our potential MPs will be, to the way MPs don’t scrutinise laws at all”. However, being poor for time isn’t only the fault of constituency work. A lot of bills are debated and voted upon at any time in Parliament in which even for the most dedicated of legislators, it’s difficult to stay knowledgeable and considerably vote on them all.