When people ask me what my politics are, I have to explain that I support a dwindling faction you might call the Terry-Thomas wing of the Conservative party. This faction dominated the party in the 1980s – the kind of spivvy garagiste who, no sooner was your back turned, would knock down a row of medieval cottages to open a Hyundai dealership. There were probably a few too many of them in the 1980s. Today we need them back.
Shakespeare depicts this archetype very well, possibly because (as a Brummie entrepreneur) he was one himself. He understood that you need a few chancers and opportunists around to make things happen. Where are they now?
What could be better for Britain than to divert money from Scottish nationalism and spend it on the private sector instead?
I raise this point because, while we know that Britain is overly regulated, the root cause may be that we are also far too moralistic and judgmental. At some point, merely having a personality will disqualify you from politics.
Was it ridiculous to appoint Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US? Maybe. But the furore means no one will risk making any imaginative appointments for the next five years. (I recently heard of a meeting where a senior civil servant had to ask permission before eating a sandwich their hosts had provided.) I still don’t understand what was that bad about the Downing Street parties during Covid. But then I was born in 1965.
