Yet again, Westminster’s wilful ignorance of all things Scotland has led many to miss what is staring them in the face.
Michael Gove’s support for Kemi Badenoch in the Tory leadership contest was regarded as a surprise by some. Yet, Gove is an Aberdonian of sorts – is it really such a shock that he’s come out for the only candidate whose name is an actual part of our north-east?
There are other reasons why it makes sense for Gove to have endorsed his former levelling up department colleague. Badenoch has verve, a can-do energy and bags of intelligence. In other words, Gove recognises something of himself in her.
Her tilt at the top job is interesting mainly because it is emblematic of a fundamental problem with the whole leadership race, and in politics more widely – a lack of ideas.
Badenoch has brought her undeniable skill set to bear on the war on woke. Which doesn’t exist.
Ask most folk what they think of when they hear the terms “woke” or “cultural wars” and by far the most popular answer will be: “Nothing”. We’re all too busy worrying about how we’re going to pay the gas bill this winter (yes, even in the current heat) to get het up about statues.
Badenoch’s last act while a minister was to unveil a policy on toilets – an issue top of nobody’s policy wish list.
All new buildings must have male and female toilets, according to the government edict. Isn’t this better left to local planning departments? Isn’t the whole point of the department for levelling up, and a huge reason for Brexit, to devolve power to local communities?
An administration with a messed up sense of priorities
This UK Government will not legislate on flexible working because they believe it best left to individual businesses to work out. That’s a perfectly reasonable position to take. But, to then tell companies what sort of toilets they must offer is to suggest Downing Street thinks where someone does their work is less important than where they do their business.
That’s an administration with a messed up sense of priorities, unaligned with those they seek to serve. As evidenced by the contributions of the other candidates. Some have gone out of their way to attack those who favour virtue signalling by signalling their own virtue on the issue of political correctness.
Every candidate so far is talking about tax reform except for economically "serious" candidate Rishi Sunak whose "first policy proposal" is "We must be able to call a mother a mother.”
— Ryan Bourne (@MrRBourne) July 9, 2022
One of Rishi Sunak’s first policy announcements was a crack down on “gender neutral language”. “We must be allowed to call a mother a mother,” he said. The fact that he used the word, twice, in his slogan shows no one is actually stopping him from using the word mother.
The only other thing the candidates agree on is the need to cut taxes. Without explaining how they’ll pay for the tax cuts or, more crucially, why they are doing it.
The party is clean out of imagination at a time when there is much to think about
It’s a remarkable sight, and a sign of exactly how Boris Johnson altered the make up of the Conservative Party in parliament, that Tories are turning their back on economic credibility and a long-held mission to keep out of ordinary citizens’ lives in order to hit up the magic money tree and punch down at minorities and marginalised groups.
What it shows is that the party is clean out of imagination at a time when there is much to think about.
Why are we only talking about tax and toilets?
There’s no shortage of big questions for the nation to face. How can we achieve gender equality? What does the future of work look like? How can we achieve net zero and save the planet in an affordable and timely way? What is the nation’s reputation abroad, what do we want it to be, and how do we bridge the gap?
Trouble is, look across the chamber, and Labour and the Lib Dems offer nothing beyond tinkering, while the SNP’s answer to everything is independence.
One might hope the media would ask our leaders to define their vision for the future and the country. All too often, journalists ask them to define what a woman is instead.
The party of Disraeli, Churchill and Thatcher is reduced to talking about little but tax and toilets, and the opposition is apparently unable to offer an inspiring alternative.
It’s a depressing spectacle, and a recipe for ever increasing political apathy. The public need to be energised and enthused if they are to stay engaged.
Sports that took satellite TV cash a generation ago are only now realising that, if you don’t put something interesting and exciting in front of a wide audience, then folk don’t get involved, the pipeline runs dry, and your future looks dim – see the efforts of cricket and golf to convince that they are, in fact, inclusive and entertaining.
But, if golf clubs close, the fabric of the nation is barely diminished. If democracy fails for lack of ideas, then we have a more fundamental problem.
James Millar is a political commentator, author and a former Westminster correspondent for The Sunday Post
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