You get the politicians that you deserve. Perhaps that is why we have the ones that we have?
Monday 6 October 2025 at 12:06
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Listening to this week's Spectator 'The Book Club' podcast I was entertained by an interview conducted by editor, Michael Gove, with author Jeffrey Archer.
Mr Archer is a natural story teller and could make a recipe for rice pudding interesting, but he was particularly illuminating when asked what he thinks of the quality of our current crop of parliamentarians, saying:
“I am frankly appalled that our finest people in this country are not considering politics as a career.
“Fiona Woolf, when she was Lord Mayor, said "I want you to address 150 women who have either become Managing Director or Chairman by the age of 40.”
“So off I go to the Mansion House, 150 women, and they were ferocious with me, they gave me a hard time and finally I pointed to one and said “You, you, why don’t you go in the House of Commons? Why don’t you sit on the front bench? You’re a natural Cabinet Minister!”
“And, she said “Jeffrey, I earn £400,000 a year and I have two lovers. No thank you.”
“She got the loudest round of applause that day. We laugh but I look at those 150 and realised they were disqualified. They will not enter the House of Commons, and some of us believe Great Britain Ltd is a tiny bit more important than any other company.”
Mr Archer, arguably with good reason, clearly believes that our political culture is now dominated by career politicians that would not have reached the heights in generations past, he also invites the listener to conclude that we must create an environment conducive to attracting the best (as well as a call to the best to demonstrate a sense of duty).
I have always said that we get the politicians that we deserve. If we want the most capable, shouldn't we set our own standards and behaviour accordingly?
You get the politicians that you deserve. Perhaps that is why we have the ones that we have?
Listening to this week's Spectator 'The Book Club' podcast I was entertained by an interview conducted by editor, Michael Gove, with author Jeffrey Archer.
Mr Archer is a natural story teller and could make a recipe for rice pudding interesting, but he was particularly illuminating when asked what he thinks of the quality of our current crop of parliamentarians, saying:
“I am frankly appalled that our finest people in this country are not considering politics as a career.
“Fiona Woolf, when she was Lord Mayor, said "I want you to address 150 women who have either become Managing Director or Chairman by the age of 40.”
“So off I go to the Mansion House, 150 women, and they were ferocious with me, they gave me a hard time and finally I pointed to one and said “You, you, why don’t you go in the House of Commons? Why don’t you sit on the front bench? You’re a natural Cabinet Minister!”
“And, she said “Jeffrey, I earn £400,000 a year and I have two lovers. No thank you.”
“She got the loudest round of applause that day. We laugh but I look at those 150 and realised they were disqualified. They will not enter the House of Commons, and some of us believe Great Britain Ltd is a tiny bit more important than any other company.”
Mr Archer, arguably with good reason, clearly believes that our political culture is now dominated by career politicians that would not have reached the heights in generations past, he also invites the listener to conclude that we must create an environment conducive to attracting the best (as well as a call to the best to demonstrate a sense of duty).
I have always said that we get the politicians that we deserve. If we want the most capable, shouldn't we set our own standards and behaviour accordingly?