This is not about Boris bashing...

If you’re reading this as a conservative voter or supporter, the danger is you’ll simply turn off as you're expecting a session of Boris Bashing to follow. Please don’t, hold on. Similarly, if you have sympathy with the view that Boris isn’t up to the job and are hoping I will relay all the Cummings jibes and put downs so to avoid you having to watch the entire hour yourself then you’ll be disappointed (except to say I was really confused when Cummings referred to the PM as a shopping trolley, what does that even mean?!?). 

The point I would like to make is that when the interview ended, I was left with a great sadness, sadness at the state of our country. I was also left with the very uncomfortable feeling of actually agreeing with some of the points made by Dominic Cummings, and when you’re a Lib Dem like me saying you agree with anything Dominic Cummings has ever said is extremely uncomfortable! But, as I said before, I am not a tribal politician, and nobody has a monopoly on good ideas. 



What was Laura Kuenssberg thinking?

Much of what Cumming’s thinks is available online, it’s not secret. What was different tonight was that you heard him try to articulate it in person. Over the years he has been unwilling to deal directly with the media and to articulate his thoughts on camera and, to be honest, watching Laura Kuenssbergs approach to the whole interview I can see why. She seemed more concerned with cheap headlines and personality politics more than anything more considered and meaningful. 

The point he made that chimed with me was the inadequacy of the whole national political system, more specifically that we have MP’s who aren’t up to the job of governing and civil servants in Whitehall who aren’t up to the job of advising them anyway. Over many years I have sadly come to the same view, to hear it from an insider was truly shocking. 



Why are our politicians so rubbish?

There is a wealth of evidence going back some years that shows that the skills you need to become a national politician (and to some extent a local politician too) bear absolutely no resemblance to the skills required to be an effective minister or prime minister. Indeed, some would argue these two skill sets are actually mutually exclusive.

The sad reality is that our political system places people in the most senior positions who are best at climbing the political greasy pole, not at making the changes that so many of us crave. This is not just a concern of the usual suspects in the leftwing or anti-conservative media. A leader article in The Economist last July noted that the 'Britains political system puts artificial constraints on the supply of talent'. Although generally supportive of right leaning governments the article went on to identify 'the four biggest lemons in British Politics', sadly for us here in North Somerset Dr Fox was one of them.

The media is so often caught up with the Punch and Judy show that is day to day politics that it fails in its duty to ask the important and fundamental question: we deserve better politicians, why aren’t we getting them? This goes beyond political parties to the very core of what we want our democracy to do. How we want it to represent us. What we want our government to change or preserve. Have you ever heard any TV channel, radio station, or newspaper ask this question? I suspect not. 

Ending with a (sort of) negative thought.....

My sadness came not from the realisation that I shared a viewpoint with Dominic Cummings, but from the impossibility of the task ahead. He has a valid viewpoint which should have been explored further in the interview. The fact the even he, as a nationally prominent figure, can’t get coverage for this point highlights the size of the problem not just with our political system but with the media too.

I always like to end with a positive thought but in this instance it’s difficult. As the public disengage from politics because of our poor politicians the inadequate in Westminster tighten their grip on power. This leads to further apathy and the problem just keeps getting worse. I can only hope that over time apathy turns to frustration and the public put aside party-political differences and join me, Dominic Cummings, and others in our view and demand fundamental root and branch reform to our political system. After all, it’s our country, and we deserve better.