Leadership
A few weeks back, as Theresa May appointed and then sacked her Brexit ministers, a joke went round the internet: I hear we're all going to get a turn at being Brexit minister. My turn is supposed to be during the second week in January. I just hope it's not the Thursday. I can't do Thursdays.
I'm now wondering if, when we wake up on Wednesday morning, we're going to be facing the same nonsense over the prime minister's job.
I've been trying to look at this week's shenanigans in Westminster in a fairly detached way, asking myself what makes a leader. And who is likely to be able to do the job. Not a boss and definitely not - for heavenssake - a manager. I suspect leadership is one of those attributes you recognise when you see it, although it's tough to define.
Harry S Truman made a good point: "In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skilful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better."
We're definitely stuck in the first stage: whatever Teresa May is, she's not a leader. The UK is at a total standstill. Her party is definitely lacking in leadership quality. Looking for courage and skilful leadership among the Tories involves quite a search. I notice Boris Johnson now has a big boy haircut. But I'm afraid it will take more than that to make him a leader. Being a leader involves thinking of other people and I doubt if Boris has ever done that in his life. Then there's Rees-Mogg - big chancer. Michael Gove - wee chancer. Esther McVey - great hair but seriously? Amber Rudd - well, she took the fall for her boss when she was at the Home Office but that kind of tells you she's a follower rather than a leader.
More of a worry is the Labour Opposition, since the UK might have to rely on Labour to take over in the event of a general election. I don't know what to make of Labour at all. Jeremy Corbyn looks like a throw-back to the 70s, but it may well be that's just what the Tory press want us to think. John McDonnell? The word apparatchik was made for him. Keir Starmer - sorry, Sir Keir Starmer (why is he a sir when nobody else is?) - obviously a bright man but keeps being wrong-footed by Jeremy Corbyn and looks weak. Emily Thornberry? I've got a lot of time for her but would the Labour party Blairites as well as Corbynites follow her?
Among the LibDems? No one I can see that could be prime minister - or would want to be.
The SNP? I'm not an SNP supporter but I have great respect for Ian Blackford's leadership qualities. A friend of mine says he looks like the local undertaker but he's doing a good job bringing on the MPs in his charge: Mhairi Black was always a star, as was Philippa Whitford but Joanna Cherry has proved to be amazingly good in Westminster and on TV and Kirsty Blackman has also made her mark on parliament this week. Chris Law and Tommy Sheppard have also come on well.
So there we have it: the party most likely to be able to come up with a decent prime minister, who could change things for the better, is the party that the other parties refuse to listen to. In fact, the party they walk out on as soon as they start to speak.
Tells you a lot about the Westminster system.
Still, they've still got their traditions to fall back on: I spy strangers, the man with the mace, addressing people as 'learned' if they're lawyers (unless they're Scottish lawyers).
At the end of the day, do I care who leads the Westminster government? None of them will represent Scotland or give a rat's bahooky about me and mine. As a Newcastle woman said to me this week: the further you are from Westminster, the less you matter.
The only people who can make things better for us in Scotland are us.
I'm now wondering if, when we wake up on Wednesday morning, we're going to be facing the same nonsense over the prime minister's job.
I've been trying to look at this week's shenanigans in Westminster in a fairly detached way, asking myself what makes a leader. And who is likely to be able to do the job. Not a boss and definitely not - for heavenssake - a manager. I suspect leadership is one of those attributes you recognise when you see it, although it's tough to define.
Harry S Truman made a good point: "In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skilful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better."
We're definitely stuck in the first stage: whatever Teresa May is, she's not a leader. The UK is at a total standstill. Her party is definitely lacking in leadership quality. Looking for courage and skilful leadership among the Tories involves quite a search. I notice Boris Johnson now has a big boy haircut. But I'm afraid it will take more than that to make him a leader. Being a leader involves thinking of other people and I doubt if Boris has ever done that in his life. Then there's Rees-Mogg - big chancer. Michael Gove - wee chancer. Esther McVey - great hair but seriously? Amber Rudd - well, she took the fall for her boss when she was at the Home Office but that kind of tells you she's a follower rather than a leader.
More of a worry is the Labour Opposition, since the UK might have to rely on Labour to take over in the event of a general election. I don't know what to make of Labour at all. Jeremy Corbyn looks like a throw-back to the 70s, but it may well be that's just what the Tory press want us to think. John McDonnell? The word apparatchik was made for him. Keir Starmer - sorry, Sir Keir Starmer (why is he a sir when nobody else is?) - obviously a bright man but keeps being wrong-footed by Jeremy Corbyn and looks weak. Emily Thornberry? I've got a lot of time for her but would the Labour party Blairites as well as Corbynites follow her?
Among the LibDems? No one I can see that could be prime minister - or would want to be.
The SNP? I'm not an SNP supporter but I have great respect for Ian Blackford's leadership qualities. A friend of mine says he looks like the local undertaker but he's doing a good job bringing on the MPs in his charge: Mhairi Black was always a star, as was Philippa Whitford but Joanna Cherry has proved to be amazingly good in Westminster and on TV and Kirsty Blackman has also made her mark on parliament this week. Chris Law and Tommy Sheppard have also come on well.
So there we have it: the party most likely to be able to come up with a decent prime minister, who could change things for the better, is the party that the other parties refuse to listen to. In fact, the party they walk out on as soon as they start to speak.
Tells you a lot about the Westminster system.
Still, they've still got their traditions to fall back on: I spy strangers, the man with the mace, addressing people as 'learned' if they're lawyers (unless they're Scottish lawyers).
At the end of the day, do I care who leads the Westminster government? None of them will represent Scotland or give a rat's bahooky about me and mine. As a Newcastle woman said to me this week: the further you are from Westminster, the less you matter.
The only people who can make things better for us in Scotland are us.
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