Bill Jones, Honorary Professor of Political Studies at Liverpool Hope University, has conducted a detailed analysis by combing through biographies and interviewing key political figures. His goal was to understand what kind of people enter politics and the strengths and frailties of those XXYPLACEHOLDER0YXX who hold positions of power.
Jones asks, “Why do aspiring politicians embark on such a perilous journey, involving long hours, no real job security, and, on occasions, high degrees of self-abasement, just to have the chance of making it to the first rung of the ladder? What kind of person, then, wants to become a professional politician?”
The Appeal of Politics
In his book ‘Just Like Us’?: The Politics of Ministerial Promotion in UK Government, Jones argues that choosing a career in politics is fundamentally different from choosing any other profession.
He explains, “Political activity is essentially about winning and retaining power to change the way other people live their lives. Some would say it is also about the acquisition of power for its own sake.”
Jones describes politicians as ‘strange, special people’ among whom many exhibit a near-narcissistic interest in themselves. However, he clarifies that most politicians do not enter the field because they are venal, egotistical, or ruthlessly selfish. Instead, they genuinely believe they can make a difference and fulfill an idealistic sense of service to their local or national community.
“Success in politics seems to be an admixture of driving ambition, narcissism, genuine XXYPLACEHOLDER1YXX idealism, and perhaps a dash of daring and necessary ruthlessness,” he concludes.
Characteristics of a Politician
Jones studied biographies of notable political figures such as Harold Wilson, Norman Tebbit, Margaret Thatcher, and Tony Blair to identify consistent traits among them.
Despite their varied motivations, Jones identifies some inherent skills that are crucial for political success. These include charm, optimism, academic ability, memory skills, and good decision-making skills. He highlights the importance of humour, stating, “We forgive people who make us laugh a great deal. Boris Johnson, for instance, based much of his political style on his ability to amuse voters, thereby making politics less tedious.”
Another often-overlooked quality Jones suggests is a strong constitution, noting that political leaders require an extremely robust constitution and a willingness to work long days stretching into the night.
“I leave until last the most important quality of all – mastery of the spoken word. Without a high level of verbal skills, politics in the UK can never provide any kind of career for its ambitious participants,” he explains. “Since 1945, all our PMs have possessed a selection of these key skills, but the major one still has to be XXYPLACEHOLDER2YXX speaking skills. Some ministers who lacked strong verbal skills had short periods in power.”
Jones also points out the unique challenges faced by female and working-class MPs. “Female MPs have to survive in a Commons culture that is predominantly male, while working-class MPs might find the Commons intimidating due to the high percentage of privately educated MPs, especially on the Conservative side, and those educated at Oxbridge.”
Ultimately, Jones notes that although politicians might resemble us in many ways, they are different in significant ways.
“They often seem to be driven by a ‘politics bug,’ which propels them to compete against fellow addicts for the limited top spots in the nation’s political elite,” he explains.
Limited Selection Pool
Jones also addresses the various paths to becoming a minister and how these can lead to a limited talent pool at the top.
The process can appear mysterious, but Jones breaks it down: the operation of the whips’ offices, which inform the PM on promotable MPs; regular reshuffles that weed out poorly performing ministers and promote good ones; and the role of the media, which allows MPs to communicate with voters and catch the eye of the party XXYPLACEHOLDER3YXX leadership.
Because of these varied paths to the top, Jones points out that British ministers are often ill-informed about the areas they are responsible for. They are not promoted based on technical expertise and usually spend just 18 months to two years in a position before being moved to a different role.
“It seems odd to those of us outside the political world that there is no real preparation for the job of minister, even when it involves handling billions of taxpayers’ money and affecting the daily lives of everyone,” he notes.
“In business, a new recruit spends years at lower grades gaining knowledge of the company before being promoted to a level of significant responsibility,” he continues. “By contrast, a junior minister is often thrown into the deep end with huge responsibilities and no relevant skills within an organization employing hundreds and serving millions.”
Jones emphasizes that leaders looking to promote colleagues into ministerial roles face ‘distinctly finite’ resources, as the government might have only a couple of hundred MPs to fill the 20 or more Cabinet posts.
“There is a strong case for saying our constitution has a serious flaw – one reformers XXYPLACEHOLDER4YXX have perhaps overlooked – and that thought should be given to removing the uniquely British restriction on ministerial recruitment requiring ministers to be members of the legislature,” he suggests.
“Given the widely accepted critique that our ministerial recruitment pool is too shallow and lacks specialized expertise, something radical is needed to attract people of real ability into this insecure and relatively poorly paid profession.”
In concluding his book, Jones offers several measures to improve ministerial quality, including removing the requirement for parliamentary membership qualification for ministerial office, ending leadership elections by party members, and extending the period of office tenure.