Mirror Mirror On The Wall

There are many similarities between Theresa May and Hillary Clinton;  not all of them are flattering:

Two strong women, good at mastering briefs

Transparently more than capable of doing the top job

Solid, if uninspiring managers of top government departments

Intellectually the match for any of their male predecessors

Lacking a compelling, inspiring future-looking vision of where they want to lead their nations to be and how to get there

Unable to inspire genuine hope and excitement amongst young people and women

Incapable of forging emotional ties with voters on the street

Both aloof, bookish and happy to treat the general electorate process as beneath their dignity

Only able to offer up the notion that the mere act of them being prime minister or president would solve all the ills of the world

Both undone by a strong whiff of hubris and a misplaced sense of entitlement

Their defeats inspired relief and glee amongst their own party members and colleagues.   

All of these qualities have been shared by May’s and Clinton’s male counterparts, often to a far greater degree.

If a woman wants to become Prime Minister of Britain or the President of the United States, it seems clear that she must be perceived to be better than perfect.