Illumination By Spotlight Destroys Theresa May
Theresa May, tried to sell herself to the electorate as a stable, pressure-tested leader who could guide the UK through the coming extraordinarily difficult Brexit negotiations, but…
On the campaign trail May revealed herself as an unintuitive, unimaginative, narrow-visioned manager who lacked the personal charisma, emotional energy, spiritual verve, and instinctive daring required at the top level.
The winning quality – the ability to shut out all dissenting voices, all differing opinions and listen only to one’s contrary inner voice even when completely isolated – is an essential DNA element for political leaders – step forward Clinton, Trump, Blair, Obama, Mandela, Jefferson. This trait is unarguably and demonstrably present within the character of the soft-spoken, reliably unassuming Jeremy Corbyn.
Corbyn, by repeatedly repelling a raft of well-coordinated leadership challenges and now, by dragging Labour back into the fold as a credible, well organised, authentically dangerous political opposition, has shown that he has the messianic, visionary drive required to hold the office of Prime Minister. Unfortunately for May, this necessary, possibly sociopathic trait, is very much part of the blood, muscle and sweat of the self-obsessed, bait, snatch and win twitchy psychology of the ever-in-waiting Boris Johnson.
Crucially, during a period of severe austerity, May failed to provide practical solutions to any of the key challenges and life pressures faced by a struggling working and middle class. She was silent on rising housing prices, the spiralling cost of higher education and offered no ideas for how to build a dynamic work space for young professionals to enter and build a sustainable carew. Simply put, how could any sensible, chequebook-aware voter, sign up to May’s manifesto?
And of course, there was May’s decision not to take part in the televised leadership debates. The notion that a natural leader of people can avoid televised leadership debates that are baked into the culture of the nation demonstrates the unworkable, unfixable, logic bomb no amount of spin could fix, soften or blur.
Finally, there is the power of the television lens and the harsh unforgiving glare of the full media spotlight. Once a candidate steps into the ring and asks to be Prime Minister or President their strengths and weaknesses are exposed for all the world to see. The more voters came to know Corbyn’s personality the larger he grew. Every time May stepped into the spotlight her stature was cruelly, fundamentally, irrevocably diminished. Once again the camera lens, not the voter, has proven to be the true arbiter of a nation’s destiny.