First Parliamentary Sketch

As we hurtle into the frenzy that surrounds Gordon Brown’s first Queen’s speech, it may be instructive to step back and wonder why we, as a nation, are so dreadfully eager to hear what he will have to say. His party has been the governing party for the last ten years – so why the media storm? All our broadsheets are consumed with Brown’s plans to differentiate himself from his predecessor – and this notion, that he must appear as Blair’s opposite – remains unchallenged. One could be forgiven for assuming the two hail from different parties, from the accounts of the animosity between them. Is it no longer possible to expect two leaders from the same party to support similar policies? And if not, what has the office of Prime Minister morphed into?

In the campaign spirit, I pulled out an old VHS of Parliamentary Political Broadcasts ranging from McMillan to Blair, and watched as Prime Ministers mutated from erudite and unreachable statesmen, to demagogues whose thirst for power was equalled only by their need to be loved by the masses. One particularly overwrought montage showed nothing but vanity shots of Lady Thatcher set to triumphalist music. Watching this exercise in idol-worship, it is certainly no surprise that John Major’s government floundered, and even less surprising that the public turned to a similarly swaggering Blair, who certainly fancied himself a divinity-in-the-making.

Academics refer to this phenomenon – that of politicians individualising campaigns at the expense of the party – as the personalisation of politics. Increasingly, it appears to be more like the celebritisation of politics. Though we’re far removed from asking our leaders their preferred choice of undergarment –information too eagerly offered by an American president who was only too happy to remove them – we are still veering dangerously close to the point where personal approval matters more than the viability of economic and social policies. Yes, the media will diligently report on proposals for education reform and economic growth in Tuesday’s speech, but it will be just as focused on the sourness of Brown’s expression and the smoothness of his delivery, as if expecting a seasoned actor to enchant this national audience.

Where does the blame lie for this shift in expectations? The political party as the gatekeeper to power has ceased to function – John Major himself has decried them as “moribund, near-bankrupt, unrepresentative and ill-equipped to enthuse the electorate.” Some would argue that the arrival of mass elections is the reason why voters look for the face of Errol Flynn and statesmanship of Churchill in a government leader. Either way, expect David Cameron to continue to pose with an actual movie-star-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger in his quest to be Prime Minister, or as it may yet be termed, the Minister of Prime Time.