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Is Personality Polling a Problem For Modern Politics?

Lucy Matthews

Lucy Matthews

Polling for just personality? Charisma holds too much influence in today’s politics. Just think of Boris Johnson: a notoriously poor administrator who was still the recipient of a whopping electoral landslide in 2019.

This upcoming election should be treated as a political stand-off instead of a personality one. When assessing potential candidates, we are clinging to the wrong values.  While influential in politics, personality should not overshadow the more critical attributes of effective leadership. Competence, integrity, and the ability to navigate complex issues are far more important.

Boring vs. Boring?

“Boris Johnson made us dangerously prioritise personality when assessing the competency of a political leader.”

As the rain poured down on May 22, suspenseful eyes rested on a podium, hosting a familiar Samba-wearing figure. Our sad, Inbetweeners-sounding Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was braving the rain to announce his inexplicable General Election. But did people take the statesman seriously when he announced his bombshell news? They mocked him and even blasted New Labour campaign bangers from the 90s in the background.

Even after the buffoonery of Boris and the transience of Truss, Sunak’s inability to use a contactless card machine is still the bottom of the barrel for the Conservative party. The man is a gaffe-magnet. But wait. Who is this son of a toolmaker? This sir of the realm? Have no fear. Keir is here! Just when voters had thought the country’s economic fate lay in the hands of a man officially richer than the King, Starmer promises change with his murky policies. Just don’t ask him to kick a ball.

Their differences are apparent, but the one similarity the entire country seems to agree on is their ability to put us to sleep. Coined as the ‘Battle of the Boring’, our main takeaway from the impending election is how much we vibe with one candidate over another. But this isn’t how it should be – good administration is necessarily a bit boring. It seems Boris Johnson made us dangerously prioritise personality when assessing the competency of a political leader. Yet personality, while influential in politics, should not overshadow the more critical attributes of effective leadership.

Laughter, gaffes and rain-sodden Sambas aside – are either of these men up for the enormous task of leading the UK?

Being relatable: more than just like-ability

“The general public is drawn to leaders who act as mirrors that refract shards of themselves back.”

Being relatable as a world leader is no easy feat, but getting elected is crucial. Relatability doesn’t just matter for charisma – it shows the public that you understand their plights.

Just ask Sunak’s marketing team, who work overtime, to soften his immense privilege. A good example was when they sent him off to board a sleeper train (clearly unaware of the irony). With his £750 backpack and a wide-eyed innocence, he looked like Harry Potter on his first journey to Hogwarts. The only problem is that Sunak’s four homes across the world don’t tickle the taste buds of a country going through a housing crisis. The general public is drawn to leaders who act as mirrors that refract shards of themselves back.

For a lot of the UK public, it’s a simple assessment. Could I go for a pint with a candidate and have a relatable conversation with them about our troubles? Sunak would most likely fall at the first hurdle, insisting on going to a pub in Kensington where a pint goes at £8 a pop. Where you or I may complain about how our rent is spiralling, Sunak would most likely complain about how his £400,000 dining room renovation is putting a strain on his marriage.

The man you’d most expect to sit across from at the pub is Starmer – whose dad is receiving the world’s best PR as a toolmaker. He would more likely be able to relate to London’s booze prices and could talk knowingly about the long hours his wife works in the NHS. He’d probably even get bonus points for offering to go for a kick-around afterwards. It’s worth noting that Starmer isn’t exactly up against Danny Dyer in this contest.

Who would you call in a crisis?

Crisis management is the essence of a competent political leader. Angela Merkel’s ability to remain calm during the pandemic earned her domestic and international respect. Remember Churchill’s reminder to keep calm and continue during the war. Many have only ever known the UK in a state of crisis – so much so that if a PM isn’t lying to the Queen or an MP isn’t being outed as a bigot, we are left in a state of surprise. Starmer and Sunak are simply by-products of a muddied political landscape.

Everyone has that one trusty friend they would choose to be stuck on a desert island with. Perhaps it is the friend familiar with a series of slip knots learned from their days in the Boy Scouts or even the friend who once themselves out drunkenly talk of a dog fight in Budapest (it’s me—I’m the friend).

Assessing the crisis management skills of each leader might help to conjure up a twisted Commons Castaway scenario.  Starmer would likely evoke and argue his right not to be stuck on the island – a skill he learned from studying and practising law. He would spend his time drawing up human rights legislation for your new island state – but in doing so, he would probably fail to collect any firewood.

Sunak, on the other hand, would boast his economic capabilities to weigh up the most valuable use of time, looking for results pragmatically. He would then sulk that you can’t write a spreadsheet in the sand, hitch a solo ride in his helicopter, and give a press conference back home about how heartbroken he was to leave you behind.

I think both candidates failed that test.

Why I’m Ditching ‘Rizz’ This Election Cycle

“The battle for leadership is not a matter of ‘rizz’, however. It is a vote for a leader who will bring the much-needed stability Britain hasn’t known for a long time.”

When ‘rizz’ was crowned Word of the Year by Oxford University Press, Politico decided to rank European politicians based on who possessed the most of the stuff. Boris Johnson came out as Britain’s ‘rizziest’ politician – yet Sunak and Starmer were abolished to the sidelines as ‘rizzless’.

However, the battle for leadership is not a matter of ‘rizz’. It is a vote for a leader who will bring the much-needed stability Britain hasn’t known for a long time. Starmer and Sunak may not be the most personally inspiring of sets, but whether it’s Starmer’s legal experience or Sunak’s economic background, locating the reliable values of political leadership in each candidate should be the only approach we have in the race for No.10.

Polling for personality is off the table this time around.

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Photo by Jannes Van den wouwer on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

Hi! I am Lucy and I enjoy writing satirical and conversational pieces of writing. I am inspired by the likes of Marina Hyde and Dolly Alderton, and my dream is to be a magazine columnist. Whether it is political commentary or analysis on why Beyonce is transforming the music industry, I will always have something to say. I hope you enjoy my writing.

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