Theresa May’s preachy government is on a mission to restore our confidence

Every political moment is informed by, and a reaction against, its predecessor. The Age of May is no exception. David Cameron’s successes were founded, at least in part, on the vague appreciation that he seemed like a nice enough chap. Theresa May’s victories are built on the fact that she isn’t. 

Being a ‘bloody difficult woman’, if also a bloody dull one, has its advantages and not just in terms of paying a measure of homage to the great ghost of the Iron Lady. Theresa will stand for no nonsense, you understand, and things will be done properly and with a sense of order and purpose. What you see is what you get and there’s no need to like it; you are simply asked to respect it. 

So of course there is such a thing as ‘Mayism’ even if the prime minister asks us to think there isn’t, and even if much of it might also be considered ‘Timothyism’.