According to a YouGov poll 45 per cent of Britons believe today’s party leaders are worse than any of their predecessors in history. The survey fits neatly into the dominant narrative of the 2019 election, where ‘Don’t Know’ is the preferred option of prime minister for one third of the UK, only 14 per cent of the public trust politicians to tell the truth, and voters are fed up with their political leaders.
But is this fair? You do have to wonder which titans of the past Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson are being unfavourably compared with. Perhaps Edward Heath, whose time as Prime Minister ended with power cuts and a three-day week? The infamously slippery Harold Wilson? Or perhaps Jeremy Thorpe, now widely believed to have conspired to murder his gay lover?
If not the leaders of the 1970s, perhaps those surveyed looked back in time and thought of Winston Churchill? Leading the country from near defeat to victory in the second world war gives him a special place in British history.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in