Rory Stewart

 

Subject: Rory Stewart

The venial, crass indifference which politics often seems to bring to the democratic institution of Parliament is brilliantly set out in Rory Stuart’s book ‘Politics on the Edge’. It’s a frightening first hand look at the ineptitude of a parliamentary system of governance. Its portrayal of senior figures in party politics and their inept inability to see beyond the short term and destroys any attempt at genuine forward planning with people shuffled around by the PM into ministerial posts, for which they are often ill equipped and with little interest in their brief or any deep intention to improve matters, and add to the mix, resentful civil servants who placate their role which they see of themselves as administrators, to a political master who is master of very little. It’s such a mishmash of round pegs in square holes that it’s no wonder so little gets done.
Stewart an articulate man who’s interest in Afghanistan led him to explore at first hand the dangerous inter war lord power structure by walking through the foot hill of this mountainous country, handed on as it were, by one warring faction to the next and without which his personal security depended. His reflection was of a people steeped in a culture of traveler respect, where even given the threadbare nature of village life he was absorbed, as a relative, as one of them for the night. This sharing of their meagre resources left a deep impression on him.
His eventual return to these shores and the offer to represent a seat for ‘Penrith and the Border’ for the Conservative Party drew him into the internecine workings of what makes up much of today's party politics. Visiting his constituents on the weekend, listing their fears and needs yet blocked in Westminster to make even the smallest improvement he felt totally ineffectual as a junior minister as his boss, the senior minister who was more in tune to seek promotion from the Prime Minister at the next reshuffle and therefore ignored his effort. Part ministerial ego and part civil servant resentment on having to receive instructions on matters they thought they were the expert, one gets an image from reading the book that it is a miracle that anything gets done.
Stewart now removed from Parliament co hosts a podcast ‘The rest is Politics’ with Alastair Campbell which I find fascinating its a thoughtful incisive approach to dealing with the problems of today and well worth watching on YouTube.