EDITORIAL
DOMINIC Raab should never have been deputy Prime Minister. He should never have been Justice Secretary. He should never have been in Cabinet at all.
He is the man who, as Foreign Secretary, stayed away on holiday while Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. He is the man who appeared to be confused about the meaning of the word misogyny. And he is now the man who has resigned as the UK government’s number two after a number of bullying complaints against him were upheld.
Citizens of a functionally democracy will no doubt want to see their brightest and best walking the highest corridors of power, but the Tory Party has seemed intent to drain its own ranks of talent.
Loyalty has long been prioritised over ability. Long gone are the intellectually diverse cabinets of yesteryear.
The Brexit referendum was a defining moment in UK politics for a generation – but not just for the obvious reasons.
Theresa May attempted to run a ‘damage control’ administration from Number 10 as the realities of leaving the EU became clearer, but the Eurosceptic fundamentalists refused to play along.
David Davis and Boris Johnson famously resigned from May’s administration over the Chequers deal, and it was not long before the latter ended up in Downing Street.
By this time, the polarisation over Brexit was extreme. Boris Johnson still presided over May’s fragile minority administration. His intention to surround himself with yes men and ideologues was fully realised when he removed the whip from 21 of his own MPs over an emergency motion – including Tory grandees such as Ken Clarke and Nicholas Soames.
Furthermore, many of the fresh 2019 Tory MPs have proven themselves to be of extreme low-calibre. A large number can expect to lose their seats at the next general election.
Raab has long proved himself to be a deeply unimpressive minister – both in character and competence. But he remains at the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer should take heed of the perils of rewarding loyalty above all else. Given that we live in a two-party system, both parties must harbour a range of views and ideologies to ensure democratic representation.
Subscribe to stay updated, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
You can also keep up with our video content on YouTube.
Redaction cannot survive without your help. Support us for as little as $1 a month on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/RedactionPolitics.
Redaction Report 