Member-only story
Not serious
Many years ago, my mother was at a very expensive Swiss finishing school and having a great time. The verdict of one of the teachers was as damning as it could be. “Elle n’est pas serieux.” This doesn’t just mean that ‘she’s not serious,’ it means that she can’t be serious. In Switzerland, a very serious matter.
Politicians are the last people who should be allowed within five miles of power — which is why I’m in favour of using a lottery system to elect our new Second Chamber instead of the House of Lords. For god’s sake, no more elected politicians. You need another point of view, a better experience of life. More serious people.
In fact you need serious people in both Houses of Parliament. Back when I liked Boris Johnson, I certainly didn’t vote for him, but I thought he was amusing and charming and might have some creative ideas. One (of many) of his problems is that he is unable to be serious ever or at all. Many of the wuzzocks cluttering up the front benches are like this. The Tory party is so unserious that it has three or four different splinter groups (I lose track) and the ministers vie with each other to say the most bone-headed and tone-deaf things. They don’t care about the electorate or even about the MPs around them: all they care about is proving who is the nearest to fascist among their select little groupuscules. Jacob Rees-Mogg is actually doing a camp re-enactment of an…
