Have you ever wanted to play a game of Top Trumps with Conservative leaders as your cards? No? Not even a bit?
Okay, so the premise of this strange game from Conservative Home is dubious, but the analysis of Tory leaders on obvious metrics of electoral success is revealing.
Source: Conservative Home
Matt Smith and Peter Hoskin point out some clear problems with it:
“Aside from the positions of Thatcher and Cameron, the relatively low ranking of Winston Churchill stands out. Seventh place is not a flattering finish for a man who has come to symbolise Britain’s resilience and fortitude in the face of global conflict.”
This nods towards the general inadequacy of judging a politician purely on whether they can win or lose seats, and even the importance of metrics more widely.
After all whilst Churchill faced the Nazis, Margaret Thatcher faced a Labour party in disarray and William Hague the most electorally successful Labour leader of all time, Tony Blair.
Sure, you can only play the opponents in front of you. But before one gets carried away praising a particular pol it is worth considering the state of the opposition, their own party, and most importantly the state of the country and wider world.
A further analysis from Smith can be found on his website.
Image Credit – Margaret Thatcher via Robert Huffstutter
