Why we get the wrong politicians by Isabel Hardman

REVIEWER: Ali Hull

BOOK: Why we get the wrong politicians 

(Atlantic Books, 2018)

As the Assistant Editor of The Spectator magazine, Isabel Hardman has unusually good access to our Members of Parliament, not least through the lobby system. She makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is therefore well-placed to comment on politicians, from all sides of the House. So if anyone can tell you whether they really are ‘all the same’, it is Isabel. And the title of her book might make you believe that is exactly what she is planning on doing.  

But of course she doesn’t. This is a thoughtful book, and one that should be read by everyone in this country who can vote. She doesn’t pull her punches and individual politicians do come in for criticism, which is equally distributed on all sides. But her main concerns are what is wrong with the present Parliamentary system – not whether or not we should have proportional representation, though that is a question worth considering, but the system in which standing for Parliament is both time-consuming and expensive; and in which the pressure to get Bills through Parliament means that proper scrutiny of these laws is simply not done. The first issue results in a Parliament that is filled with those who have money, and many people cannot contemplate even trying to stand, or not more than once (should they fail the first time). The second issue means that MPs have surgeries in their constituencies, full of people who are suffering as a result of badly thought through laws – laws that the MP has probably supported, without realising what its impact will actually be. This is not a proud portrait of the Mother of Parliaments. As its buildings crumble, the system is falling apart as well. If we care about our fellow citizens, we should care about this, regardless of our party political loyalties. Superbly written, I highly recommend this book.  

Reviewer: Ali Hull

Ali is Book Editor for Preach magazine. Fascinated by politics, she is also a former editor of the Christian Democrat newspaper.