Farage, Rayner and Boris stand out in political land of the bland: Sarah Todd
WHILE it would be easy to gloat over outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner’s fall from grace that would be unseemly.
This columnist took a lot of stick for saying that the photograph of her vaping in a dinghy – tattoo on show in a vest - was embarrassing. It felt like an insult to her high office.
The story about her housing (and associated finance) was just breaking and while tens of thousands of words have been written about it the conclusion from yours truly is simply what a shame the whole sorry business has been.
While not this correspondent’s cup of tea, it would have been blinkered not to have appreciated that Ms Rayner’s rags to riches story should have been used for a greater good.
Schoolgirls who think they have no future, who end up teenage mothers, could have been inspired by her rise through the ranks.
As an aside, it’s imperative that we demand a return to the days when education was about coming out of the system as an interesting, employable and well-rounded member of society.
That the focus wasn’t just on passing exams.
Sports, music, drama and art - along with vocational skills - shouldn’t be brushed under the carpet. Back in the day, we used to have people from the wider world come in and talk about their lives in business, regale us with tales about their sporting success or read from books that they had actually written. Nowadays, all the square pegs are being hothoused to fit into round holes.
Big personalities - like those of Angela Rayner, Reform’s leader Nigel Farage or the Tories once golden boy Boris Johnson - are squashed at our peril. While we all need to conform (understanding that dragging on a vape in a dinghy in the channel isn’t a good look when one is a world leader) the kind of neatly PR-packaged personnel the modern world demands is unsustainable.
Producing identikit yes men and women results in what we now have, a country of the bland leading the bland. No life experiences, just the right degree and a sensible sustainably-made suit. While it was truly awful, the Kermit-green get-up Angela Rayne r wore for her Downing Street debut showed personality.
It’s the fact Farage likes a pint and a fag that appeals to this voter. Same with Boris and his obvious penchant for a pretty face or Angela Rayner’s gabbiness. She was the epitome of that rough around the edges girl at school that made posher pony-loving types like this correspondent feel frightened.
Talking of being mouthy, a night away in a hotel highlighted how the art of conversation – more specifically small talk - is on the brink of extinction.
While we are far from Barbie and Ken, The Husband and I managed to chatter away without sitting slack-jawed in silence (staring at mobile phones) for the 24-hours of our mini-break.
Looking around both the bar and breakfast room there was zero chatter between those who were obviously together; never mind - heaven forbid - between strangers.
Noticing this, we made a conscious effort to say ‘Morning’ and pass the time of day with those whose paths we crossed.
An entire women’s rugby team walked into the hotel reception and other guests looked at the floor instead of smiling. Although from Spain, there was no way the travelling companion wasn’t going to try (forgive the rugby pun) and have a word.
With so many important things going on in the world the importance of raising our voices above modern communication methods is getting lost.
Thirty years ago, as a young newspaper reporter, people used to put pen to paper and write letters to the editor about issues in the news. Or show serious thought when questioning the angle of a feature.
Today’s keyboard warriors very rarely read the whole story.
We have a favourite restaurant. It’s where we got engaged and the place that many milestones have been celebrated.
On our 25th wedding anniversary the steak was chewy and it was a huge dilemma whether to risk ruining the evening and compromising this almost-lifelong relationship. In the end, it was awkwardly mentioned to the waitress.
The owner sent over a bottle and sat down with us at the end of the evening to say how grateful he was. Why? Because people no longer say.
Instead, they pay the bill and return home to write rotten reviews. Knowing the information there and then was going to enable him to track down the batch of meat. To make sure it didn’t happen again.
We are all only human. Talking, listening and learning from each other is so very important.