It was quite a shock to learn that Alastair Darling had died yesterday. He was just 70 which, to those of us well past that age, is always a bit of a wake-up call. But what surprised me more than anything was the outpouring of respect and warmth in which he was held by politicians on all sides as well as civil servants, hacks, and political commentators. There were so many tweets about him and not a single one with even a hint of criticism. I think this is almost unique as far as I remember.
But what his passing has done is highlight the gulf between politicians like him, the ones we used to have, and what we are saddled with at the moment. Gordon Brown said he was a man of "unimpeachable integrity." How many of today’s MPs can you say that of? On the Conservative side hardly any in my opinion.
Integrity is only part of what we're lacking, even if an indispensable one. What an MP also needs is basic competence, intelligence, and a bit of empathy. Apparently Darling had all that too. I should think at least half the present cabinet is well short of every one of those.
Politics has always attracted the wrong sort of people, who can forget John Stonehouse of Alan Clark, but they always seemed to be in a small minority, now it's quite the reverse.
Robert Shrimsley, the chief political commentator and executive editor at the FT summed it up for me:
There are still good people like him involved on both sides https://t.co/Fw4jEi4kBv
— Gavin Barwell (@GavinBarwell) November 30, 2023
Gavin (now Lord) Barwell responded by saying there are still good people on both sides but I am sceptical about that. If it’s true, a lot of them are keeping quiet. He names Mel Stride, Victoria Prentis and Alex Chalk but are they really the best the Tories have? If so, Shrimsley’s point is well made.
This is from Liam Halligan, a Brexit-supporting economist whose ramblings are usually found in The Telegraph:
As a young political correspondent in the mid-1990s, for The Financial Times, part of my job was to get to know and to understand the big beasts of the Labour front bench in the House of Commons.It was clear that the Tories were in for a hiding, and Tony Blair's party would… pic.twitter.com/mrEl7jU65j— Liam Halligan (@LiamHalligan) November 30, 2023
Halligan says Darling started out as a left-wing firebrand but was smart enough to "accept that UK elections are generally won and lost on the centre ground, and voters were unlikely ever to hand a radical left-wing Labour government the keys to Number Ten."
And even George Osborne has tweeted his admiration for Darling:
The desperately sad news about Alistair Darling came while recording our podcast. He was my political opponent for 3 years, but I had huge admiration and respect for him, and he gave me in private great personal advice when i took over his job. A great British public servant https://t.co/JhApDfgw7F
— George Osborne (@George_Osborne) November 30, 2023
And from the broadcasters, the BBC's former political editor and now on Radio 4's Today programme:
So sorry to hear the news that Alastair Darling has died. His rare combination of intelligence and common sense, coolness under fire & wry humour did so much to help the country get through the economic trauma caused by the banking crisis in 2008
— Nick Robinson (@bbcnickrobinson) November 30, 2023
The BBC's Faisal Islam also tweeted:
Very sad news about former Chancellor Alistair Darling.. at the helm of the Treasury at a very difficult time for the country, he was the epitome of good grace and dignity under pressure, & wry humour too. A sad loss. Thoughts with his family.
— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) November 30, 2023
What changed in the last few years? I think you expect me to say Brexit and I won’t disappoint you because I can’t think of anything else that could explain it. At least this is true from the Conservative side, since the hard, Brexit-supporting, nationalist right has virtually taken over the entire party. Identifying a moderate is just about impossible.
Johnson jettisoned anybody with a hint of competence and brought in a whole gang of Brexiteers and in my opinion, supporting Brexit is a sure sign that you aren't competent. If someone can't even recognise what Britain's real problems are he or she isn't going to offer any solutions and that sadly, is the position with most of the Tory party. If you aren't pro-Brexit you won't survive in Conservative circles nowadays.
Those who don't support it are too meek to say anything openly and are simply hoping it will blow over.
Unlike Darling, the bulk of the Tory party doesn't see that elections are won from the centre and are still moving in the wrong direction, as Labour did under Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock. It took defeats in 1983, 1987 and 1992 to bring them to their senses. Let's hope the same happens to the Conservatives. If so, Starmer should have at least 10-13 years to test out policies to grow the economy and rejoin the EU - as I am convinced he will be forced to do - eventually.
Finally, and not to be churlish about Alastair Darling, he was apparently a decent, capable man but he certainly wasn't a saint. He was involved in the expenses scandal as a "classic flipper" according to The Telegraph and The Independent after switching 2nd home designations covering three different properties in the space of as many years.
Also, he charged the taxpayer for the cost of working out his financial affairs, putting his accountant’s fees on his office allowance.
But really, what would we do for men like him sitting around the cabinet table today?
