Be Careful What you Wish For!

We used to say ‘be careful what you wish for’ of Gordon Brown. Now we can say it of Nick Clegg. What an excruciatingly difficult place he finds himself in right now. What pleases me, though, is that we do seem to have entered an era (ushered in by him, most likely) of more touchy-feely politics. Politicians are currently having to look closely at themselves and their own entrenched views to decide what really matters. They’re having to look each other in the eye across tables and try to judge just how far the other side may go. They’re all desperately trying to read each others’ signals, and this is where someone with any degree of emotional intelligence will score over the rest. This was where poor Gordon Brown was lacking. Nick Clegg, in the way he listens and hears other points of view has demonstrated himself capable of empathy. And Peter Mandelson has always been able to read a situation and act instinctively. So perhaps there’s a clue in here to the way forward?