Tag: Ben Worthy
Patriotism, pessimism and politicians: understanding the vote to Leave
Ben Worthy reflects on the numerous overlapping reasons for the Brexit vote, the parallels with previous elections, and why a second vote risks exacerbating the anti-elite sentiments that underpinned it.
From City Hall to Downing Street: what would Boris as Mayor tell us about Boris as PM?
As speculation mounts again about Theresa May’s longevity at Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s star has risen once again. But what would PM Boris be like? Ben Worthy and Mark Bennister read the runes from his time as London’s Mayor.
How Parliament’s campaign of attrition forced the government to open up about Brexit
The real battle over Brexit has not been about whether Parliament will get a final vote, writes Ben Worthy (Birkbeck University of London). The true fight is about information – about what kind of Brexit the government wants, and what its impact is likely to be. In this, Parliament has been rather successful. Pressure from select committees and […]
Heath, Brown and now May: how ‘serious, details-oriented’ PMs fail
As the Conservative conference drew to a close in Manchester, Theresa May was still struggling to unite her party. Ben Worthy (Birkbeck University of London) looks at the reasons why Prime Ministers fail and how the same qualities that are lauded in a new PM often explain their failure. Like May, Gordon Brown and Edward Heath […]
Letting the sun shine in – for a while: why (most) US presidents embrace openness
Most US politicians with ambitions to shake up the status quo say they want more openness in government – though many of them go off the idea after they acquire power. Donald Trump, however, is not interested in either open government or the usual nods to transparency that presidential candidates offer. But as he is […]
Submarine May can’t slip back under the waves. Keeping Brexit negotiations secret is impossible
The story of Brexit has been that of a would-be secretive government forced to become more open about its intentions, writes Ben Worthy. Pressure from select committees, the media and freedom of information requests – compounded by a stream of leaks – means we now know what kind of Brexit we will have. But he […]
The takeover: Prime Ministers without a popular mandate 1916-2016
There are more or less two routes to becoming Prime Minister. You can either win a General Election or win a party leadership election to become head of the largest party when a Prime Minister leaves. Having just achieved the second route, Theresa May has become our ‘takeover’ leader. Here, Ben Worthy discusses the history […]
Why would anyone want to be Prime Minister?
The challenges are awesome, if not terrifying, for whoever wins the Conservative leadership. Following the vote in favour of Brexit, Cameron’s successor will take control of a divided party, a divided country and significant forces pulling the UK apart. In this light, Ben Worthy considers what motivates those who aspire to be Prime Minister. Similar […]
Who will succeed David Cameron? A brief history of takeover Prime Ministers
Following David Cameron’s announcement that he will resign following the EU referendum, Ben Worthy assesses the experiences of Prime Ministers who have taken over mid-term, and considers what can be taken from this as we look forward to the upcoming Tory leadership battle. Similar PostsGoing, Going, Gone: How Safe is David Cameron?A tale of two […]
Open Up or Shut Up? David Cameron’s three transparency problems
Politicians who guarantee greater transparency frequently find their promises coming back to haunt them. Ben Worthy writes that although the Prime Minister has done nothing against the law, his high profile bid to tackle tax evasion and castigation of tax dodgers in the past left him open to charges of hypocrisy when his own tax affairs came under the spotlight […]
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