What do politicians do? No, I don’t mean to be facetious – the fact is that most of us only have a vague idea of the most basic functions of politicians. The Political Animal remedies that. As you expect from Jeremy Paxman, it holds no punches, but neither does it set out to vilify politicians. It is an honest, straightforward look at what politicians do and what it means to be a politician: from student days spent debating as an aspiring politician; to standing for a constituency and (hopefully) becoming a Member of Parliament; through parliamentary life filled with hopes a cabinet position; and finally to the walk of shame as our MP is sacked amid a flood of disgrace and told to get the hell out of Westminster.
To paraphrase Dickens, a career in politics seems to be the best of jobs and the worst of jobs. As much as we complain about the government, the truth is that most of us wouldn’t survive a week in the Houses of Parliament (even if a week is a long time in politics, that’s still pretty bad going). Jeremy Paxman is a political journalist and broadcaster who is best known for his acerbic interviews on Newsnight (and for presenting University Challenge, of course, but that’s not really relevant to this review) and, as you’d expect, The Political Animal doesn’t hold any prisoners.
The text is roughly set out in chronological order as I’ve described: it follows the typical route of a politician (mentioning noteworthy exceptions, of course) as he or she rises to power. Examples are taken mainly from the 20th century, although some are earlier and others more contemporary (the book was first published in 2002), and Paxman has referred to both primary and secondary resources. In his acknowledgements he thanks the people who willingly helped him with his research (Jack Straw, John Major and Betty Boothroyd, who “share[d] a cup of tea for an hour or so”, are amongst the best-known) and names and shames those who didn’t even bother to reply to his letters.
There are plenty of wry observations and quotes that are funny mainly through their undeniable truth; for example, Christopher Hollis’s observation that what brings politicians to the top is “that extra little ounce of ambition that is not quite sane”. There is also some food for thought, such as the acknowledgement that Britain was rated among the 15 least corrupt countries in the world – above the US, Spain, Germany and Italy (though below Finland, Denmark and New Zealand) – which reminds us that no matter how much we moan about our government, it could be worse.
On the other hand, parliament has earned its reputation as “the best gentleman’s club in London” and most politicians only excel by playing the game – namely voting as told to by the party whips (who are not above using blackmail and physical force). MPs get to enjoy a lot of luxury (plush offices, bars and restaurants), but are constantly reminded that this can be taken away from them if they don’t toe the line. This atmosphere also makes it harder for women to excel (as in many ‘high-powered’ career areas), which could explain why parliament entered the 21st century with a lower proportion of women than Mozambique, Rwanda and even North Korea.
Another drawback of politics is the complete exposure of your past and private life. As Paxman notes, “The truth is that the people who have the most energy and ideas are precisely the people who are most likely to have some skeleton in a cupboard somewhere” so the people who make it into the tough world of politics aren’t always the best people for the job. A squeaky-clean reputation is valued more than actual skills and ability. Not that that would do much good: the government system seems to be designed to prevent change. Nigel Nicolson, who lost his position in the 1950s, remarked that “There is no place where a man can occupy himself more intensively or usefully, and no place where he can hold down his job by doing so little.” As Paxman puts it: “parties campaign actively, but, paradoxically, much of government is passive”.
And yet the government is more involved in its citizens’ lives than it ever has been. “Where, once upon a time, governments impinged very little upon people’s lives, there is now scarcely an area of human behaviour which is not touched by the law” writes Paxman, although you could argue that perhaps this is because people refuse to take responsibility for their actions. Then again, perhaps it’s an example of political corruption of the people – as Thomas Jefferson warned “Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct”.
I enjoyed reading this book, although it did lose pace in places, and think it’s essential reading for anyone who is ignorant of these areas of politics. I certainly learnt a lot. I don’t think I’ll ever read it again though, so buying is only recommended for those with a huge interest in politics – everyone else should do as I did and hotfoot it down to the library. It’s extremely informative and quite entertaining, especially if you’re a fan of Paxman’s sardonic wit. The book is well-balanced and completely avoids taking sides, which is refreshing, and serves as a reminder that no matter how often I get annoyed by how useless my MP appears (I didn’t vote for him), I probably couldn’t do his job.
There are undoubtedly a lot of problems in politics and Jeremy Paxman helps shed light on a lot of these – as well as highlighting the difficulties of actually being a politician. As he muses, “Perhaps it is true that, as the public have come to think politics trivia, trivial people have become attracted to politics” – a dangerous approach, since politics has so much bearing on our lives. He warns that “A society which loses faith in how it governs itself is in danger of falling apart”, reminding us that a reformation (or perhaps a renovation!) is long overdue. Nonetheless, as I next go to the polling booth, I will be reminded of John Kenneth Galbraith’s words in a letter to President Kennedy: “Politics is largely about choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable”.
The Political Animal. ISBN 0-140-28847-3 RRP £7.99. Available on Amazon for £6.99.
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