Kthebean Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 When I was watching the news it occured to me don't we expect too much of the PM nowadays? Not specifically Big Tone, but just from the post. He/She's expected to carry so much in their head for consideration, amongst other things to be responsible for in a day they have - Policy in the Middle East - the NHS - the economy - Irish 'troubles' - education - the state of their own pol party - immigration - smoking bans and other peripherals - crime - business regulation and competition - bird flu type problems Isn't it just ridiculous to expect someone to be able to know about all these things from day one and be responsible for them, I mean, I wonder how many of us would cope when things change so much daily and you have little control over what happens externally to your country like the global economy and stuff. Is there any one person who could do this satisfactorily or are we doomed to be forever disappointed with our PMs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerlOfWisdom Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 I think they take on too many relatively trivial matters like fox hunting, gay marriage, new ways of making murder, theft, traffic offences etc. illegal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarSparkle Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 When I was watching the news it occured to me don't we expect too much of the PM nowadays? Not specifically Big Tone, but just from the post. He/She's expected to carry so much in their head for consideration, amongst other things to be responsible for in a day they have - Policy in the Middle East - the NHS - the economy - Irish 'troubles' - education - the state of their own pol party - immigration - smoking bans and other peripherals - crime - business regulation and competition - bird flu type problems Isn't it just ridiculous to expect someone to be able to know about all these things from day one and be responsible for them, I mean, I wonder how many of us would cope when things change so much daily and you have little control over what happens externally to your country like the global economy and stuff. Is there any one person who could do this satisfactorily or are we doomed to be forever disappointed with our PMs? They know that's the job when they take it on. And they have a rather large civil service to help them, after all Note to Kathythebean: PMs don't carry all that information in their heads, you know - they get briefed when necessary by their own staff or civil servants. StarSparkle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEKRO138 Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 We might expect too much. But he can't get one thing right. He has cabinet members and specialised MPs to help him. No excuse. It's a lot of responsibility, yes but if you can't do it, DON'T! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 I agree Kathy, why does the Prime Minister never say "I've no idea, why don't you ask someone who's paid to know this stuff? I wonder how much policy has been created by a Prime Minister answering a question when not in full possession of the facts. To avoid undermining him or making him appear weak, the answer has become policy. In fact didn't just such a thing happen over health service expenditure when he was asked whether we would match France's levels of contribution? Gordon certainly looked surprised. On a slightly different tack, the Americans clearly don't expect their President to know anything at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 Maybe that's why he gets paid £150,000 and has a whole cabinet of people each responsible for one of those things who are paid £130,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magilla Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 I think the requirement to "Not Lie Through Your Teeth" is pretty straightforward! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedwayDan Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 I think the requirement to "Not Lie Through Your Teeth" is pretty straightforward! good call, and like evrybody else has said, he's got a team around him who are supposed to be experts in each field Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angle20 Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 The 24/7 instant news culture probably makes things even tougher than they used to be. Eight years is probably the maximum anyone should do in the job nowadays. Gordon Brown, whilst he has some positive attributes, is not renowned for being a good delegator. That might be worrying in the context of the concerns you express. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magilla Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 The 24/7 instant news culture probably makes things even tougher than they used to be. Indeed, I read an interview with John Simpson (BBC News Reporter), who said that on his first day as a reporter he tried to interview Harold Wilson. To avoid the interview, Wilson simply assaulted him by punching him in the stomach and walking away. All this was infront of a waiting press pack, yet not one single mention of the assault was ever reported. It's sure different now, but I'd say for the better. At least we have a clue what happens in our name now, even if we don't know why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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