Competence is the new rock ’n’ roll. For a time, everything that was emerging and popular was the new rock ’n’ roll. Comedy was once. So was cookery. For a while kindness was it. Intermittently rock ’n’ roll is the new rock ’n’ roll. It’s a banal language trope. But it serves a useful purpose. Which is fitting as now, after a period of political chaos, a commitment to getting business done in a timely and orderly fashion is the very thing.
In Scotland, decent and sensible John Swinney is running the country. A year ago he was yesterday’s man, liked by many but not exciting enough to electrify the electorate, and too close to all that had gone before. After a year of Humza Yousaf not really getting anywhere and increasingly failing to unite his party or get policy through, Swinney was seen as the only one for the job, the safe hands in a time of flux. There wasn’t even a leadership challenge within the SNP. In his speech accepting the role of first minister he acknowledged that the things he had to really get hold of were “dry and technical”.
Get the latest news and insight into how the Big Issue magazine is made by signing up for the Inside Big Issue newsletter
This was not the shambolic self-serving charisma of Boris Johnson, promising the world and delivering nothing, but the serious language of serious business. He also put eradicating child poverty at the top of his to-do list – hardly the chatter of a popinjay.
Incidentally, this is also timely, coming as it does as we launch our Big Issue campaign for an end to poverty as an election commitment from all parties. John, give us a ring. We can talk through it.
In Westminster, though Labour still soar in the polls, the recurring message is that the lead comes despite Keir Starmer, not because of him. He is seen as a leader of good and even sense rather than of inspiration.
