To Be or not To Be ... Is NOT the question

I know all about this because I have watched every episode of The Crown: some of them twice. The Queen never really wanted to be monarch. It was "thrust upon her" to quote Malvolio in Twelfth Night. Nevertheless, she accepted her fate, got on with the job and made this promise to the nation.

"I promise you ... my whole life, whether it be long or short, will be devoted to your service."

Whatever your thoughts on the monarchy, I think most people agree that the Queen has done her best to deliver on this. She had - and has - purpose.

The Problem with Boris

There are many, but the biggest, in my humble opinion, is that he has no purpose. He just wants to BE prime minister.

This is problematic because without a sense of purpose, there is nothing to hang your hat on, no guiding principles to shape and influence your policies, leadership and decisions. Instead, the only point to any decision is to keep him in position.

A Brief History of Conservatism

I know all about this because my son is studying politics. Well, when I say he is studying politics, that's not totally accurate. What he is actually doing is riding his bike a lot and intermittently attending lectures which include some lectures on politics.

So on Monday evening I broke all my rules of parenting and for the first time ever helped him cram for an exam the following day. It was about the thinkers who have influenced conservatism over the years. For example, Edmund Burke (1700s) believed that humans are imperfect; he saw a role for society and felt we had obligations to those who went before and those who come ahead. He believed the state had a role and that there was a place for a social contract between individuals and the state. He believed in the concept of "society".

Ayn Rand (1950s ish) on the other hand, had a totally different position. She believed humans are rational, wealth creation is good, altruism is nonsense and the state should keep out of it as far as possible. She did not see a role for "society".

You can sort of see how these thinkers, in their own way, influenced political, economic and societal policies. Conservative governments of different hues have, over the years, been influenced by one or more of these and other thinkers.

Now? Apparently there is a plan to cut taxes because it will help Boris stay as PM. The economy is in safe hands people.

He's not the Only One with a Problem

Poor Harry and Meghan also seem struck down with the "wannabe" curse. They wanted to be rich, famous and influential but, as far as one can tell, with little sense of any purpose behind that. (I think we can rule out saving the planet given their recent trips on private jets).

They also clearly didn't want to be second fiddle.

Doesn't seem to be going that well so far.

The Power of Purpose

If there is any philosophy I adhere to more than any others, I think it would be stoicism. In fact, to be honest, I'm not sure I could tell you much about any other philosophies (my son is, sadly, not studying philosophy).

Anyway, Marcus Aurelius, the famous stoic believed that we each have a purpose; something we were created for. He believed that purpose is what gets you out of bed in a morning. He was talking about a sense of duty and reason for being way being just "being" a job title, even it that title is Prime Minister.

Here's Helen Keller on the same subject.

“True happiness... is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose..”

Poor Boris. I don't think he's destined for true happiness somehow.

Rules of the Road

Unlike my cycling buddies and I who are off to climb some mountains this week. Here we are on the last trip we made - four or five years ago if I recall correctly.

What I love about cycling is not only that it comes with a sense of purpose (and great scenery), it also requires you to follow some widely acknowledge "rules of the road". Re-reading them ahead of our trip, it struck me that they are pretty good lessons in life. Our leaders and politicians would do well to pay some heed.

• Agree on the destination and plan your route together. Make sure everyone wants to go on the same journey.
• Stick together on steady climbs. When it gets tough, regroup at the top. Take everyone with you.
• The pace is set by the group, not the strongest rider.
• Obey the law and respect other road users.
• Wear a helmet, dress appropriately, maintain your bike. Safety is a priority.

I'm going to leave it to you to figure out whether those are pretty good rules for life in general.

Keeping it Short

You will notice this isn't going out on a Sunday. I figured you were all either on holiday, at a street party or stuck in an airport queue somewhere so I thought I'd give the newsletter a miss. Then I realised there is unlikely to be one this coming Sunday as it will be my turn to either be on holiday, stuck in an airport or sulking that my holiday never actually happened.

So here it is. A mid-week special. I should record, for posterity and for when this newsletter becomes part of a best selling compilation book that this was the week that 42% of Conservative MPs went on record to say they had no confidence in the PM. Logically, you could assume that confidence in the general population, over 50% of whom did not vote Conservative, is probably way less than that but we shall see.

The OECD gave its own verdict today, forecasting that the UK will have the lowest growth in the block next year. Oh, apart from Russia.

Anyway, must dash, taxi due in 30 mins. Wish me luck. Expect a cycling-metaphor rich ditty when I return.

I'm reading: Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead. After The Sentence and Sorrow and Bliss this is the next on the Women's Prize for Fiction list to have caught my attention. Stunning. I think I'd give the prize to The Sentence so far but this one is really good. By the way, if anyone knows the organising committee I would love to be on the judging panel even more than I'd love to have my own column.

I'm watching: Everything I know about love - dramatisation of Dolly Alderton's book. I'm watching it as I promised my daughter I would. I can't say I would recommend it for anyone over the age of 27. It will make you feel very very old.

I'm listening to: PM, Today, The World at One, The Week in Westminster and Newscast. I just love a good political crisis.