Politics is not only about the substance, it is about the likeability of the person. Some in politics manufacture it; others are natural. I believe Nicola Sturgeon has done better than Alex Salmon would have this time in Scotland. Ms Sturgeon, whatever her politics, talks to people naturally. So does Khan in London without much effort at it. Goldsmith looked always withdrawn while making an effort in communicating his point. It is not about his Jewishness or him being a millionaire, it is just that the voters tend to bend towards personality more. If you ever met Khan, you will realise his warmth in his conversation and the body language: all very friendly, approachable and always connecting with you. David Cameron used to enjoy that factor too. Corbyn is not as articulate.
Some look leaders; others do not. Khan always looked like a leader, though not completely; Goldsmith had no such presence. Khan looked leading; Goldsmith looked a shadow. Both are decent men, but politics has no mercy. Khan’s campaign backed off earlier from some dirty positions they should not have gone for, Goldsmith’s tactics did not adjust to the mood around. Khan has created a trust factor, Goldsmith failed to generate such image. A trust in a politician usually wins. However, America tells us that they are now in a voting game over which of the two figures they will hate less: Clinton or Trump.
Unfortunately, Cameron & Co are embarked on fear mongering as soul of the ‘in’ campaign on a referendum. That has damaged his trust factor, which will be a legacy that he will have to live with even if he wins the ‘in’ vote on Europe. Not now, but when things go more wrong with Europe- and they will, as it is the nature of the beast – he will lose his credibility he has earned. For the history changes our perspective of what we see as now. The culture of fear mongering he has now propagated has turned into a machine running amok. Ugly parade of world leaders he is lining up as
parroting cardboard figures to inject fear in voters’ minds, with added manipulation of figures, is a breath-taking theatre of a new political culture in place. That indeed has filtered through in the London mayoral campaign too. Zac Goldsmith may have thought he was benefiting from this while it was actually destroying his trust factor. It is an absolute myth that all Gujaratis hate Muslims!
Congress Party in India played up distortion well which it seems the whole world had bought it. I am going by the emails from other journalists and even my recent encounter with the Turkish writer
who liked me only to the point of not knowing I was Gujarati! Trying to tap into that distorted image was also the biggest mistake Tories made. Khan has thousands of Gujarati in Tooting who vote for him. By overplaying the misconception about Gujaratis and writing to them a personal letter, Cameron stooped lower as a politician. The trust factor rules supreme. Khan was already there without the cloak of a religion. No doubt, Khan should have been careful standing up with wrong people just to win votes. That is politicians all over not trying to miss a photo opportunity for the publicity in their immediate context!
I am for Brexit, but my strong calculation is that Britain will remain in Europe. Khan was helped by
Cameron in that sense! How strange, Corbyn was useless for him, but Cameron worked for him! I wrote an article earlier in Asian Voice to stimulate the debate for the Mayoral election in London, and for a while, Goldsmith was on a right track of a debate. My thoughts were to bring out the ideas
from both candidates in open. However, the dirt drifted in the clear courtyard. The Tories need to learn that the polarising games of fear mongering, social callousness and disenfranchisement of some in the society will be ultimately their undoing. A fact of the politics is that when nation’s finances are in order, voters do not need the party that can manage it well.
Nothing is permanent when it comes to voters.
E E Cumming enlightens us with these lines:
“I’d rather learn from one bird how to sing
Than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance”
The first one is the business of poets; the second one, of the politicians.
