A musing about being nice in politics ...

Written by Peter Bingle, Chairman, Bell Pottinger Public Affairs

I was interested by the reaction to Ken Livingstone’s over the top jibes about Boris John’s Chief of Staff Edward Lister. To compare the former leader of Wandsworth Council with someone who is on trial for war crimes and mass murder is clearly an own goal. It says much more about Ken than it does about Edward Lister. Ken’s long-term and long suffering aide Simon Fletcher must be pulling his hair out …

Whilst verbal punch-ups are a long established part of the political process Ken’s jibes have shocked people because they are just plain nasty. If they are a taster of Ken Livingstone’s mayoral campaign we are in for a truly horrible twelve months. The people of London deserve better. I hope that Ken has received a phone call from Ed Miliband or one of his key aides telling him to start behaving properly.

For all the public protestations Boris and Edward Lister will be delighted at Ken’s error of judgment. Boris’s strongest card is his likeability. Ken’s jibes emphasise more than ever just how different these two men are. Boris makes people laugh. Even when he is scoring political points he does so with humour and a smile. It is a rare gift.

Personality and character are what defines us. Nobody is perfect. We all have flaws, sometimes to the point when they almost cause self-destruction. Yet we no longer live in a world where the Protestant concept of predestination is taken seriously. We are all able to take the necessary steps (normally with the help of friends) to get back on the road to personal or political salvation. Simon Fletcher needs to devise a short-term strategy which negates the terrible media which has been caused by Ken’s nasty jibes. If anybody can do it then it is Simon Fletcher. There are few better political brains in the Labour Party.

The most obvious case of self-destruction is Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited but even I cannot seriously contrast Ken Livingstone with Lord Sebastian Flyte! Suffice to say that one day I will muse about this most wonderful of characters.

Being nice is a wonderful political attribute. Politicians who get destroyed on the front pages of the News of the World and the Mail on Sunday tend to be people who aren’t very popular. There are many politicians who could (and perhaps should) have suffered a similar fate were it not for the fact that they are popular with everybody. There is simply no desire to destroy or hurt them. This is an important lesson for every aspiring politician. Be nice to everybody.

Another week has passed and my trip to see Tristan & Isolde at the Grange on 22nd June gets ever closer.

Why is being nice so important in politics? How should Ken negate this week’s terrible publicity? Does anybody really still believe in predestination?