this is very good
https://www.ft.com/content/5f27a160-6f0e-45e6-af55-bef4a9722bcdAll identify the greatest obstacle to effective administration as weak political leadership. Whatever the arguments over her economic policies, Truss is right that clear direction is vital. On this point, either contender will be an upgrade on Johnson, though they must choose ministers on ability not fervour. And determination is not the same as rigidity. Truss’s undignified retreat over an ill-judged plan to slash the public sector wage bill shows the value of good advice. Challenging orthodoxy must mean more than cutting and pasting from rightwing think-tank pamphlets and dismissing doubts as “declinism”.
Leadership contests rarely bring out the best in politicians. If the next prime minister can bring strategic leadership, strong ministers and a focus on delivery, they will find a Whitehall that responds to their demands. If, instead, they persist with assaults on the woke warriors, footdraggers or Remainers of Conservative caricature as an alibi for poor policies or weak leadership, they may find the public tiring of a government that appears unable to manage. The Tories have been in power since 2010. With the exception of the pandemic and Ukraine crisis, the country is the one they have bequeathed. After 12 years, problems in Whitehall are no longer an excuse for political failure. They are a sign of it.
