Guardian journalist Andrew Sparrow reviews the recent PoliticsHomeIndex poll showing William Hague to be the most admired politician in Britain and draws these conclusions on how politicians can do well:
1. Don't be a member of this government
2. Don't take decisions that offend people
3. Tell jokes
Of these, I think the first tells the real story of the poll, and of the new political environment. Sparrow notes that "There are currently 23 names on the list. According to the latest figures, Hague is top, followed by Cable, Boris Johnson and David Cameron. They are the only four with net approval ratings."
As someone who became seriously interested in politics about a decade ago, and saw a lot of bad years follow for the Conservatives, I still find I am not used to the new political environment in Britain. Who would have predicted with any confidence even five years ago that by now three of the four most admired politicians would be the Conservative leader, the Shadow Foreign Secretary and the Tory Mayor of London? I struggle to absorb poll after poll and election after election being so fiercely positive, but all seem to tell the story of a consistent and genuine public enthusiasm for a Conservative government.