All politics is office politics (almost)
Boris Johnson was deposed as a result of office politics in No. 10 and the Conservative Party, just as he turfed out Theresa May in 2019. The only person in this picture still in office in September 2022 was the official, Chief Scientist Chris Whitty.
Image caption: Coronavirus meeting in Prime Minister‘s office No10 Downing Street. L to R: Lee Cain (Director of Communications), Dom Cummings (chief adviser), Boris Johnson MP & Prime Minister, Jack Doyle (adviser, communications), Prof Chris Witty (Chief Scientist), Matt Hancock MP & Health Secretary Boris Johnson’s One Year Anniversary 28/02/2020. London, UK. Picture By Andrew Parsons / No10 Downing St Flikr
Elections matter, but who wins or loses depends on the battles in the offices and corridors of people competing for power including:
- Broadcasters, press, influential bloggers & twitterers
- Government ministers, advisers, and officials
- Factions within the governing party,
- Opposition parties
- Donors, funders, and strategists that support the above
Most political battles happen behind the scenes, in and around the offices of organisations seeking to influence what happens. They set the stage for their side to win the public battle. “All politics is local” is largely a myth. Most political battles are won or lost over strategy and tactics within the offices of parties and their institutional allies, particularly the media.
The row over parties at No. 10 during Covid lockdown was a spectacular eruption into the public space out of the ceaseless political drama behind the scenes. How events like this play out in public influence the fate of politicians, parties, and policies, but the narrative is determined by decisions of the key players.
The media played a key role, but so did Conservative Ministers and MPs, as well as their constituency parties, who acted to amplify or dampen news from inside Downing Street. The dramatic verdict of the public in byelections played a critical role, as voters cast their verdict on the drama being projected into the public domain.
The interaction between battles within offices of key players and the public is ultimately decisive, but do not underestimate the importance of contacts, knowledge and skill of players within the offices of people competing for power and influence.Read more in the following chapter from my book: https://bit.ly/Office_Politics
