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Gove, Cable and Purnell a ‘Radical Dream Team’
Michael Gove, Vince Cable and James Purnell are the most radical politicians in Britain, according to a Demos survey released today.
The three were identified by the UK’s 100 most influential political figures as the leaders with the boldest ideas and policies in the country. The Liberal Democrats pipped the Conservatives as the most radical party, with Labour trailing third.
But according to the participants in the survey, Britain’s parties and politicians are hardly radical at all. Amongst politicians, only Michael Gove scored above 5 out of a possible ten points. None of the main parties scored above 4.5.
Demos Director Richard Reeves said:
“Politicians use the word ‘radical’ the way teenagers use ‘like’. They are long on radical rhetoric, but the question is whether this is matched in practice. Real radicalism means challenging ideas and institutions. Our survey suggests real radicalism is in short supply, and that no political party has a monopoly on radical ideas.”
An anonymous survey respondent said:
“This exercise illustrated just how conventional politicians today are. This is the Adrian Mole generation, defined by the aftermath of the miners' strike and the cold war - hesitant, stumbling and lacking in political courage.”
The full results can be downloaded here.
Notes for Editors:
The survey was commissioned by the think tank Demos and conducted by news website Politics Home. It asked the PHI100 to rate the three main parties and thirteen top politicians according to how radical they are. It defined radical as challenging to the goals of a society, challenging entrenched interest, and refusing to settle for incremental approaches.
Contact:
Peter Harrington
Peter.harrington@demos.co.uk
0207 367 6338
07939 664133