The Iconoclast FEB 2018

Every morning, I pop on BBC
Breakfast whilst eating my cereal,
trying to make sure I am
aware of what is going on in
the world- ready for my politics
lesson later that day. I
check my Facebook, scanning
The Guardian headlines as I sit
on the bus. Sometimes I’ll even
read a newspaper in one of my
study periods! And one lady is
always centre stage of everything
going on in our political
sphere- Theresa May.
Every time I see a video of her
walking across a stage; every
Instagram she posts of her with
the local dog she met in her constituency;
every tweet I see slating
her, my heart hurts a little.
better at being a ‘people’s’ leader,
and is certainly seen as more
relatable.
But is it a problem for a Prime
Minister to be socially awkward?
May has always been a
more private politician than others,
and just because she shows
less emotion doesn’t discredit
her leadership abilities. However,
incidents like the Grenfell
Tower, and her detached response
as she talked to those
affected, just further negates her
public image. Her public interaction
has improved since then
(for instance, talking to the Muslims
of the Finsbury Park
mosque) but this could be too
late- the jury are already out.
Because I feel sorry for Theresa.
I feel sorry for the media image
that has been created, and the
characteristics that she cannot
shake off constantly hanging
over her. I can stay quiet no
longer.
Perhaps the most noticeable
thing about Theresa is her social
awkwardness. She seems to
struggle with social interaction,
and often misses the mark when
trying to relate to others- particularly
the younger generation.
She doesn’t have that natural
charm that most leaders have;
that ability to command and encapsulate
the room. Instead, her
talking is stilted, and her smile
uneasy. People comment on her
stooped walk, becoming more
and more defined as her leadership
goes on. This is particularly
highlighted when her opposition
is Jeremy Corbyn- undoubtedly
The second female prime
minister of the UK
Conservative MP for Maidenhead
Previous Home Secretary,
before bidding to be Party
leader
Mainly state educated (bar
a short stint at an independent
convent school)
Studied Geography at University
of Oxford
Her hobby is cooking
Was a remain supporter
during the Brexit campaign
On top of this, Theresa May has
the looming shadow behind her
in the form of Margaret
Thatcher. Regardless of their
differences in policy and personality,
May will always be compared
to her female predecessor.
This is problematic as they are
completely different types of
leaders- and this comparison
just highlights May’s weaknesses.
For instance, the recent cabinet
reshuffle, which led to newspapers
dubbing May as spineless
after allowing other ministers to
stay in their positions, is miles
away from Thatcher’s ‘Iron Lady’
approach to running government.
Both tactics have positives,
and we cannot know what
happened inside Number 10
during the reshuffle- yet the media
focuses on the slander of
May’s authority.
Last October, Theresa May took