> but the previous UK Prime Minister had exactly the demeanor you could ask of a public servant. Who, Theresa May? She was a big user of 'spin' and chicanery t

> but the previous UK Prime Minister had exactly the demeanor you could ask of a public servant. Who, Theresa May? She was a big user of 'spin' and chicanery too, only -- she wasn't very good at it. She had her own "master of the dark arts", Nick Timothy, who was fired after her embarrassing loss in the polls. I think you'd have to go to John Major if you want an old-style Tory. Tony Blair himself was a big user of 'spin' and media management. IMHO, and this may be controversial, there's nothing wrong with spin and media management if there's some sincerity behind your beliefs, and Blair was an unabashed left-of-centre neoliberal, like him or hate him. Obama had a very good spin machine too, but of course there was a fair amount of substance to the man -- I say this as someone who laughed at his Nobel Prize win. The current lot are very empty in the ideas department, are incompetent, and are only clinging on to power thanks to the first past the post system which makes it hard for a divided Opposition to win a plurality of seats. That is, any pretence of governing from the centre is gone. They're happy to use data science to ferret out the path to victory and use polarizing social media messaging tactics to win key seats.