The papers report that Brown's requests to meet Barack Obama one-to-one have been rebuffed. What they don't answer is the question: what was the policy issue that Brown believed could be solved only by facetime, rather than by the sort of emails and phone calls that occur all the time between Downing Street and the White House?
They don't answer this because there was no such issue.Brown wants a one-on-one with Obama not because it's necessary for policy purposes, but because it's a legitimation ritual. A meeting would send the signal: "I'm a global statesman, not a mere politician like Cameron or Osborne; I'm addressing big global issues."
The same is, of course, true of the upcoming G20 summit. All the substantive business this does - insofar as there is any - can be, and has been, done behind the scenes. The facetime, and the photo opportunities, are ceremonies intended to elevate the individual politicians in their own, and voters' minds.
And herein lies a paradox of managerialist politics. One the one hand, politicians sell themselves like any other product: "Great public services at prices you'll like." But on the other hand, they expect - and forcefully extract - an allegiance unavailable to ordinary firms; as Alasdair MacIntyre wrote, "it is like being asked to die for the telephone company."
Rituals such as G20 summits, and "bilaterials", are part of the effort to win this allegiance, to shore up a mystique of high office.
The question is: can our governments continue to have it both ways, appealing both to mere instrumental rationality, whilst at the same time pretending to be something more noble and dignified?
They don't answer this because there was no such issue.Brown wants a one-on-one with Obama not because it's necessary for policy purposes, but because it's a legitimation ritual. A meeting would send the signal: "I'm a global statesman, not a mere politician like Cameron or Osborne; I'm addressing big global issues."
The same is, of course, true of the upcoming G20 summit. All the substantive business this does - insofar as there is any - can be, and has been, done behind the scenes. The facetime, and the photo opportunities, are ceremonies intended to elevate the individual politicians in their own, and voters' minds.
And herein lies a paradox of managerialist politics. One the one hand, politicians sell themselves like any other product: "Great public services at prices you'll like." But on the other hand, they expect - and forcefully extract - an allegiance unavailable to ordinary firms; as Alasdair MacIntyre wrote, "it is like being asked to die for the telephone company."
Rituals such as G20 summits, and "bilaterials", are part of the effort to win this allegiance, to shore up a mystique of high office.
The question is: can our governments continue to have it both ways, appealing both to mere instrumental rationality, whilst at the same time pretending to be something more noble and dignified?
Great heading but I notice you slipped in the "managerialist" thing again, Chris. How about "statist"?
Posted by: jameshigham | September 24, 2009 at 10:01 PM
Hang on Chris, a little further down you posted about the legitimacy of 'tacit' knowledge about religious propositions that can only be gained by performative acts. But why should it not also be true that there is a knowledge about politics or about real-world propositions that can only be gained by performance such as the ones you describe? If it is good for religious propositions, there can be no reason in principle that it shouldn't be good for other kinds. I think you need to weaken your position on one or the other. Or are you going to accept that there are truth claims that politicians can make that non-believers cannot, in principle, reject through the mere application of reason?
Posted by: John Meredith | September 25, 2009 at 09:37 AM
the interesting paradox you pose is probably a fair enough conundrum in 'normal' times (suggest invoking doublethink as an explanatory factor)
but today ? noble/dignified vs rationality ?
we should be so lucky: I'm rather afraid that the government has settled for simply surviving each week as it comes
Brown's bare-faced lying is not noble, just shameless
the current G20 posturing is remembered behaviour, the reflex-twitching of a headless chicken
and as for Mandelson, the whole thing is clearly a game to him
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