Tory ‘rising stars’ push lefty ideas in new book


by Sunny Hundal    
9:40 am - September 6th 2011

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Two Conservative MPs seen as ‘rising stars’ by some have just published a book.

‘Masters of Nothing: How the Crash Will Happen Again Unless We Understand Human Nature’ is an account of the financial crisis by Matthew Hancock and Nadhim Zahawi, who both became MPs in 2010.

So what does the book have to say?

Ben Brogan reports from the book launch:

Their suggestions have caught the media eye: quotas for women in executive roles (Jack Dromey welcomed Mr Hancock as a new member of Harriet Harman’s sisterhood in the street earlier) ; penalties for failure, not rewards; some kind of invigilator for banks – a ‘public protagonist’ to question investment decisions taken by boards.

If I’m reading that correctly, these are calls for more equality and diversity in the workforce, proper penalties for executives who fail (more shareholder activism?) and better regulation for banks to question where their money goes?

Hey, who can argue with that?

Predictably, some weren’t impressed.

It has become fashionable in some Tory circles to decry the failures of capitalism. But what Messrs Hancock and Zahawi have done is thrown down the gauntlet to Tory traditionalists, and to judge by some of the comments about them I’ve heard this evening (’commies in a blue wrapper’ was the best), they may just spark a bit of a ding dong.

I’m looking forward to it.

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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. Paul Sagar

I’m glad to see that these particular Tories still think that “human nature” is synonymous with “silly gender stereotypes and ignorant falsehoods about rational egoism”.

Some things don’t change.

2. Leon Wolfson

Look like paternalist, not left, ideas to me.

3. Tim Worstall

“quotas for women in executive roles ”

A quite remarkably stupid idea.

Men are indeed in general more risk taking than women. However, in mixed gender environments both men and women are more risk taking than they are in single sex environments.

So, anyone arguing that the real problem with banks is excessive risk taking should be arguing for at minimum single sex working environments and possibly even all female ones.

4. Steven

Some people sometimes, somehow do associate themselves with political parties for reasons other than their own personal beliefs. Maybe because of tradition, social circles or opportunity.

5. Margin4error

Although the quotas issue tends to be disliked by middle class white men – since it is much nicer for us to believe we get where we get on merit, rather than on bias in our favour (and quite understandably so) – the rest ofr the stuff in that paragraph seems pretty middle of the road rather than lefty.

6. Flowerpower

Quotas daft. Rest not lefty in the least.

Hancock used to be George Osborne’s chief-of-staff.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Liberal Conspiracy

    Tory 'rising stars' push lefty ideas in new book http://t.co/Zt5AK3m

  2. David McMillan

    Tory ‘rising stars’ push lefty ideas in new book | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/gjL6wUZ via @libcon

  3. w.m o'mara

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  4. sunny hundal

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  5. Alasdair Thompson

    Tory ‘rising stars’ push lefty ideas in new book http://t.co/kMALBSO << Sunny Hundal or @muppet_sundial ?

  6. Dave Watson

    Tory ‘rising stars’ push lefty ideas in their new book. No, really. http://t.co/M3DZoak

  7. Jon Slater

    Tory ‘rising stars’ push lefty ideas in their new book. No, really. http://t.co/M3DZoak

  8. Anne

    RT @sunny_hundal Tory ‘rising stars’ push lefty ideas in their new book. No, really. http://t.co/R0krVYV << I'm looking forward to it too!

  9. Richard Murphy

    Tory ‘rising stars’ push lefty ideas in their new book. No, really. http://t.co/M3DZoak

  10. Gus Hoyt

    Tory ‘rising stars’ push lefty ideas in their new book. No, really. http://t.co/M3DZoak





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