The other
day, someone asked me if I was a musician. Why? Because she thought I looked
like one. I am not sure what a musician is supposed to look like, but even if I
do, this would belie the reality. For I have not a musical bone in my body. So
how much credence do we place on appearances? Surely too much. Take Ed Miliband,
for example. He is pilloried by the right-wing media for his looks; yet his party
remains unified and leads the Opposition in the polls consistently, despite
this following a disastrous election only 4 years ago. This suggests that
people see past the media’s insults.
Last week Tesco
was found to have made a huge accounting error. Shares tumbled as investors
took fright. The media and some of the public took great delight in this evidence
of the fallibility of the mighty. Yet how many of those so delighting actually
refuse to shop at Tesco – or Amazon, or Google or any other dominant brand? They
perceive them as evil because of their power but continue to use them because of
what they actually do.
There is
much to be said for a retreat from deference to the powerful; even to challenging
them. They – the 1% - cream off too much of what citizens earn, giving little
back. But we do need people who are prepared to take on great responsibility,
to make things work. We need leaders for communities, for workforces, for
enterprises. These should not automatically be targets for brickbats. Our perception
of them should be based not on superficial attributes, be these looks, success
or even wealth but on what they do. If Tesco supplies more than 30% of the
groceries of the country, this is partly because they meet the needs of
millions of customers. If Tesco fails to deliver good value, customers can and will
go elsewhere. If Tesco publishes erroneous figures, those who are concerned
with such matters can and will review their stake in the company. These are
manifestations of what the company does.
If Ed
Miliband holds together an often fractious political party, develops a strategy
for that party and for the country which people find credible and presents a
team of electable candidates to the electorate, these are what he should be
judged on. If I write a great symphony, judge me a musician. Otherwise, judge
me for what I actually do, not what I may look like.
Tom Serpell
@uckfieldlabour
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