I was at a dinner given by the Independent Doctors Forum last year and we had just listened to an excellent speech by Mr. Portillo. He should have gone far. During questions an eminent surgeon asked 'Will a government ever get elected by promising to do less'. Straight back Mr. Portillo said 'No'. And that was that.

Michael Paul, Barnoldswick, Lancashire

Matthew Parris writes:

"The estate of politics pays large sums of money to the estate of marketing. Professionals tend to prescribe remedies that lie within their own competence. Marketing is about perceptions, not substance, and is essentially short-term, aiming to turn perceptions round within at most a couple of years, and uninterested in the problems that perception unmatched by substance may finally bring."

What qualifies Matthew Parris to make such ridiculous claims about 'Marketing'? It is because politicians (like him, it would seem) fail to understand Marketing that they ignore its principles. Every professional Marketeer knows that their number one priority is to work out what their customers want or need and how to align their organisation to provide it. Misleading their customers or seeking to create and impression unmatched by substance is against all principles of good marketing. And yes, we do think long term - that is our job. If only politicians knew how to.

HJ, Reading, UK

The fact is, of course, that most politicians nowadays have come straight in to politics, with no previous experience of doing anything. That, in turn, is because they have no aptitude for making anything work, and certainly no experience and no wish to get their hands dirty with the sheer effort and professionalism that is required. They have already taken the easy way out of life - which is to dream up 'ideas'. So we are stuck with them and what they see as their great 'vision' - with all the spin that inevitably will have to be wheeled in to obscure the reality of their subsequent under achievement. I have no hope of it changing.

john cornford, arundel, uk

If what Matthew Parris says is true then Mrs Williamson must not to be given a Lordship but be kept in the House of Commons where a wonderful person like her might do us all good.Health Secretary for her next, Prime Minister, and then Education, please
Oh, and this article is MUCH better than banging on about religion, Mr Parris - this stuff is what we really read you for

David Kay, Hemingford Grey, UK

Funny And Interesting

To add to the debate though, I read a book recently that was co-written by Donald Trump. (I know, I Know, but please keep an open mind). Anyway, in this book Donald and his friend, Robert, both successful businessmen talk a little about America and its recent history.

What is surprising and refreshing is that they say that a complete change of direction is needed, dare I say, a new 'vision' not just for America but global trade and finance.

They blame neither Democrat nor Republican, instead they outline why continued political arthodoxy could return us to the depression or worse.

The point is that, simply getting a competent middle manager just will not cut it any more. There are structural problems that need a firm hand and a vision of where we want to be. They point out that 'big government' has failed and we cannot put off dealing with it.

A good, competent minister with the wrong road map is simply another lost soul on the road to nowhere.

joe, Berwickshire, Scotland

Matthew, you must remember a Margaret rather than an Audrey who wanted to just make Britain work. She was shouted down by all the Cultural Marxists (Google the term if you are unfamiliar with it). The populus will always fall for the simplistic slogans of the left who want nothing more than to dismantle all that industrious common sense of traditional Britain.

mark, southampton, uk

Instead of talking about such a person, and writing about such a person why don't these political big mouths who keep filling our TV's and newspaers with their never ending crap find some people like this. They can't because universities, political researchers and trade union jobsworth's don't think like that, so there aren't any, unless the system changes, and there is NO chance of that !

Phil de Buquet, Newport, England

I wasn t quite sure for a moment whether my computer might have done one of its occasional subtle moves and I was transported to some other site. What you say is surely very sound, but it conflicts with the conclusion that I have spent the past few years forming; that politics has become the art of transposing a solid mundane sub strata into a kaleidoscopic drama, with continuing congenial employment in mind. Keen as most voters and taxpayers might be to reverse this process, it is difficult to see it happening.

Henry Percy, London, UK

Brfilliant -absolutely brilliant.

After your silly remarks about mowing down cyclists with stretched wire (for which you have apologised) I was half inclined never to read you again.

You are redeemed and forgiven

David Raynes , BATH, UK

Absolutely correct Mathew but you are in the village and so should know that altruism has vanished from politics and in order to ensure delivery we now need the following from politicians;

Transparency

Responsibility

Relevant Skills

An end to patronage (see relevant skills)

An end to spin doctors (see transparency above)

An end to quagos (see responsibility)

How does that work for you Mathew?

simon, London,

To make things 'work' you first have to really understand them and what the problems actually are in practice. The current lot in Government have never done anything except be politicians ..... hence they only know how politics works and don't stand a chance of making anything 'work' that really matters to the general public.

We need fewer career politicians and more managers from industry and the other private sector organisations. If Audrey Williamson has a private sector background, I'd be interested.

Donna Walker, Effingham, Surrey

What we need as well is a politician who understands that we have to slim down the bureaucracy and the number of laws that are passed.To much red tape,to many jobsworths,to much paperwork,just look at how the taxes have been complicated and you can see that we are bogged down with regulations that stop things working.Mrs.Williamson or whoever could start with that and everyone would benefit.

Nigel Wheatcroft, wimbledon,

The Britain that has developed over the past decade or so seems like one never-ending party with razzmatazz from breakfast to bedtime. We are continuously regaled with bright, shiny things, whether they be the glossy adverts that largely depict entirely different people from the kind we meet on the streets, on the buses, at work, or at home; or whether they be the glossy "trust me" promises that politicians constantly ram down our throats. Although we have personal debt to the tune of some £1.3 trillion, we are constantly encouraged to buy a new car, buy foreign holidays, buy expensive, allegedly slimming breakfast cereals, take out more credit cards, apply for loans to consolidate previous loans. We are urged to smell nice, practise personal hygiene, ensure our homes are pristine, meet up with fabulous friends who look like they've just popped in from a Hollywood film set. We are actually living in a Kafkaesque nightmare cleverly disguised as a Shangri-la. Black. White. Pleasantville.

Mike Mitchell, Spalding, England

Mathew, this article should be made essential reading for all politicians. I would imagine around 90% of the country would agree with the views expressed. I would add one constraint that might act as a catalyst: Ministers should be allowed to attempt only one, preferably zero, change per year in their respective departments. (I can hear the NHS cheering loudly now at this idea!)

Mike Thomas, Berlin, Germany

Politicians are managers. Vastly overpaid, woefully underachieving, incorrectly trained and qualified, but somehow managers of our services nonetheless.

Matthew is right, and as rare amongst his media peers as Williamson is amongst her political ones. There is a self-reinforcing class of career politicians and career journalists that has developed which has little experience outside its own ongoing pantomime, and until we reward those that just get on with the job properly, nothing will change to make politics relevant.

Howard Beale, Manchester,

If she can also dispense with the bendy-buses and manage to clean up parts of England's disgusting airports,she'll get my vote! (A bit--a lot! England is four times more densely populated than France-- more spent on other transport infrastructure would be nice but I don't want to push it.)

MaryCunningham, London,

Audrey Williams for Prime Minister.

paul, London, UK

How soon can we have Audrey Williamson badges stickers and of course the website?

John Conway, Glasgow,

Actually, I think we have one politician who takes Audrey's line. He is proud of being boring. He is so boring in fact tha I can't remember his name. I believe he is the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mind, with looming economic crisis, lost CDs with unecrypted personal data and what have you, he is nobody's darling

John, London, UK

Perhaps Mrs Williamson would look at ID cards, go "tsk, tsk, tsk, not fit for purpose and too expensive" and abandon them.
I'd vote for her, too.

Jeremy James, St. Maurice de Lignon, France

Clarkson for Prime Minister, Parris for Home Secretary; Common Sense for policy.
Gets my vote!

glenn ex-pat, Auckland, NZ

T%ime to wake up, Matthew. This is the real world where there are no competent, quiet and efficient politicians. It is an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

Edwin, Bucharest,

I would like to vote for Audrey Williamson.

Peter York, Tonbridge, Kent

While your Mrs. Williamson is busy making things work, can we have Magna Carta and a respect for civil liberties back before she gets unleashed on ID cards and the NIR and makes that work as this government would wish?

Frankly, sometimes the only thing that saves us from this government is crass incompetence on their part!

E Burgess, Slough,

How true, how very true. Ever thought of going into politics Mr Parris?

Anne Murphy, London,