We asked former Conservative Parliamentary Candidate Ed McGuinness, who also served in the British Army, what kinds of people do we need in our politics?
The key to a rich political discourse is driven by a variety of experience and backgrounds as our representative democracy ought to best reflect the broadest array of experiences in society. This list is by no means exhaustive but we need doctors, nurses, lawyers, charity volunteers, councillors, ex-Ministers, a broad array of ethnic and religious backgrounds, yes the professional political class of ex-Special Advisors who deftly navigate the corridors of power and, our subject, veterans.
Diversity of Thought
Military thinking, particularly at the junior level (both officer and non-commissioned) is rightly focussed on outcomes – a mission orientated approach. This leads, rightly, to a reliance on drills and planning handrails, which enable effective decision making, in a compressed timeline for complex tasks.
Political decisions are often, however, wicked problems, by which I mean impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognise. Having additional experience in competitive business, charities or another public sector position where the focus is on maximisation of client satisfaction, the bottom line or another metric that is not easily defined can provide a complementary skillset and experience beyond linear battle planning.
This is not to suggest military planning approaches, and knowledge thereof, have no place in politics or political problem solving, but an understanding that some problems are insoluble to a standard acceptable to all stakeholders and making one’s peace with a principled approach rather than striving for an unachievable outcome is a key character trait that allows a politician to function.
Enriching Empathy
Enriching one’s character is a never ending process, but military life, which often begins at a very early age, mere months into adulthood, means that people can become very comfortable within a single institution. Advantages to this include understanding the value of a shared camaraderie, a common denominator of skills & expectations and a sense of belonging.
In civilian life some of the tangible attributes, such as uniform and rank do not exist and intangible qualities of discipline and loyalty, may not be as recognisable as in the military. Whilst a military foundation equips servicemen and women with a strong ability to empathise, in my opinion the most important skill for a politician to have, additional experiences of other parts of society, such as the private or voluntary sectors or even other public services can broadens ones horizons from what is a, by definition, regimented life in the military.
Conclusion
In closing, a society is best served through a politics that reflects the richness within it; military experience certainly brings a concentration of positive characteristics that serve political discourse in a hugely positive manner – there a few areas of society where people experience such austere and pressured scenarios, or positions of true leadership at such a young age.
However, veterans ought to continuously strive, as they do within the military, to gain a wider perspective; to lift their eyes beyond the battle in front of them – to think “2-up”.
By working in other environments the obvious attributes of trustworthiness, borne out of a commitment to your fellow soldier to protect each other, and leadership, forged in the pressure cooker of combat, are “force multiplied” to be effective operators in a field so needing of people of true character and conviction.
Link to original, published on CampaignForce on 18 Jan 2022.