The Paula Principle

Theresa May

LRB’s power pieces

Two excellent PP-relevant pieces in a recent issue of the London Review of Books. One is a review by David Runciman of a book on Theresa May which sums up her trajectory to power in a way that really helped me get a fix on the PM's outlook and attitude.  Especially telling is the contrast he draws between May and David Cameron, at several points in their political careers.  Cameron is ...all posh-boy charm and insouciance, flying by the seat of his pants with the aid of his network of well-connected chums.  May is earnest and diligent, apparently less opportunistic and more willing to assess things on their merits. And…
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Work like a man….

What do      Theresa May  and Grayson Perry  have in common? Maybe not very much.  But on Desert Island Discs  recently, May chose Walk Like A  Man as one of her numbers.  She hurriedly added that much though she swings along to the song, she did not mean it as a message to any ambitious females, who should walk their own walk. Recently in the New Statesman Perry asks, how did the straight, white man get the keys to the kingdom, and when will he give them back?  He goes for 'Default Man' as the label for this, saucily explaining his reasons :  "I like the word 'default', for not only does it…
Read More

LRB’s power pieces

Two excellent PP-relevant pieces in a recent issue of the London Review of Books. One is a review by David Runciman of a book on Theresa May which sums up her trajectory to power in a way that really helped me get a fix on the PM's outlook and attitude.  Especially telling is the contrast he draws between May and David Cameron, at several points in their political careers.  Cameron is ...all posh-boy charm and insouciance, flying by the seat of his pants with the aid of his network of well-connected chums.  May is earnest and diligent, apparently less opportunistic and more willing to assess things on their merits. And…
Read More

Work like a man….

What do      Theresa May  and Grayson Perry  have in common? Maybe not very much.  But on Desert Island Discs  recently, May chose Walk Like A  Man as one of her numbers.  She hurriedly added that much though she swings along to the song, she did not mean it as a message to any ambitious females, who should walk their own walk. Recently in the New Statesman Perry asks, how did the straight, white man get the keys to the kingdom, and when will he give them back?  He goes for 'Default Man' as the label for this, saucily explaining his reasons :  "I like the word 'default', for not only does it…
Read More