What is Jonathan Isaby playing at?

The tone of this article is, in some ways, representative of a damaging mindset that is widespread in Britain today. The writer seems to revel in the fact that many new Tory PPCs “did not go to university at all”, celebrating a lack of education in candidates as if such a thing was a good quality. Politicians and the press bang on about the prevalence of Eton and Oxbridge in the CVs of Conservative members, seemingly forgetting that these are some of the premier academic institutions in the world, producing some of the finest minds in the country – surely exactly who we ought to have them running the show.

British politics is at risk of becoming a council of mediocrity for the sake of diversity. Cameron has become so obsessed with the image of the party that he risks overlooking truly talented Conservatives just for the sake of a few ‘different’ faces, be they women, black, Muslim or whatever. I’m all for people from different areas and minorities entering politics, but they cannot receive positive discrimination at the expense of gifted ‘traditional’ candidates. Surely that is why the entire concept of meritocracy exists, so that the person who is most gifted is selected to do a challenging job? Look what happens when the current norm of selection is utilised - we get Gordon Brown as PM, mediocracy for the sake of inadequacy.

Mr. Isaby writes

The new intake will be less white and heterosexual too. At present there are only two Tory MPs from an ethnic minority: that should be blown out of the water with Priti Patel and Helen Grant both entering the Commons in safe seats and a host of other non-white candidates standing in top targets. Similarly, the number of openly gay MPs is likely to rise from two to hit double figures.

I for one does not give a shit if my MP is brown, blue, yellow, gay, lesbian, one-legged, blind, balled, short, fat, tall, slim, white, black, pink green or any other diversifying character. As long as they know how to get this country back on this feet then I am more than happy. But Mr. Isaby appears to think that because a person is gay he has suddenly gain an additional merit. Fishing for gay votes is one thing but doing so is putting the nation at risk when the gayest person is given a seat rather than the best person. Why does it matter if the man sleeps with another man - even to gays? Are they likelier to vote for a gay person because he is gay? What a very odd set of principles, surely one chooses a favourite based on the merits of his or her proposals not his or her sexual orientation. If the latter is true then surely this group of people should be ignored, be it gays, feminists, greens or ethnic minorities, rather than encouraged, and actively be advanced to the place of mind where on chooses people for their strengths as people not their superficial tendencies.