England skipper offers advice to politicians
By politics.co.uk staff
England cricket captain Andrew Strauss has offered some handy hints on leadership to Britain's politicians – after saying he thinks the UK's parties have got "bogged down".
The opening batsman, who has led his team to their current status as the number one Test side in the world, said he felt that lowering expectations was the key to success in politics in an interview with the Spectator magazine.
"It would be good advice: don't promise too much, but overachieve," he said.
Strauss admitted some disillusionment with the current state of British politics in the interview as he sought to answer a question about what winning in politics actually means.
"Party strategists would say gaining and keeping power. Individual MPs would say one particular policy. It's a good question. What would David Cameron say? Would he say making the country a better place? If he said it, would he mean it?"
The England skipper said consensus-building in both politics and sport was "paramount" and admitted being "fascinated" by the world of Westminster.
But he added: "I'm not that enthralled by any of the parties. They've got bogged down. None is clear enough about what it is they stand for.
"I get the impression everyone is trying to occupy this centre ground, which becomes a mishmash… Cameron generally impresses me. But at the same time, you get the feeling that when there is any opposition to a policy they just backtrack."
