Etonian, soldier, diplomat, professor; Rory Stewart entered politics as the Conservative MP for Penrith and the Border in 2010 with a sense of calling and conscience. Throughout Politics On the Edge, Stewart explores a deep love, loyalty and respect for the North and his constituency, which often provided respite and belonging in a system that utterly disappointed and alienated him.
Suspecting Rory Stewart may not conform to the typical politician mould, given his uncommon blend of human empathy and naivety for real change, we delve into his early days in parliament at a time when a seemingly jealous David Cameron was Prime Minister. We hear of his clunky, but eventually successful, approach to finding common ground with his constituents while navigating the brutality of the press and vindictiveness of political peers.
The parallels between showbiz and politics translated behind the scenes and quickly dashed Stewart’s hope for the kind of change the country cried out for. He bitterly observed the default to maintaining party unity over doing the right thing with an ease that he couldn’t easily adopt himself. Learning to play by the unspoken rules of Parliament saw increased influence, but was met with the fear of ultimately becoming an informed ‘has been’, whose hands are tied. As he put it himself, there’s a sense of ‘claustrophobia’ for those with a conscience in the confining walls of parliament. Being an MP seems better suited for the brazen social climbers who possess a more skewed moral compass than Rory and the rest of us, thriving on the stage that is the Palace of Westminster.
Like many representatives of the North, he spent much of his time ‘trapped as a backbencher’ and relegated to matters on hedgehogs, rather than those of humanity. Stewart was clearly armed with the kind of expertise that rendered him eminently qualified to address issues concerning national conflict but seemed more often than not, blocked by the illusive powers at be. And while Rory was all too aware of problems and hurdles his constituents and the North faced, a continual series of unfortunate events tainted intentions and successes too often. An ill-judged comment on ‘primitive’ constituents, tardiness to Pooley Bridge floods as Floods Minister and a casualness to once smoking opium Iran - these missteps plunged him into a whirlpool of political and media scrutiny, resulting in mockery and disaster.
It’s Rory’s final chapters that drum up an intensity, as though you are about to experience an alternative solution to the 2019 referendum and Brexit saga, all to be disappointed by Boris for the first time all over again. An uncomfortable retelling of the final blow in Rory’s political demise. Fueled largely by fear of Boris Johnson’s untrustworthy, caricature approach to leading a fractured country, Rory’s own campaign to lead the Conservatives gathers enough momentum to become a problem. But ultimately, Rory's Stewart’s lack of ease under spotlight leaves him literally and figuratively knocked out of the race, dishevelled and devoid of composure.
The persistent portrayal of earnestness as awkwardness in politics unfairly divides the perceived 'weak' from the 'strong', leaving a sour taste for readers. In this narrative, honesty, discretion, and decency seem to have no foothold in the political arena.
Politics on the Edge: A memoir from within by Rory Stewart. Published by Jonathan Cape/Vintage.
